The hope this offseason was that the Los Angeles Rams' hiring of Bubba Ventrone as special teams coordinator, along with several new additions, would be the long-awaited solution to their special teams failures. The early results have not been promising.
Harrison Mevis remains one of the more accurate kickers in the NFL, but questions about his range and usage slowly linger in the back of some people's minds. And his 43-yard miss on Monday doesn't instill much confidence. Punter Ethan Evans has been inconsistent, sometimes booming punts downfield, with the occasional miss that doesn't travel at least 40 yards.
The kickoff unit has had its fair share of issues, and after their win on Monday night, it's clear that they need to be addressed. That's
exactly what head coach Sean McVay stated during his Tuesday presser.
“I think there are a lot of areas for improvement," said McVay. "There were some positive things, but ultimately… That's a really, really good punter that they have. Did an outstanding job. I would like to see us get some more, but I think you have to be able to give respect and credit where credit is due. I think that we have to be smart."
Tanner Ingle, who was elevated from the practice squad, had a costly 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on kickoff coverage, too.
"I trust Tanner to be able to learn from that, but we can't put the ball around midfield where they get a good return and then we tack on an extra 15. [Monday] was not the best day for special teams.”
The play that McVay was referencing was a late hit out of bounds in the third quarter. In the win against the Giants, New York's Tyrone Tracy Jr. took a kickoff back for 26 yards, before being pushed out of bounds. Ingle, a player known for his hitting ability, was too aggressive, launching towards Tracy late in his attempt to make a play, leading to the flag.
Special teams issues were the direct cause of the Rams losing the No. 1 seed and the NFC West to the Seattle Seahawks last season, with the unit suffering dramatic meltdowns in the playoffs. There's time for Ventrone's group to improve, but McVay knows it has to happen quickly.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Sean McVay acknowledges Rams' lingering special teams struggles
