The Ram's front 7 struggles to get pressure up front because of the way they are playing the DL. This one and a half gap is fine if you have a dominant 4 man front. The Rams don't. Morris apparently doesn't understand that. You play that style to allow you to play a dime secondary. You have to accept that it's going to slow the pass rush. Because the Rams really only have a 3 man DL with Young, Donald and Turner they simply can't play that style.
Teams have gone to a simple one gap penetration style with their fronts because even if they have less than dominant players up front they can get the most pressure possible. Donald exemplifies that style as he simply plays the run on his way to the QB. A one gap is designed to disrupt the offense on their side of the LOS. The gap and a half style defends the LOS and is primarily for stopping the run.
Play an OL of Young, Donald, Turner, and Mathis in a one gap style and they can get pressure. They can play 2 ILBs with MIKE Jones, WIL Rozeboom. Secondary of boundary CBs Witherspoon, Ojemudia, safeties of Lake and Yeast with Kendrick playing the intermediate middle zone. This would allow them to play two deep, or quarters, or zone with their safeties and man outside.
Kendrick is simply a zone CB. He lacks the speed to play outside it's why he gets grabby in coverage. That is plainly obvious. In reality I would rather see Sperry at SCB in a nickel scheme. He's faster, more agile and a proven SCB.
For whatever reason McVay and Morris who has the ultimate say, ignore what is clear when you watch the film. If they want pressure then ditch the gap and a half and return to the one gap. They have the players for that. Young wide 9, Donald 4T, Turner 1T, Mathis 4/5T with Jones over the A gap not covered by Turner and Rozeboom at WIL.
Morris is more concerned about opposing RBs but he leaves the QB unaccounted for. Mobile QBs are killing the Rams. A one gap will help contain them with Young at wide 9 and a WIL and still control the gaps. That's why most defenses have returned to the one gap style. Simply said the Rams DL doesn't have the personnel to play a gap and a half and still get pressure. So just change the style that plays to the strengths of the players they do have which is one gap.
Staley could play a gap and a half because look at who he had up front. Floyd wide 9, Donald 4T, Sebastian Josepth Day 0T, Brockers 4T and Ebukam who played both WIL and SAM depending upon the down and the team. That is why it worked under Staley but is a failure with Morris. Morris says he didn't have the players to play man coverage, okay if you believe Ramsey couldn't. But to think he has the players to play a gap and a half with the DL is ludicrous. Where is his two gap NT, his DE, and his WIL/SAM. He doesn't have them.
The Rams in their folly allowed one of the best 1T NT in the league to walk in Gaines because they believed Morris when he told them Brown could play a 2 gap NT ( 0T ). Turner can be a very good 1T but the Rams lack a 0T NT. It was just plain foolish. Just like they allowed Floyd to walk when they simply could have added Young opposite him with Donald and Gaines inside. Think of how good that DL would be.
What it comes down to is simply coaching failures by both McVay and Morris. Not understanding their player's strengths and weaknesses. They also lack an understanding of the requirements of the scheme they want to play and the players you need to play it. Rather than play to their roster strength they continue to pound square pegs into round holes. That's why the defense is struggling. It's McVay for trusting Morris and Raheem for not accepting his limitations.
