The Los Angeles Rams will be looking and feeling like a different team in 2020. Although there has not been much player movement so far, the organization has made some big changes to their coaching staff already.
After letting go of defensive coordinator Wade Phillips to start their offseason, the Rams brought in former Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears linebackers coach Brandon Staley to replace him. Phillips spent the last three years with the Rams and stated that he is not ready for his legendary career to end quite yet.
Although Phillips is no longer with the Rams, his impact on the players can still be felt. Reigning two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald had nothing but praise for his old coordinator, via Gary Klein and Arash Markazi of the L.A. Times:
“He was great,” Donald said. “Everybody knows he’s been doing it a long time with a lot of success and coached a lot of great players.
“He’s a guy that helped our defense to do a lot of great things, helped us as individual players to have success, so he put us in great positions. He’s definitely a guy you’re going to miss.
“Just a part of the business. It sucks, but just got to understand it’s a business.”
Although the Rams defense had some incredibly talented pieces, they seemed to falter in key games in 2019. Phillips is no doubt a legend in his own right, but it seems that head coach Sean McVay felt shaking things up would be better for the defense.
The Rams tried to shake things up this past season by acquiring yet another superstar in the form of cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Ramsey has been a defensive leader in his young NFL career and immediately impacted the team’s defense after being acquired in a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Ramsey stated that he felt Phillips allowed him to open up his game and play his way, but understands why the Rams felt the need to make a change:
“Going to L.A. in the first place, I felt blessed to be able to play under a legend,” Ramsey said, adding, “I enjoyed every minute, to be honest.
“We had a really good defense. We had a couple bumps in the road against some good teams. … I like how he utilized me, how he let me play. And I think it could have grown into something even more special. But with that being said, everything happens for a reason.”
While losing a coach of Phillips’ stature hurts, hopefully, some change will do this team well. A 9-7 record does not look bad on paper, but the Rams left a lot to be desired in 2019 and will be looking to bounce back in 2020.
