Chris Shula's defense struggling again.....

Can we wait until a Head Coach is hired?

What you all are arguing about is a moot point until then...

I am concerned at this point that we might lose Andy Weidl!

 

This is something I've never understood.
I have never seen a team win by yards either way. LoL.
Points, turnovers, and harassing the Qb is all that should matter in modern NFL Ds.

 

Shula comes from a famous football family. As a football player achiveing type of linebacker.

He is a modren type of coach, that understands down and distance. His performace on the Rams who had a cheap defense on the cap with many young players is eye opening.


" The appeal of Rams D-Coordinator Chris Shula? Running an elite Defense with only 1 1st Round Pick selected by the Rams. Most snaps on D played by 2 FAs picked up on the cheap. Turned mid and late round picks into a cohesive unit. If you’re a team paying your QB big money? Shula is ideal. "


Hmmm... I like what I am reading.


* Edited

 

That's in response to someone that is saying the Ram's DC Shula is a terrible coach and shouldn't be considered for the head coaching position with the Steelers. The poster is saying he's not a good DC even though his defense is #10 in scoring defense with the team spending under $70,000,000 per year.

The Steelers are #17 in scoring defense and they are spending close to $180,000,000.

Huge difference.

 

You know....the cap number thing is just something I have to push back against....

Here are the only cap #'s on the Steelers defense above $5 million in 2025 (rounded the numbers a bit):

• Watt $23.4 million
• Highsmith $18.6 million
• Heyward $22.8 million
• Queen $17.6 million

I am also pretty sure those are the only guys on defense that are NOT on either rookie contracts or weird FA deals that balloon in 2026.

Why is that important? Because the Rams entire defense except Poona Ford ($5.1 million) and Williams at CB ($9.2 million) seems to be on a rookie contract or a cheap "prove it" FA deal. Lake just got an extension and jumps to $13 million in 2026. Verse is easily going to get at least Highsmith money sometime soon. Looks like they will have to either cycle their LBers over or start paying a few of them based on expiration of deals.

Long story short...just because a defense is inexpensive does not mean the players are not highly talented. It could mean that the players are mostly locked in on rookie deals that massively undervalue their worth in the NFL.

And yes, the Steelers defense has some highly over-paid versus performance players. That is the world of NFL 2nd and 3rd contracts.

 

He is Don Shula's grandson.

 

Check out my earlier post which is #42 of this thread.

I already commented on what you are speaking about above.

The Rams are drafting young talent, developing young talent, and then using the young talent in the scheme immediately. Something the Steelers have been struggling with for years now.

 

You are taking about it. But you’re smarter than almost everyone who serves as an NFL insider or pundit.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/ram/draft.htm

It looks like when the Steelers went towards putting random offensive pieces around an aging Ben, the Rams focused on rebuilding their front on both sides of the ball. That’s now paying dividends.

Shula’s only been the coordinator AFTER most of the pieces were drafted. I’m suspicious of how much he’s had to do with it. Depends on how much the Rams were letting position coaches and below draft players.

I’m not saying the Steelers are or were better. I’m saying that this lowest paid thing is a bunch of short term
Hoey. It won’t be the lowest paid defense after this season.

 

Do you ever get anything right

What grade are you in

 

What’s a leg an day?

 

It’s the Italian lamp in a Christmas Story

 

Apparently was a coach
And
Has a son
Hmmm

 

Apparently it’s now an Italian lamp

 

I'm the son of George Washington.

 

I can assure you that my wife keeps telling me I'm an idiot all the time!

 

Right. That is what I meant to type.

 

Rams have had one first round pick in the last ten years. They are doing something right to get that success without the talent.

 

In the last 5 drafts, the Rams and the Steelers have used the exact same amount of first round picks on defense.

The Rams can’t afford to pay guys not on their rookie contracts because their cap goes to a QB. Steelers couldn’t find a QB to pay, so they paid defensive players trying to close the gap.

Let’s not forget that in 2022 the Rams won a SB with a star laden defense. That defense either got old a retired or was purged to make the cap work.

It’s a cycle. The Rams currently have a young cheap defense. The Steelers have an older expensive one.

Let’s drop the narrative that Shula is some wunderkind wizard working with no talent. It’s a lazy narrative by lazy talking heads.

 

Thanks for proving my point. Steelers are mired with an old, expensive defense and were bottom half on defense this year. Steelers had five 1st rounders on defense this year.

Rams have a great front office. They paid $60M in cash to Stafford in 2022 and still had those stars on defense signed. They have reloaded with young players and are still a top 10 defense. They have two first round picks starting, 3 UDFAs, 3 3rd rounders.
They traded for Forbes who was a bust in WAS and now looks the part. Ten drafts with one first round pick. The Rams are doing something right.

 

But that sounds a great deal like a front office and scouting discussion.

 

Hi, Hawaii!!!

See you still have a ton of interesting original comments to make.

Can't wait to hear your take on the whole coaching thing!

 

I’m hearing Minter is gonna be the Ravens coach. Likely will be official within the next few days to week.