Rams defense will play ‘Eleven as One’

During his tenure with the Los Angeles Rams as the team’s head coach, Sean McVay has had one constant that he could always count on being there: the presence of defensive tackle Aaron Donald. 

That is no longer an option for McVay. Or the Rams. Donald and all of his offensive backfield wrecking ways retired in the offseason leaving a deficit in the Rams’ defensive line.

“We were so fortunate and blessed to have such a special player in Aaron Donald be around,” McVay said after a team’s practice on Wednesday, Sept. 4. “What I thought was cool is he set a great example for guys that saw him play. I can use him as stories all the time. 

“He was around last week. I just saw him the other day. It’s pretty special that he’s earned the right to be able to be so content, complete, and full to use his words. He’s coaching his son’s football team, loving that,” he added. 

Donald played 10 seasons in the NFL, all with the Rams. He was an eight-time All-Pro selection. He was named Defensive Player of the Year three times. And every season he played in the NFL, Donald was tapped as a Pro Bowl player.  

Donald was more than just a mainstay for the defensive line of the Rams. He was the pulse of the defensive unit as well as being the heartbeat of the team. 

Now that Donald is enjoying retirement, McVay has had to re-tool and revamp his defensive line with rookies Jared Verse and Braden Fiske and second-year players Kobie Turner and Byron Young being at the center of the overall. 

When he was wreaking havoc on the football field, Donald became the center of attention for opponents’ offensive schemes. He routinely squared off and handled double-teams like a fly-swatter easily flicking off annoying pests. Now, Donald’s bigger-than-life stature as the premier defensive player in the NFL has cast a large shadow over the Rams’ defensive line. 

To move on to the team’s new chapter (life without Aaron Donald), McVay wants his young players and the defensive unit as a whole to go out and do their thing.   

“I want them to play the way that they’re capable of the way that they’ve played throughout the offseason, through training camp,” McVay remarked. “I want them to be able to play within themselves. Go enjoy it. I want them to have a great week of preparation so that they can go play with a quieted mind and cut it loose. I really love this group that we’ve been around.”  

The Rams play the Detroit Lions on the road in their season-opener. The contest will have many dynamics. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford will return to the place where he played 12 seasons. McVay and his defense will match wits against Jared Goff, the Lions quarterback the Rams traded to get Stafford.    

The Rams saw their postseason dashed in a 24-23 NFL Wild Card game against Detroit. That would be Donald’s last game. Since Donald’s departure, McVay and the Rams have gone about their business by stacking the right chips to form their redo defensive line. 

Verse (Round 1) and Fiske (Round 2) were selected as the top draft picks for the Rams during the 2024 NFL Draft. Young, Turner, Bobbie Brown III, and Christian Rozeboom round out the defensive front for LA.    

Replacing Donald’s productivity will undoubtedly be a challenge for McVay and the rest of the team. McVay, though, is extremely confident that he has the right players to meet those challenges. 

“We’ve said it over and over, and you know this too,” McVay said. “You’re not ever replacing an Aaron Donald and that’s not what we’re asking of our guys. I want Kobie Turner to be Kobie Turner. I want Bobby Brown to be Bobby Brown. Braden Fiske to be Braden Fiske. That’s really what we’re looking for. All the guys around him, this is about ‘eleven as one.’” 

Lead image caption: Los Angeles Rams edge rusher Jared Verse (8) tries to stop a ballcarrier during a training camp practice on Aug. 3, 2024, at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Mark Hammond/News4usonline