
Decoding Brandon Staley’s new Rams defense, and what we’ve learned about it
New York TimesRams head coach Sean McVay joked this week that in 2018, when the Rams lost to Chicago 15-6, then-Bears outside linebackers coach Brandon Staley “basically ruined my night.” “He’s really tough on himself,” Staley said, adding that the week preparing for McVay and his Rams offense was “stressful. “He just has all of his teach-tapes and the cutups spliced with that game in there, so he brings it up in a subconscious way.” The Rams — who play the Bears on Monday night at SoFi Stadium — say Staley’s defense does have some similarities to what the Bears do/have done. Staley even notably said in the spring, as he worked to install his defense via online meetings, that he wanted Donald to be able to “express himself” within the Rams’ new system. The inside linebacker’s job is to take the “final three” receiver underneath after the pattern distribution, so he had to match up with Tate… It can be difficult to get all the communication correct and do this effectively, and there have been examples of the Rams not effectively pattern matching, but they haven’t been punished for it.
History of this topic

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Old, new, and borrowed: How Sean McVay’s Rams offense is evolving once again
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Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers matchups, start time and how to watch
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Rams’ secondary got deeper when Darious Williams was sidelined
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Matthew Stafford passes test, plays well in Rams’ scrimmage against Cowboys
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Rams preview: Secondary runs through Jalen Ramsey, ‘contract’ year for Darious Williams and big expectations for safeties
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Anticipating free-agent exodus, Rams’ draft plan to secure secondary is at forefront
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With Leonard Floyd locked in, how can Rams answer other questions on defense?
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Rams’ defensive coordinator Brandon Staley being pursued for head-coaching jobs
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Rams’ 24-3 victory over the New England Patriots by the numbers
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