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Video: Cobie Durant aka The Human Seatbelt
- Thread starter Corbin
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snackdaddy
Who's your snackdaddy?
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I think Durant will be a bright spot for that secondary. I just hope he's not the only bright spot.
ArkyRamsFan
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Merlin, do you think with his lack of size that he can play outside the numbers? Or will he be mostly in the slot?
~ArkyRamsFan~
nighttrain
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Tano
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I think he can play inside or out. Same with Tomlinson. So what drives things might be who is their desired CB3 of the available options. If for example they want Rochell out there he will play outside the hash only so either Tomlinson or Durant will be in the slot.
Also and btw and this is not a popular opinion but I think Kendrick is a slot only at this level because he does not have the wheels to survive out there vs the best wideouts. Basically if you play him outside the hash he will be targeted non-stop by opposing offenses. Kendrick played outside in college and the Rams played him outside his rook season, btw, and he is really good in his positioning and use of the sideline boundary. In the NFL the best place for guys who lack wheels is inside, as there are support options and rubs and whatnot that you can do to affect the target, historically speaking. We drafted Joyner back in the day as an undersized 4.6 guy for example and he was solid in the slot for those reasons and historically guys who are not quite good enough for solo work outside end up playing in the slot.
Now note that slot receivers now include some of the best athletes on the field, but to some extent these old things still hold true. You are still IMO better off on the interior if you lack speed than you are outside the hash where a go route getting by you is very difficult for a safety to give you help. That is not going to change. So this is why I like Kendrick on the interior.
But there is another factor at play which is whether they have Durant or Tomlinson travelling with matchups. And that would come down to how well they show in camp. Generally if you have a corner travelling with the WR it is because he is significantly better than your other corners, so it allows you to dictate the matchup you want to erase a top target. Ramsey was used in that role and I am of the mind that they also used it to avoid certain matchups as his game degraded but that's another unpopular take of mine.
So boil all that down and my guess is that Durant will be the top corner in the defensive backfield. Early in the season I would guess he travels with desired matchups. But as Tomlinson comes online that will probably change, where they allow Tomlinson to take the matchup and they will have Durant travel with the receiver when he lines up over Kendrick. And our corners will be better than media give them credit for right now I think. But they will struggle a bit with the bigger matchups. I don't think Rochell will do anything, hope I'm wrong but it is what it is. We'll need to replace Kendrick next offseason as he'll be the weak link.
Overall much of the questions I have with the secondary comes down to the safeties since I think we'll be pretty good 2 deep at corner. I think Morris needs to find a pairing that excels in the way he wants to call it. Does he have the right pieces back there? No idea but we'll see.
oldnotdead
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If Jason Taylor is the safety I think he will be then he can be that nickel in the zone scheme. This would make Durant the #1CB and Hodges-Tomlinson CB2 both with outstanding speed and ball instincts. If they are played properly I'm not really concerned about this secondary.
I still hate how much Morris plays a cover 3 and quarters look. I would rather he stuck to his cover 2 base defense and used 3 safeties with the 3rd safety in that middle zone. Use a SAM OLB to cover the flats and set the edges against sweeps and scrambles. What I'm saying is that the defense has the players if they are simply played to their strengths and played aggressively.
Interior runs will face AD, Brown/Murchison, with Jones and Mathis (6'4" 247lbs) covering those A and B gaps with Fuller or Taylor in support. If played properly that would be tough to run or pass against consistently. Playing an OLB at SAM and WIL makes a lot more sense than trying to play it with a safety or other DB. Look how well that defense played with a SAM OLB under Phillps. Just go back and watch Ebukam against KC. The Rams haven't used a OLB SAM since Wade. The SD Chargers with Wade as DC used an OLB for both SAM and WIL and it worked very well. They used Howard as a WIL against the Niners and that is why he was there to make the INT. An OLB generally gives better run support than a smaller safety or ILB. This is part of what I'm saying about playing to the roster's strength. OLBs are a strength on this defensive roster.
I was a bit thrown off by the selection of Desjuan Johnson, as he's too slow to play as a traditional OLB. But then when I tried to fit him on the roster I could see him as an ILB. His forte isn't rushing the passer it's playing strong against the run. He was known as a good edge-setter. Those same qualities (i.e. like being able to stack and shed) would serve him well as a rotational ILB behind Jones. At 6'3" 265 lbs he has the size of a MIKE LB. A lot of the same things said about Jones pre-draft were echoed about Johnson as an OLB. But move him inside as a rotational MIKE LB and suddenly he's a fit.
This is what I'm talking about when the media criticize the draft selections they don't take the time to look at the players and where they might actually fit on the roster. Like when I look at McClendon's style of play and physical metrics I don't see a OT I see a ROG. If that is the kind of intentions the Rams have for these two the draft makes a lot more sense.
I still hate how much Morris plays a cover 3 and quarters look. I would rather he stuck to his cover 2 base defense and used 3 safeties with the 3rd safety in that middle zone. Use a SAM OLB to cover the flats and set the edges against sweeps and scrambles. What I'm saying is that the defense has the players if they are simply played to their strengths and played aggressively.
Interior runs will face AD, Brown/Murchison, with Jones and Mathis (6'4" 247lbs) covering those A and B gaps with Fuller or Taylor in support. If played properly that would be tough to run or pass against consistently. Playing an OLB at SAM and WIL makes a lot more sense than trying to play it with a safety or other DB. Look how well that defense played with a SAM OLB under Phillps. Just go back and watch Ebukam against KC. The Rams haven't used a OLB SAM since Wade. The SD Chargers with Wade as DC used an OLB for both SAM and WIL and it worked very well. They used Howard as a WIL against the Niners and that is why he was there to make the INT. An OLB generally gives better run support than a smaller safety or ILB. This is part of what I'm saying about playing to the roster's strength. OLBs are a strength on this defensive roster.
I was a bit thrown off by the selection of Desjuan Johnson, as he's too slow to play as a traditional OLB. But then when I tried to fit him on the roster I could see him as an ILB. His forte isn't rushing the passer it's playing strong against the run. He was known as a good edge-setter. Those same qualities (i.e. like being able to stack and shed) would serve him well as a rotational ILB behind Jones. At 6'3" 265 lbs he has the size of a MIKE LB. A lot of the same things said about Jones pre-draft were echoed about Johnson as an OLB. But move him inside as a rotational MIKE LB and suddenly he's a fit.
This is what I'm talking about when the media criticize the draft selections they don't take the time to look at the players and where they might actually fit on the roster. Like when I look at McClendon's style of play and physical metrics I don't see a OT I see a ROG. If that is the kind of intentions the Rams have for these two the draft makes a lot more sense.
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