As he began his first press conference as Rams defensive coordinator, Chris Shula ran through a list of people to thank: His family, from his children and wife to his parents, the decision makers within the Rams who gave him the opportunity, including head coach Sean McVay, and Shula’s old college teammate at Miami (Ohio).
Intertwined with those groups, Shula noted the Rams outside linebackers from 2019, his first year as a position coach: Dante Fowler, Clay Matthews, Samson Ebukam and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, as well as his linebacker charges from 2023: Ernest Jones IV, Troy Reeder, Christian Rozeboom and Jake Hummel.
“The reason I’m in coaching is the relationships with the players,” Shula said, “and that’s what it’ll continue to be going forward.”
As he outlined his vision on Tuesday for the Rams’ defense under his guidance, the first-time coordinator made clear that the players will be his north star.
Shula has not yet determined whether he will call the defense from the sidelines or up in the coaches box. He expects he will be down on the field, but it will depend on what is easier for Jones to hear as he relays play calls to his teammates.
Nor has he fully committed to maintaining last year’s base schemes that worked well for that personnel group, but that group will change by the time the Rams’ off-season is complete and he expects to adapt based on the new players available to him.
“I think we’ll use a lot of the same structures, the same 3-4 structure and some of the same core beliefs, but it’s all about the players,” Shula said. “So we’re going to do whatever the players can execute at a high level where they can go out and play fast and play confident and whatever the offense gives us, we’ll be able to have answers to and they can go be the best versions of themselves.”
That was, in part, a lesson that Shula learned from Wade Phillips, the defensive coordinator when Shula first joined the Rams in 2017.
“He…
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