The Rams bought two cornerback Corvettes from Kansas City. Richard Sherman believes they are using them to drive for Uber.
“You don’t use a Corvette to Uber,” Sherman told ESPN host Kevin Clark. “You get in a Corvette, you’re racing.”
Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson were two of the centerpieces of the Rams’ star-studded defensive makeover after beginning their careers in Steve Spagnuolo’s Kansas City defense.
Sherman believes Los Angeles has stripped away the conditions that made both cornerbacks so valuable.
“The corners you’ve got are great corners — great corners — but they have played in Spags’ system their entire careers, and you don’t run Spags’ defense,” Sherman said.
Spagnuolo incorporated McDuffie and Watson into an unpredictable blend of Cover 1 man, Cover 2 zone and disguised pressure packages, with occasional Cover 0 blitzes adding another aggressive element. Kansas City changed the picture before and after the snap, allowing its corners to challenge receivers while the pass rush disrupted route timing.
Under defensive coordinator Chris Shula, the Rams have leaned more heavily on Cover 3, mixing in Cover 2 and Cover 6 while attempting to generate pressure through four-man rushes, stunts and simulated looks rather than frequent blitzes.
During their 27-7 season-opening loss to the 49ers, they tilted even further toward Cover 3 and Cover 4, virtually abandoning Cover 2 while also dialing back their man coverage, blitzes and defensive-line movement.
Sherman believes that approach ignored a proven blueprint against Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
“There’s already a plan,” Sherman said. “There’s already a formula for how to use these guys effectively against condensed sets and all the crazy runs Kyle uses.”
Spagnuolo has repeatedly found answers for Shanahan on the Super Bowl stage. McDuffie and Watson were part of the most recent example, helping Kansas City defeat San Francisco in Super Bowl LVIII.
Los Angeles instead frequently positioned its corners off the line and asked them to read developing routes from deeper alignments. Sherman argued that those responsibilities give offenses room to direct posts and crossing routes away from them.
“When you don’t play to a player’s strengths — when you don’t use him the way he has been used and thrived — then you’re wasting him,” Sherman said.
That criticism carries additional weight because of the Rams’ investment. They surrendered significant draft capital for McDuffie before giving him a massive extension, while Watson was another prominent addition to their expensive defensive rebuild.
“You paid him and brought him somewhere else,” Sherman said. “Now play him the way he has played so he can have the success you brought him there to have.”
One game does not establish how the Rams will deploy their secondary all season. Their diminished pass rush also mattered, particularly with Myles Garrett now sidelined.
But Sherman’s warning applies beyond one coverage call. Los Angeles paid for Corvette-level talent. Now it must decide whether to let that talent race.
