Broken tackles didn't break the Rams defense

by Ryan Van Bibber on May 26, 2010 4:00 PM CDT in 2009 St. Louis Rams regular season

For all of the problems the St. Louis Rams had on defense - and there were many - one thing you can't fault the players for is faulty tackling. In fact, according to Football Outsiders' research examining broken tackle rates for all 32 NFL teams, the Rams defense had the fewest percentage of plays with broken tackles.

Here's FO's Aaron Schatz:

According to our game charters, St. Louis had the fewest percentage of plays with broken tackles. Quite a surprise, as they were a terrible defense overall, but this data would seem to suggest that there is something to build on there.

Only 4.7 percent of plays against the Rams defense featured a broken tackle.

In recent years, prior to Spagnuolo's coming on board I remember tackling being citing often on this site and other media outlets as a big problem for the Rams. It's anecdotal evidence, but it would seem to suggest that current Rams coaching regime has moved the sticks as far as instilling the fundamentals in their players. Improvements to personnel have also helped...I'm looking at you James Laurinaitis.

Like Schatz suggests in the quote above, it's definitely a good sign for the Rams defense going forward. In the months ahead we'll know what difference the team's offseason moves and individual player growth have had on the defense. I suspect that if the offense can stay on the field with some success, we'll see a much improved unit on the other side of the ball.

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Sooooooo......

trying to remember last season, this should tell us we lost games because????

#1. we didn’t have any offense at all.
#2. the defensive line was man-handled so badly that any running play wasn’t stopped until it got to our Line backers and corner backs?
#3. our cornerbacks and safety’s were burned so badly they didn’t get a hand on the receiver to make the tackle?

hmmm, seems like there’s some missing parts to this stat to complete the picture and my memory is too short to remember how good the defense did at tackling.

by Rams Homer on May 26, 2010 4:35 PM CDT reply actions

You forgot 4

- A good number of plays were ran in victory formation against the Rams defense.

by 81 Witness on May 26, 2010 5:41 PM CDT up reply actions

and 5

5. We had only one LB.

by RamChop on May 26, 2010 8:17 PM CDT up reply actions

#1

by ZamRam on May 26, 2010 5:34 PM CDT reply actions

The single biggest problem with the Rams defense last year (and there were a few) ...

… was the DT’s getting blown off the ball on running plays (and getting stonewalled on passing plays).

Now, addressing the offense certainly will help them not play exhausted, but really, you can attribute a bunch of the other problems directly to the DT’s production (as measured by holding up vs the run or collapsing the pocket vs the pass).

I can take a beating ... I'm a Rams fan.

by Midasknight on May 26, 2010 5:51 PM CDT reply actions

+1

by RamChop on May 26, 2010 8:11 PM CDT up reply actions

This is something I noticed last year

I always thought while watching the games that the rams looked so much better at tackling. They drove em right at the waist and they seemed to always get drilled to the ground first time around. We just need a few more play makers and less injuries.

by Buck Nasty87 on May 26, 2010 6:00 PM CDT reply actions

Tackling usually wasn't an issue except for one certain player.

by StopSpe on May 26, 2010 6:11 PM CDT reply actions

Add to the low number of broken tackles...

…the fact that the Rams yielded a Yards Per Rush number that was not terrible, but just below average. (.1 yards more than the middle of the pack team). That would suggest the run D wasn’t horrendous, on the whole.

I got very frustrated watching them not get to passers. Just my opinion, that’s the part that needs work the most.

by CoachConnors on May 26, 2010 6:56 PM CDT reply actions

+1

Long is our only true pass rushing threat….thats why i thought we needed Suhs presence to push back the oppositions o-line and force the qb out of the pocket before he is ready, throw off the timing resulting in bad throws or turnovers…..i have no idea what spags plans on doing about our pass rushing this year with the loss of Little i believe we have gotten worse….my only hope is that Selvie turns into the beast he once was…

by Danteslion on May 26, 2010 11:58 PM CDT up reply actions

How can that be?

when, if I remember right, we had apposing teams RB’s running Pro-bowl caliber games against us? Didn’t Julius Jones and Mewelde Moore have over 100 yard rushing games against us and yet do nothing against other teams?

by Rams Homer on May 27, 2010 8:06 AM CDT up reply actions

Only 5 teams had more run plays against them but

. Here’s the stat at NFL.com
Only 5 teams had more rushing plays executed against them, so you think they’d be tired and give up more huge runs but that’s not what the stat says. The Rams still were basically average in yards given up per play. This says, to me, that the Rams weren’t really “blown off the ball” as much as it was opposed grinding it out against them.

32 teams in the NFL.
Maybe we can say, roughly, that 10 are above average, 10 are average, and 10 are below average?

With ties, the Rams finished ranked 20th (or 10th worst, with ties, depending on how you sort it). So right about on the border of average and below average, but not horrendous.

They were just about average on defending the run.

by CoachConnors on May 27, 2010 11:42 AM CDT up reply actions

as much as it was opponents grinding it out against them

by CoachConnors on May 27, 2010 11:43 AM CDT up reply actions

Here's my typical snide comment:

In order the break tackles, SOMEONE has to lay a hand on the ball carrier first. Our defense was repeatedly gashed for long scores on the ground and in the air. Some things can’t be polished by mindless stats. We gave up over 400 points and were 31 out of 32 in total defense last year. No where to go but up (or one notch down).

by RamChop on May 26, 2010 8:15 PM CDT reply actions

Just what I was thinking.

“In order the break tackles, SOMEONE has to lay a hand on the ball carrier first.” If 4.7% were broken tackles, it seemed like the other 95.3% were untouched.

by Boofer on May 27, 2010 11:20 AM CDT up reply actions

Yeah opposing offenses were in open space a lot

So at least our open space tackling has improved?

by kswiss on May 27, 2010 12:04 PM CDT up reply actions

LMAO

Gotta love this community sometimes… we are in DIRE need of SOME form of success…

Even when numbers are really favorable in certain categories, it’s STILL because we suck LOL

"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall." - Vince Lombardi

by VTramsFan on May 27, 2010 4:04 PM CDT reply actions

BTW I am not disagreeing

I actually got excited for a second, then started thinking the same darn thing you guys were!

"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall." - Vince Lombardi

by VTramsFan on May 27, 2010 4:05 PM CDT up reply actions

Ha ha so what we are saying here is

that being a rubbish team can improve certain stats! Now if we can only find a way that being rubbish offensively can improve points scored per game we might be on to something lol

by Stonedtodeath on May 27, 2010 4:32 PM CDT up reply actions