JimY53
Pro Bowler
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2023
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- JY53
It's always something. But at least we are making progress ... step i step I illustrate what happened and it corrects some memories of people. My opinion some people (don't know about you) don't watch much football other than Rams games.
It's the off-coverages, then it's the blitzing then it's something else.
I have attached the Rams blitz rate. What cracks me up is people who hated the man are praising him this year just because they play more man coverage. It doesn't matter what the results are or the more explosive plays. He's blitzing less this year than in 2021 and 2022. In 2021 he blitzed 7 percent more than Staley did in 2020.
I think it's also possible you some saw conversions and it frustrated you and it stuck with you ever since. If you know what the 3rd and long conversion rates are let me know (I have them (2021-23 for 3&8 or longer if you want), you may or may not like the answer.
I do know the Rams 3rd down conversion rate under Morris is 13th best in NFL -- through Dec 15th this year...so it's missing last two games but if he's 13th imagine how you'd feel if Rams were worse (49ers 16th, Chiefs 17th, Bengals 23rd, Eagles 28th--those are last year's final 4 teams) Chargers 26th ...
So I try to bring fairness and context. Not just what I think I saw.
I don't think you will do this, but have had this debate before. Someone claims something, I prove it wrong, then it's "yeah, but what about this" ... and that's wrong, too. And not just my opinion, I prove things by showing clips or stills or stats or all three. And anyone is welcome to do their own research and dispute me.
But do other teams do that? Are you just so emotionally involved with your team (nothing wrong with that, either. It's what makes us all fans) that you notice it more when it happens to the Rams?
In 2021 Morris blitzed at a top 5 rate. Then less in 2022 and even less in 2023, when people have far fewer complaints.
I think people don't like what off-coverage looks like and as fans hold Morris to a much higher account than they do with other teams.
They see it and hear Aikman and Greg Olsen say "soft coverage" and then ape it for a few years.
And because of some 3rd and long failures and some big failures in games, they forget what the results are. And while we'd all like to see better --- I would, we all want a dominant defense --- they freaked out and wanted Morris gone after 2021's Cardinal game at SoFi. And then people said this and said that and finally, I said the things they were saying are::
(1) True i.e. "the defense is not as good as it was in 2020". That was just a fact.
(2) False, but just good faith lack of understanding what is going on "they are 15 yards off" or "they don't blitz very often", etc.
(3) True, but there is context like other teams, including Staley did the same things "They play 8 yards off" or "They don't blitz like Spags or Wink or Flores" the "well, yeah, but here is why" can be a valid response to those. It is then just a matter of wanting something we cannot have. The scheme is what McVay ordered and Morris delivered it. We may not like Fangio's scheme but it's hard to do more than one scheme. There is a saying that if you do everything you are not going to be good at anything. Some coaches try to do everything, mix and match. That's fine -- if it works. Others want to get good at what they want to run .. buy into the philosophy. McVay wanted this for good or bad
(4) Outright lies. This is only for people who have been shown ample evidence that their assumptions are errant but keep repeating them over and over.
5) Pure personal hate, questioning his smarts and courage, you know, the nasty stuff.
There are more nuances to it but the bottom line is there are some who will never stop hating the dude. With others, debates can be had ... I just got to a point where people just lost their heads.
They wanted to fire a coach 7-8-9 weeks into a season he helped win a Super Bowl. Then in 2022 when the offense was a disaster (injuries) they reverted to the same noise.
They talked like Rams were 32 in points allowed, 32nd in points allowed, 32nd in 3rd down conversions ... you know, things that means a coach should be fired. Morris was never close to that but the critics tried to gaslight people into believing Rams defense was bottom 5 while forgetting that the offense in 2002 WAS a bottom 5.
#perspective #fairness
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