It's now or never for the St. Louis Rams.
Head coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead have been in charge of the franchise for three years without reaching eight wins in a single season. Injuries to quarterback Sam Bradford over the past two years have limited what the team could do, but this year the Rams enter the season with a team built to work around limited quarterback play.
That was made apparent during a Week 1 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
New starting quarterback Nick Foles threw the ball just 27 times for 297 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in Week 1. He was a complementary piece of the offense, making throws off of play action on clearly defined reads.
Foles isn't as talented as Bradford. He lacks the pocket presence, touch and poise of the player he is replacing. Within the structure of the Rams team, though, he doesn't need to be a great quarterback. The Rams are building their team around the quality on their defensive line.
That quality is varied and plentiful, but it is highlighted most by Robert Quinn and Aaron Donald.
Quinn and Donald are both arguably the best players at their respective positions across the league. Both are exceptionally fast pass-rushers with the strength and intelligence to dominate against the run. In Week 1 against the Seahawks, they played to their ability to limit what the opposing offense could produce.
The duo combined for 14 tackles and four sacks, holding the Seahawks offense to just 16 points. The Seahawks scored 31 because they had a punt return touchdown and fumble return for a touchdown.
Donald was constantly in the Seahawks backfield. He was too tough a matchup for the Seahawks interior offensive linemen in one-on-one situations, but the Seahawks couldn't afford to repeatedly double team him because they would then give up a more favorable matchup to Quinn, Michael Brockers or Chris Long.
His first sack came in the first quarter, but the more impressive one came in the fourth.
Everything that Donald does is built off of his burst at the beginning of each play. It's rare that an offensive lineman has the athleticism to match his speed, so no matter whom he faces, they are always working at a disadvantage.
That was the case on this play as Donald initially lined up in the gap between the left guard and the left tackle. Donald immediately attacked the space in front of him, getting level with the left guard.
To complement his burst off the line and take advantage of his quick positioning, Donald uses a swim move. Not only are his hand movements as quick as his feet, but they are precise and strong. Left guard Justin Britt is easily knocked to the side as Donald continues downfield into the pocket.
Britt isn't a good offensive lineman, but he is a former offensive tackle who is likely to be more athletic than most guards in the league. Donald made him look like a tackle dummy on this play.
Seattle QB Russell Wilson had neither the time nor the space to escape from Donald. Even though he was the only defensive lineman to beat a block on the play, Donald had arrived so quickly and controlled his rush so that he could square up to Wilson in the pocket.
Making a form tackle in the pocket is important against Wilson because of his elusiveness.
Donald wasn't given a huge amount of space to work in for this sack. He created any space that came his way. He also didn't mask his intentions or look to manipulate the left guard in such a way that would have taken him longer to get to the quarterback.
Instead, he simply lined up against his opponent and beat him with his ability.
Having multiple offensive linemen with this ability doesn't just improve the pass rush upfront, it elevates every level of the defense. That isn't one of those football clichés that is so often thrown around without evidence. Effective four-man rushes in the NFL offer the defense more versatility and impact the quarterback in different ways.
Not only does the quarterback have to quicken his process in the pocket to get rid of the ball earlier than desired to or make a throw under pressure, he also has to throw into tighter coverage. Four-man rushes allow the defense to keep seven defenders in coverage.
This could be seen on Donald's sack.
Wilson only had four receivers running routes. Just one of those was available to him: Marshawn Lynch in the right flat. Lynch wasn't a throw that Wilson could realistically make with Donald closing on him from the opposite side of the field. It would have put him at risk of losing the ball during his throwing motion.
Even if Wilson could throw it to Lynch, the receiver was only open because of the down and distance. It was 3rd-and-7, so the Rams were happy to leave Lynch uncovered underneath so they could come up and tackle him short of the first-down line.
Having seven defenders in coverage meant the defensive backs and linebackers had simpler assignments, even with one linebacker spying Wilson in the pocket.
Creating interior and blindside pressure is invaluable. It's the type of pressure that is often most difficult to create but also is the toughest for quarterbacks to mitigate.
Donald creates the interior pressure, while Quinn can beat any left tackle in the NFL.
When Quinn entered the NFL, he was primarily a speed rusher. Like Donald, he possesses a great burst off the line of scrimmage that sets offensive tackles up at a disadvantage from the beginning of each play. Quinn has gradually gotten better at taking advantage of those situations.
He highlighted that for his third-quarter sack against Seahawks offensive tackle Russell Okung.
Quinn comes from a wide spot and attacks Okung's outside shoulder, but he doesn't attempt to accelerate past him. Instead, he shows off extremely violent hands to prevent the left tackle from engaging him. While doing that, Quinn continues to advance downfield.
The speed and aggressiveness of his hands allow him to quickly shed Okung before turning the corner to close in on Wilson in the pocket.
His relentlessness was evident throughout the game as he repeatedly got the better of the athletic Okung. Quinn is able to penetrate against running plays like as a pass-rusher to shut down running backs at and behind the line of scrimmage.
Unleashing Quinn from the outside and Donald from the interior gives the Rams a defensive front that is unlike any other across the league. Even the Houston Texans with J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney are unlikely to be as disruptive as the Rams' combination.
Within the NFC West in particular, the Rams defensive line should be a great weapon for them. The Seahawks have the worst offensive line of the four teams, but nobody projects to have a great or even a good one.
The 49ers lost Mike Iupati and Anthony Davis during the offseason. Both were All-Pro talents and integral starters. Iupati did stay in the division, moving over to the Arizona Cardinals, but he is dealing with a significant injury that is likely going to hamper his effectiveness even after he returns to the field.
Iupati and rookie first-round pick D.J. Humphries were supposed to elevate the Cardinals offensive line, but Humphries hasn't established himself early on at right tackle.
Unless Donald or Quinn are lost to injury or suspension, the Rams should be able to get the better of each of the offenses they face in divisional matchups. With Tre Mason, Todd Gurley and Brian Quick set to return on the offensive side, that sets them up well to compete for the division crown.
via http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2566567-aaron-donald-robert-quinn-can-lead-st-louis-rams-to-nfc-west-crown
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