[AvengerRam]

What will be the reason?

[dieterbrock]

Need to set the edge, or they can’t get pressure up the middle.
I’m enthused about what Fowler gave in such limited practice time.

[aeneas1]

The defense will improve this year because...

...it can't get any worse, not against the better teams.

the season is more than half over, and the most respected dc in the league, furnished with a defensive roster that was the envy of every opposing fan, that was the talk of the town among sports writers, has fallen well short of expectations... the good news? the second season doesn't start for two months, in january, lots of time to get better, to get ready, for the big stage, fingers crossed.

[snackdaddy]

I've been waiting for improvement for a while now. Still hasn't happened. They played some bad games lately and they played their worst game Sunday. Instead of steady improvement are they going the other way?

I'll admit I can be a glass half empty guy. But 9 weeks in I feel like they should be better. The Saints played defenses that are supposed to be worse than ours but they scored their season high against us. I want to believe they will improve. If they're not showing tangible evidence of that by now, I have to wonder if it will ever happen with this current group.

[aeneas1]

I've been waiting for improvement for a while now. Still hasn't happened. They played some bad games lately and they played their worst game Sunday. Instead of steady improvement are they going the other way?

I'll admit I can be a glass half empty guy. But 9 weeks in I feel like they should be better. The Saints played defenses that are supposed to be worse than ours but they scored their season high against us. I want to believe they will improve. If they're not showing tangible evidence of that by now, I have to wonder if it will ever happen with this current group.

wasn't expecting this at the start of the season...

[HAL 9000]

Here is a fifth choice:

The Rams are going into the second half of the season playing weaker offenses.

I know this is not a comforting choice but it is another choice.

[FMulder]

I think post-bye week you see improvment. You get Talib back, you have the extra week to really analyze what is going o, Obo and Fowler get reps, some tinkering in the lineups, and what should be a more favorable schedule(?)

[AvengerRam]

I don't think we need any more confirmation (through stats or otherwise) that the Rams defense has been poor thus far. On that, I believe we all agree.

The question(s) at hand is/are, do you think it will improve and, if so, why?

I voted for improved CB play, but that's just a shot in the dark.

All I can say is I'm able to maintain hope. There are too many examples of teams (or units) turning things around, even late in the season.

A recent example would be the Eagles offense last year. At the end of the season (with home field still at issue), they had two horrible performances under Nick Foles, scoring 19 points (well below their average) against the Raiders, then being shut out by the Cowboys. In their first playoff game, they managed only 15 points against the Falcons. Then, all of a sudden... 38 points against the Vikings and 41 against the Patriots. What changed? Heck if I know (footnote: I was in Belize and missed the Super Bowl for the first time in 40 years last season). Sometimes, things change quickly, though.

I'm enough of an eternal optimist to hope that something like that will happen with the Rams' defense when it truly matters.

Time will tell.

[snackdaddy]

I keep hearing comments about Obo. On this forum and others. Does anyone really think a rookie who was a day 3 pick, been on the injured list and hasn't been active yet will make a contribution? I'm not sure he'll even be active at any point this season. Maybe next year or the year after.

[VegasRam]

I keep hearing comments about Obo. On this forum and others. Does anyone really think a rookie who was a day 3 pick, been on the injured list and hasn't been active yet will make a contribution? I'm not sure he'll even be active at any point this season. Maybe next year or the year after.

Well one can hope huh?
My feeling is he's probably as good as Longacre, and edge-rusher skill sets are more innate than learned. And he has been activated. So we'll see what he's got in live action.