<C>Monday Night Football
Rams Scouting Report</C>
St. Louis Rams (8-1)
The Rams are without a doubt the best team in the league. They do it all and do it well. No matter what Kurt Warner and Mike Martz say they are definitely a finesse team. Warner's key to success is throwing strikes to Bruce, Holt and Faulk while they are in stride. How difficult is it for a defender to knock down a pass when he doesn't even know it's coming?
How do you beat the St. Louis Rams?
The key to beating the Rams is to pressure Warner without blitzing. If you have a strong front four you'll succeed. The New York Giants came very close to beating the Rams. Strahan and Company pressured Warner and didn't allow him to get into rhythm. The Saints beat the Rams at their own game...by scoring points, but I doubt the Rams will lose another game in which they score over 30 points.
The defensive secondary has to be willing to give up yards in front of them as well. You can't press the Rams' wide receivers. They are much too physical and fast. Keeping the receiver's in front of you will eliminate big plays, especially against these guys.
What defensive alignments are most successful against the St. Louis Rams?
Most teams (New Orleans, San Francisco, NY Giants and Tennessee) have found success playing a "Soft Man/Cover 2". Why? When played out of the Nickel package it allows the safeties to stay back and the corners to play man in front of the receivers. As long as the safeties don't get beat deep this defense works.
Secondly, keeping the corners in front of the receivers give them a play on Faulk, Canidate and any receiver coming over the middle or underneath. The thing about the Rams' receivers is that they block very well down field. Having the corners playing in front of the receivers gives them a chance to make a play on anyone running routes under ten yards.
The whole key to this defense, as with most defensive plays, is putting pressure on the QB. If you can't force Warner to scramble out of the pocket you're in trouble. There isn't a defensive play in any team playbook that accounts for a QB sitting in a pocket for four, five, six seconds. Bruce and Holt are most dangerous when they adjust their routes and go down the field.
Why are the Rams so good if stopping them is so simple?
The reason is simple: execution. You can draw up a game plan and say you are going to put pressure, but it all comes down to executing the plays on the field.
That being said....Good Luck to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers because they'll need it!
Rams Scouting Report</C>
St. Louis Rams (8-1)
The Rams are without a doubt the best team in the league. They do it all and do it well. No matter what Kurt Warner and Mike Martz say they are definitely a finesse team. Warner's key to success is throwing strikes to Bruce, Holt and Faulk while they are in stride. How difficult is it for a defender to knock down a pass when he doesn't even know it's coming?
How do you beat the St. Louis Rams?
The key to beating the Rams is to pressure Warner without blitzing. If you have a strong front four you'll succeed. The New York Giants came very close to beating the Rams. Strahan and Company pressured Warner and didn't allow him to get into rhythm. The Saints beat the Rams at their own game...by scoring points, but I doubt the Rams will lose another game in which they score over 30 points.
The defensive secondary has to be willing to give up yards in front of them as well. You can't press the Rams' wide receivers. They are much too physical and fast. Keeping the receiver's in front of you will eliminate big plays, especially against these guys.
What defensive alignments are most successful against the St. Louis Rams?
Most teams (New Orleans, San Francisco, NY Giants and Tennessee) have found success playing a "Soft Man/Cover 2". Why? When played out of the Nickel package it allows the safeties to stay back and the corners to play man in front of the receivers. As long as the safeties don't get beat deep this defense works.
Secondly, keeping the corners in front of the receivers give them a play on Faulk, Canidate and any receiver coming over the middle or underneath. The thing about the Rams' receivers is that they block very well down field. Having the corners playing in front of the receivers gives them a chance to make a play on anyone running routes under ten yards.
The whole key to this defense, as with most defensive plays, is putting pressure on the QB. If you can't force Warner to scramble out of the pocket you're in trouble. There isn't a defensive play in any team playbook that accounts for a QB sitting in a pocket for four, five, six seconds. Bruce and Holt are most dangerous when they adjust their routes and go down the field.
Why are the Rams so good if stopping them is so simple?
The reason is simple: execution. You can draw up a game plan and say you are going to put pressure, but it all comes down to executing the plays on the field.
That being said....Good Luck to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers because they'll need it!
