The 2019 campaign for the Los Angeles Rams was disappointing, to say the least. Despite finishing with a 9-7 winning record, the fans, the coaching staff and the players were all left unsatisfied after a 2018 season in which they reached the Super Bowl.
Moving on to 2020, things should be different as the Rams have brought in a number of new coaches, including new defensive coordinator Brandon Staley. Staley is replacing legendary Wade Phillips, who led an inconsistent Rams defense last season.
The Rams tried to do all they could to get their defense going last year, including trading for Pro-Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Although Ramsey only played nine games with the Rams, he still felt that they had a pretty special defense that just had some hiccups along the way, via Sarina Morales of TheRams.com:
It was cool. I wish I could have been here the whole time. Just because I think we had a special defense. I mean we were good. We had a couple of hiccups here and there. A couple of games before I got here. They were three and three, so I heard those three games were kind of the same thing… a couple of hiccups. I feel like maybe that’s what defined the season a little bit, some good games, glimpses of a really good team, a championship caliber team. Again at times just tripping pickups. That’s how you end up with a 9-7 record I guess. But for me, I mean it’s still a blessing to be honest. It’s only my second winning season in the NFL. I had [another] really good year, the one year with the Jaguars. Every year other than that has been a very bad year. A losing season, four wins, three wins, stuff like that.
Although Ramsey was very unhappy with the Jacksonville Jaguars, it seems that the Rams winning ways have helped to improve his attitude. Ramsey finished his season with one interception and 31 solo tackles in Los Angeles as balls were rarely thrown his way.
Ramsey’s talent is undeniable and hopefully, he and the rest of the Rams will be pleased with what Staley brings to the table for the 2020 season. The Rams are hoping to get back to the championship form that Ramsey saw glimpses of last year, but it will certainly take some retooling on both sides of the ball.
Having players like Ramsey and Aaron Donald in their corner should certainly help in turning things around this upcoming season.
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