Arizona Cardinals: 5 questions Cardinals fans want to know about the L.A. Rams
Question #3 that Arizona Cardinals fans want to know: Sean McVay is known as one of the premier offensive head coaches in the league, but a lot of the defensive success has been tied to Raheem Morris.
Is he poised to be a head coaching candidate once again?
Stuter: ” The success enjoyed by DC Raheem Morris was not as smooth sailing as you may think. Many of the regular season games ended with fans outright calling for the LA Rams to fire Morris.
It was an impossible situation, as Raheem Morris’ predecessor was the once-and-done defensive wunderkind Brandon Staley, who parlayed his lone season as the Rams defensive coordinator, and the top-ranked defense in the NFL, into a head coaching gig with the LA Chargers.
Despite Morris and his defense helping to land a Super Bowl victory for the Rams, Morris only had one interview for a head coaching job in 2021.
Morris arrived in a tough spot. The fans were disappointed by Staley’s defection and wanted to dominate the NFL with another outstanding defense.
But the Staley version of defense had a huge hole in the middle that the New York Jets, and later the Green Bay Packers readily exploited to claim victory.
Morris attempted to move Jalen Ramsey to cover the slot, and halt opposing offenses from exploiting the middle of the field. That merely amplified the problem, as opposing offenses learned to place their worst receiver in the slot to occupy Ramsey.
Ultimately, the Rams’ defensive scheme and roster aligned, and the team’s defense became a strong suit for the playoff run.
This year, the Rams’ front office had clear guidelines to go by, and you can see Morris’s fingerprints all over the draft and free agency. Bobby Wagner will help solidify the middle of the Rams’ defense.
Many defensive backs were added in the draft, many of whom excel at ball-hawking skills. Even the draft-day trade to return former DB Troy Hill to the team was a sign of Raheem Morris and his affection for zone coverage.
The 2022 Rams defense is absolutely a Raheem Morris defense, and I expect it will perform better than the 2021 version. That will likely return Morris to the short list of potential NFL head coaches once more.”