Rams Defender Has Career Day Against 49ers

Speights' Impact

After the game, Speights spoke to reporters and stated that the defense figured out how to play off each other late last season and then refined their approach throughout the offseason. Speights' ability to bring down ball carriers, paired with the dominance of the Rams' defense along the line of scrimmage has allowed defensive coordinator Chris Shula to force the opposition into passing downs.

When the opposition is forced to pass, Shula will substitute Speights out of the game for dimebackers like Jaylen McCollough, giving Shula the pen on which defender he wants to rush the quarterback and which defender he wants to drop into coverage.

With that being said, Speights himself is also solid in coverage as the Rams trust him to decipher between run, pass, play action, and RPO while still being the guy to get to the football. A heavy workload made easy by Speights' continued efforts towards improvement.

An Emerging Talent

Speights was called on to replace an injured Troy Reeder last season and he instantly impacted a defense that finally found themselves, once he took the field. Quentin Lake became the defensive signal-caller while Speights and Christian Rozeboom were able to hold down the interior enough to win the NFC West.

After adding Nate Landman to become what Reeder was to the defense, Speights was tasked with replacing a departing Rozeboom. Shula spoke on that task during training camp.

“Having [ILB] Omar [Speights] come on late at the end of the year and all he’s done is just progressed," stated Shula. "He was in the facility every day this offseason. Then [ILB] Nathan Landman is just a guy. He comes from some similar language in Atlanta and [Senior Defensive Assistant] Jimmy Lake was with him, who's with us now. So he has a lot of familiarity."

"It really feels like we have guys that can communicate and get the defense set, but Rozeboom was one of my guys. I was with him when he came out and when he was just a special teamer and practice squad guy to what he did. And he had an awesome year last year, so it’s going to be a huge hole to fill.”

Speights has filled it and then some.