WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – Like other rookie defensive players in the NFL, Rams outside linebacker Jared Verse and defensive end Braden Fiske are adjusting to the difference in the speed of game between the college and pro levels.
They are consistently generating pressure – better than any other rookies through the first three weeks of the season, if you go by Next Gen Stats' evaluation – but they're also learning how difficult it can sometimes be to finish those with a tackle for loss or a sack. Especially against more mobile quarterbacks like the 49ers' Brock Purdy and the Cardinals' Kyler Murray in recent weeks.
"They have been disruptive and causing havoc and that's always a good thing in the backfield, and now we just need to stress finishing plays and putting yourself in those positions in practice," defensive coordinator Chris Shula said. "And that's the hardest thing is that in practice you get in some of those positions and you assume that they make the play and that's a thing we're learning as coaches and as players is you need to keep stressing the finishing aspect of it every single play."
Entering Week 4, Fiske (12) and Verse (11) ranked first and second respectively among all rookies in pressures, according to Next Gen Stats.
Verse notched his first career sack with his takedown of Lions quarterback Jared Goff in Week 1. Earlier in the first half of that game, the pressure brought up him and a blitzing Cobie Durant forced Goff to throw an incompletion. Fiske last week rushed 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, then spun in reverse off his block to bring down Purdy for a critical third-down stop in the win.
The opportunities missed have seemingly garnered more attention than the plays made, which is to say the latter shouldn't be ignored. The duo are also working on fixing the former, too.
It helps that Verse and Fiske rush with – and in general, working alongside of – a pair of teammates who authored two of the most productive rookie seasons in franchise history last year in nose tackle Kobie Turner and outside linebacker Byron Young.
For Young, what was critical to his development was being a little more patient before making the play. Preparation goes a long way too, of course, along with the natural progression from gained experience.
"I've been a rookie once, you know, and you get more anxious when you get in that position," Young told theRams.com. "You get in that position, you got to make the play, you get really anxious and sometimes you lose the guy. That happens. I'd say repetition for me, that's how I got better."
This lined up with how Verse evaluated his own performance and approach so far.
"Especially when I was going up against Kyler, or even Brock Purdy, some of the other plays I missed while I was in the backfield (and almost) had a quick TFL (tackle for loss), and it's because I'm going so fast, I'm thinking, 'I have to make this play. Have to make this now,'" Verse told theRams.com. "But these are some of the best athletes in the world. They're not gonna just go down with a quick hit. They're so quick, they're so fast, I have to slow it down. It's just taking that one second beforehand, chop my feet, slow it down, then wrap them up. Like, not everything has to be like that.
"Even against Kyler, I took a couple of dives at his feet, where if I just kept running after him, he would've had to stopped to slow the throw ball, or even like a split to slow himself down, I would be able to make a play then, instead of diving at his feet. Or Brock, a couple of times I couldn't wrap him up because I was going too fast. So it's just slowing it down, letting everything come to me."
Fiske explained it similarly. He recognizes that while pressures are great, they aren't as impactful when they don't translate tackles for loss or sacks.
"The game moves fast, and we're trying to move faster, when I think at times we need to slow it down," Fiske told theRams.com. "I think we need to see what we're going up against, and I think at times that we win, we can win quick, but it's about breaking down, really seeing the man instead of just, you get back there quick, your eyes get big, you're ready to make a play and they play kind of leaves you. So I think as time goes on, we're getting more and more comfortable out there, and we're seeing things. I think the more reps we get, the slower the game will go, the pace is set in better. I'm already more confident going into Week 4, and I think so is he."
Turner said it's "really tough" when facing quarterbacks that are mobile and elusive. Pointing to his sack against Murray in Week 2 this season, he mentioned how it was as if Los Angeles was rushing "five as one," and "then all it takes is one person winning." On that play, Turner and Fiske ran a stunt, and Turner finished the play with that sack.
Some of the missed opportunities can be avoided by Rams defensive linemen and edge rushers simply staying on their feet. With 9:08 left in the second quarter of last Sunday's game against the 49ers, Fiske and Turner ran a stunt, and Turner appeared to accidentally trip outside linebacker Michael Hoecht as Hoecht was rushing the passer. Purdy quickly scrambled right as the pocket collapsed and interior muddied, but Los Angeles avoided any damage from it with Purdy throwing an incomplete pass intended for wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
Other times, the quarterback has gotten the ball out quickly. In the case of Purdy and Murray especially, both ranked in the top 20 in passing grade with 2.5 seconds or less to throw – Purdy's 80.9 is sixth-highest in that category, according to Pro Football Focus, while Murray's 71.2 ranks 18th among 45 quarterbacks.
To that end, Turner said one of the things Los Angeles' defensive front has really worked on this week is staying on their feet.
And while a lot of attention is on Verse and Fiske because they're the Rams' two highest draft picks this year, Turner also made a point to call out that he and other players have failed to finish tackles for loss/sacks too, not just the rookies.
In other words, the group as a whole can do better – not just the highly drafted rookies who are three games into their NFL careers. It's a challenge they will meet again with this Sunday's game against the Bears in Chicago, given Bears quarterback Caleb Williams' similar escapability and out-of-structure playmaking.
"That is something they've been struggling with, but that's also something I've been struggling with," Turner said. "I've missed a bunch of tackles as well, and I have a lot of, whether it be tackles, whether it be sack opportunities – I had one on Kyler that I should have came up with. So that's something that we're all working through and all learning."
The aggressiveness Verse and Fiske play with, especially on stunts, is a calling card of the styles of play and won't be going away anytime soon. But they also recognize the value of taking even just that split second to slow down and ensure they're using proper technique in order to convert those pressures into negative plays for opposing offenses.
"It's play fast, react fast," Verse said. "So I'm gonna go as hard as I can, go after it as fast as I can, I'm not gonna slow down, but that split second before I make contact with the person, I have to slow down, I have to level my feet out, get my two feet in the ground, slow myself down a little bit and be like, 'Okay, what levels do I have on him? Do I have his back hip? Let me aim for his back hip.' Like, what do I have?
"I think part of it is, it's cool to be chaotic out there, but you've also got to have some controlled chaos," Fiske said. "Like, you can go out there and you can move dudes around, but if you're still moving with them after you move them around, you kind of take yourself out of the play. That's kind of what we've done a few times, we've shifted the offensive line but we've also taken ourselves out of the play with that. At times, it's hurt this defense. We've got to be better. I think we both know that, and it's something we've been working on in practice, we emphasize in practice, so I expect a change out there. I expect it from myself, I expect it from him, so we just got to hold ourselves to that."
