WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – Rams safety Quentin Lake called his back-to-back games with double-digit tackles "misleading." It's not because he's unhappy with the production, but because some of those plays are ones that he shouldn't have had to make.
"I want 100 tackles, that's my goal, but in the right way," Lake said.
For Lake, that means tackling in space, not allowing yards after the catch and getting ball-carriers down on first contact. He's done all of that through two games, but of his 21 tackles, those aren't in the majority, and he wants that to change.
"He's done a great job and he's in a spot where sometimes you can be in the middle of a lot of the action," said head coach Sean McVay. "There's some reasons and some things that you would prefer him not to have to make those plays."
The third-year defensive back, and first-year captain, hadn't recorded more than eight tackles in a game prior to Week 1. Now, Lake leads the team in tackles, stops (eight) and hustle stops (three), according to Next Gen Stats. Stops refer to any play that leads to a failure for the offense, defined by negative Expected Points Added, while hustle stops are all such plays where the defender travels at least 20 yards from snap to tackle.
Lake is the first player in Rams history to start a season with two-straight games of 10+ tackles, but he's not satisfied with that one-dimensional stat line – it doesn't tell the whole story. Manning the "star" position, Lake is a chess piece that defensive coordinator Chris Shula tasks with making an impact all over the field, and as such, he wants to be more eclectic with his production.
"The production is there, but I think hopefully we can get some interceptions and some PBUs and some turnovers here too," Lake said.
The UCLA alum leads the team in snaps from the slot (64), has the second most from at free safety (34) and has also played 27 snaps in the box, via Pro Football Focus. Overall, Lake is tied for the team lead in defensive snaps, tied for seventh in the NFL in tackles and even generated a quarterback pressure.
"Quentin Lake has been really, really good," Shula said. "We'd probably like to have him have less tackles so the ball doesn't spin out to him as much, that's for sure."
McVay echoed that sentiment, saying that tackles can be a "misleading stat," but acknowledged that Lake has had a nice start to the season as a sort of backstop for the defense. While he's been forced to tackle players that shouldn't have fallen to his level, Lake has also produced plays that were made, to use his words, "in the right way."
On a 2nd-and-3 against the Lions, Lake followed wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown as he motioned to the left side of the formation. He avoided the blockers on the screen pass and wrapped up wide receiver Jameson Williams to bring up a 3rd-and-short in Rams territory.
Later on, Lake escaped the clutches of Lions tight end Brock Wright on a pitch to running back Jahmyr Gibbs, and he tripped up the elusive running back for a shoestring tackle and a gain of just three.
Both of those plays were ruled "hustle stops" by Next Gen Stats. That nose for the football, complemented by Lake's ability to get off blocks and tackle in space, makes him valuable near the line of scrimmage as well as in the second and third levels of the defense.
"It's been fun, honestly, because you're able to do so much, you're able to be versatile," Lake said of playing the "star" role. "And that's one thing I pride myself on."
That versatility will help expand his production from a tackle merchant into a complete, full-fledged defender who makes an impact at all three levels.
