Giff Smith: The Unsung Hero: Rams’ DL Coach’s Mastery Gives LA a Competitive Advantage

When the Los Angeles Chargers underwent their head coaching search, they gave an interview to then interim head coach Giff Smith. Smith, the long-time defensive line coach of the Chargers was retained under three different head coaches, helping develop the talents of Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram, Tuli Tuipolotu, and Kyle Williams (during his time in Buffalo).

After the Chargers hired Jim Harbaugh, Smith was a free agent until Sean McVay swooped in with a job offer that would allow him to remain in Los Angeles. Fast forward to Monday night and Smith’s devastating creation unleashed itself on the Vikings defensive line.

Byron Young and Kobie Turner were already established talents but the inclusion of Jared Verse and Braden Fiske took the team’s production as a unit through the roof.

There was no replacing Aaron Donald but there was an opportunity to replace his production in the aggregate. The team needed to get more pressure from their edge rushers and that’s exactly what they did. Verse leads all rookies in QB pressures as Fiske, Turner, and Young combined for 24 sacks during the season.

It took a while but it was the Seahawks game in Seattle where Smith’s defensive line made their first breakout performance as the Rams recorded eight sacks on Geno Smith is a winning effort.

However, it was the biggest stage that showcased Smith’s finest work. Eight players were involved in an NFL record-tying nine-sack performance that saw Sam Darnold and his high-flying offense grind to a halt.

What makes this feat even more impressive is that often the Rams would be at a disadvantage as the Rams would only rush four or five players against six or seven-man protection and despite the added pass blockers, it proved to be fruitless.

The Rams have their biggest test of the season coming up as they play one of the best offensive lines in football, equipped with Pro Bowlers Lane Johnson, Landon Dickerson, and Cam Jurgens and coached up by the legendary Jeff Stoutland.

If the Rams beat the Eagles, it will be in part due to their defensive line. After getting embarrassed in the regular season, Los Angeles is out for revenge. For the architect of the new fearsome foursome, it’s an opportunity to potentially prove he should be defensive coordinator if Chris Shula finds a head coaching job should Smith desire such a position.

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *