Why Rams will halt my old friend’s journey to brink of Super Bowl

The Conference Championships are now underway. You can win the Super Bowl with just one more victory.

The Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks are both difficult to predict for Sunday, especially the Los Angeles Rams.

They have already played each other twice this season because they are divisional rivals in the NFC West. Look at those games, where they are 1-1 after each winning at home.

Everyone would have responded, “Oh, the Rams are going to the Super Bowl,” if you had posed the question midway through the season. However, as a result of Matthew Stafford’s recent struggles, Seattle won the NFC West and became the NFC’s No. 1 seed.

I witnessed a bit of an uphill battle between the Rams and the Wild Card game in Carolina. They are currently facing a formidable defense in Seattle. These people are active on every level. DeMarcus Lawrence is in front, and Ernest Jones is the linebacker, before Devon Witherspoon, the cornerback.

This season, Seattle led the league in third-down defense and allowed the fewest points. They have the league’s best defense, according to their play.

When he was a head coach at Baltimore, Seattle’s Mike Macdonald developed that idea. They had a clear identity and defensive style that has now made the Seahawks so special.

Aden Durde has a significant role in the organization’s defensive coordination. Good day, Aden. It’s amazing to watch a British coach work his way through the player-path system, joining the Dallas Cowboys and the Atlanta Falcons, as I once did with him. He is currently attending Seattle and conducting interviews with head coaches.

Aden still commands the room, but Mike Macdonald is the defensive play caller. Fundamentally, he needs to get the guys right, both mentally and culturally, and that’s where the Aden defend themselves. Because they share very similar philosophies, and we’ve seen that come to life with this defense, Mike Macdonald chose him because of his linebacker playing style.

They are placed in a position where Sam Darnold isn’t required to perform any spectacular stunts. You hand the ball off to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Seattle enjoys running under center play-action. That’s kind of their strategy for this, in my opinion.

The Seahawks have lost that one-two punch with their running backs, but Zach Charbonnet is currently out with a knee injury, and Darnold has had the most quarterback giveaways this season (20).

Over the years, Darnold has experienced struggle there. Darnold’s number has already been used by Chris Shula, the Rams’ defensive coordinator, both recently this year and last year when they faced his former team, Minnesota.

Matthew Stafford, the quarterback for the Rams, is the most popular MVP candidate. There are levels beyond that with the tight ends who step up big, plus Davante Adams and Puka Nacua.

However, Stafford is incredibly confident and believes in himself, and he is capable of throwing the ball anywhere on the field. He is, in my opinion, the difference-maker.

With his experience in these circumstances, I believe the Rams will find a way to stop Darnold, who has already won the championship.

The Seahawks would be so much better for it. That would be a fantastic story, but I prefer the Rams-Broncos Super Bowl.

I attended New England’s game last weekend, where Drake Maye struggled with his decision-making against a Houston defense that is very similar to the Broncos’, because Denver has lost Bo Nix, which means Jarrett Stidham will make a rare start.

It’s all a part of coaching, but it was very difficult to see. It weighs a lot because Sean has done a lot for the Buffalo and Bills organization, turning things around, and all the players have commented how great of a leader he is.

He gave me an opportunity, as well as many other people over the years, and he is a genuine proponent of diversity rather than just saying it.

Jamie, Sean’s wife, and I spoke. She is incredible. There has even been a significant outpouring of support for the McDermotts as a whole from an organizational standpoint because she has even gotten into coaching flag football in Buffalo. Because of his outstanding work, I’m confident that he will receive a head coaching position elsewhere.

Although the organization currently experiences a lot of noise and pressure, I’ve known the Pegulas for a while and they don’t just make quick decisions. They’ve done so well for so long, and they’re great businesspeople, which makes me curious to see what the future holds and how Josh Allen’s system operates.

You’re claiming Josh Allen is the reason you’re doing this, but I’m guessing you want an offensive-minded head coach because you’re operating at a level that isn’t permanent, so you’re kind of stuck on a tight deadline.

Who do you bring in to, essentially, take you to a Super Bowl because you’re now saying that’s the standard because he’s had Sean McDermott as his head coach probably longer than anyone in his life?