Chris Shula, the LA Rams new defensive coordinator, was confronted with a major development just weeks after being tapped to steward the team’s defense:
Aaron Donald retired.
Donald is one of the greatest defensive players of all time.
Shula worked for years with Donald as a positional coach. Now, he faces the daunting challenge of adapting to keep the defense as strong as possible after the loss of Donald.
The Promotion of Chris Shula to Defensive Coordinator
On February 2, 2024, the Rams named Shula the team’s defensive coordinator. Shula succeeds Raheem Morris in that role. Morris is now the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.
Per Rams Wire:
“Shula has been with the Rams since 2017 and has worked his way up the chain after starting out as the team’s assistant linebackers coach.”
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport tweeted out news of Shula’s promotion.
The #Rams are planning to promote pass rush coordinator and LBs coach Chris Shula to be their defensive coordinator, sources say. The grandson of Don Shula lands in a key role. pic.twitter.com/aNVCDYWHtW
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 1, 2024
Shula and Sean McVay Were College Teammates at Miami of Ohio
Shula and Rams head coach Sean McVay have a longstanding relationship.
As observed in Rams Wire:
“Shula and McVay go way back. Before they ever became coaches in the NFL, they were college teammates at Miami (Ohio). McVay played wide receiver and Shula was a middle linebacker for the Redhawks, with their paths crossing from 2004-2007.”
Shula played linebacker at Miami University from 2004 – 2008. As a senior, he was the team’s fourth-leading tackler, with 68. He also forced two fumbles, made 1½ tackles for loss, and recovered a fumble. On his career, he amassed a total of 144 sacks.
Shula’s Coaching Résumé
Shula’s coaching career commenced in 2010, when he was hired as a graduate assistant coach at Ball State.
In 2011, he became a graduate assistant at Indiana University, where he worked primarily with defensive backs.
Then, in 2014, he was hired as defensive coordinator at NCAA Division III John Carroll University.
He transitioned to the NFL in 2015, when the San Diego Chargers hired him as a defensive quality control coach.
He joined the Rams coaching staff in 2017.
Shula’s ascendance within the Rams coaching staff is described by The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue:
Shula … has been on Sean McVay’s staff since 2017. He started as an assistant linebackers coach with the Rams before rising to outside linebackers coach then linebackers coach then pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach.
Shula’s Legendary Grandfather
Chris Shula is the grandson of legendary Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula.
Don Shula, who passed away in 2020, was “most famous for leading the 1972 Miami Dolphins to the only undefeated NFL season in history.” He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997.
The Dolphins saluted the great coach upon his passing.
The Greatest.
Thank you for everything, Coach Shula. pic.twitter.com/7eXY4ZOKn6
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) May 4, 2020
Chris Shula’s Plans for the Rams
Fox Sports makes note of on the challenge confronting Shula as he takes over the mantle of a defense that has lost one of the all-time greats:
“Donald was the most double-teamed defensive lineman in the NFL every year, which allowed for the other Rams linemen to pass rush against single blocks. With Donald gone, that will no longer be the case. So Shula will have to get creative with his defensive front, using more pre-snap disguise, defensive line stunts and blitzes from the second and third levels of the defense to generate pressure.”
Aaron Donald changed the game for defensive tackles: 'He's one of one' https://t.co/qSYqWCnb8P
— Eric Williams (@eric_d_williams) March 15, 2024
Shula will be assisted by veteran defensive line coach, Giff Smith, who the Rams recently hired.
Fox Sports highlights the value Smith will bring to the defensive brain trust of the Rams:
Smith coached the defensive line for the Los Angeles Chargers for eight seasons, and he filled in as the team’s interim head coach when Brandon Staley was fired midseason last year. Smith is well-respected in coaching circles and has tutored some of the best defensive linemen in the game, including Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack, Melvin Ingram and Brandon Mebane.
Shula has made remarks regarding his plans for the Rams defense in 2024:
As reported by Stu Jackson of TheRams.com, Shula indicates his defensive coaching experience of more than a decade had proven invaluable. He has “organically” acquired an understanding of the nuances of the various defensive positions, which puts him in a position to effectively collaborate with players and other coaches. Shula elaborated:
“I think when you’re coaching, [there are certain things] you don’t know until you actually get in there and coach a specific position. So to be able to know some of the problems that the coaches have to work through, to work with the coaches on those problems, and kind of become a problem-solver for the players and become a resource for the players, it’s all those experiences of coaching those positions [which] are stuff I’ll draw back on.'”
Shula says the defensive base scheme for the 2024 is “a work in progress.” However he does not envision making radical changes from the scheme utilized last year.
“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. 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 with confidence. And whatever the offense gives us, we’ll be able to have answers to, and they can go be the best version of themselves.’
The majority of NFL teams utilize a 4-3 base structure. In using the 3-4 structure, the Rams are in the minority, and apparently intend to stay with that structure under Shula.
According to Shula:
“It’s a simple game. It’s relentless pursuit of the ball, it’s getting off blocks, it’s tackling, and it’s taking the ball away[,] and defense hasn’t changed over that over the course of time. That’s what this defense is going to be about.”
It certainly would have been simpler if Donald was still on the team.
As Shula says, “[It’s] all about the players.” Significant adaptations will be necessary now that opposing teams will not have to double-team or triple-team Donald.
In a mock draft conducted after Donald’s retirement, Mel Kiper, Jr. has the Rams selecting Byron Murphy II with their first round draft pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. According to Kiper, Murphy “has highest pass-rush upside of any of the interior defensive linemen in this class.” Kiper rates him as the best defensive tackle in the draft class.
If Kiper’s assessment is on the mark, the addition of Murphy would likely make Shula’s job a little easier.
For more related sports news, focused primarily on the USC Trojans and Los Angeles Rams, follow me at @vshjah_Victor.
