Jalen Ramsey has been one of the major reasons why the Los Angeles Rams still have one of the more solid defensive units in the NFL during the 2021 season.
Ramsey made his name on the back of his ability to erase an opposing team’s most potent receiving option, but since coming to the Rams, he has been utilized all over the field in order to maximize his talent. Under defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, Ramsey has lined up everywhere on the field and it has worked out nicely for the defensive back as he is able to affect the game on nearly every snap.
Having Ramsey is a luxury for the Rams, especially in today’s NFL when things on both sides of the field have evolved. Ramsey believes that offenses and defenses are countering each other more than ever, via Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic:
“I always look forward to highlight matchups, matchups against guys who, I guess, people consider to be the best in the game or one of the best in the game,” Ramsey said. “But it’s a team game. That’s not what it’s solely about; it’s not about a matchup. As we’ve seen, I don’t always get what I want — the fans, either, that’s just not how the flow of the game goes.
As much as fans want to see me playing man-to-man coverage on two receivers at once, or whatever they want, that’s not always the flow of the game, right? It used to be — the game has just evolved and developed. It used to be where the defense was kind of reactive to the offense in some areas where they would put their guy there, and you put your guy on him wherever he’s at and move him there. Now, offenses have evolved throughout the years of me being in the league. They are kind of reactive to that, as well.”
Like every sport, football has grown and developed in recent years as coaching staffs and players are smarter and more talented than ever before. Ramsey understands that any given week a team can pull out a win, so he and the Rams will need to continue to evolve in order to keep up with the times.
This answer was in response to him potentially matching up with Green Bay Packers star receiver Davante Adams this weekend in a rematch of last year’s NFC Divisional Round. Because of that, it will be interesting to see how often the two stars actually match up.
