St. Louis Rams: 4 People Who Will Make the Rams Defense Nasty in 2012

The St. Louis Rams defense will not be mistaken for a group of choir boys in the 2012 NFL season, at least not on the field.  No, these guys are more likely to tear up opponents next season like Leheigh and Norfolk State tore up everybody's NCAA Tournament brackets.  

There are at least four individuals who were not on the sidelines or not on the field in 2011 that will make an impact on instilling an attitude of aggression, a demeanor of domination, a tradition of toughness and the makings of misery for opposing offenses. 

When creating this list, we intentionally omitted new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams due to his uncertain short-term future following his role in bountygate.  

Because of Williams' connections to bountygate, it is possible that he will be suspended by the league for the entirety of the 2012 season.  However, his long-term future regarding his role with the Rams looks solid, as his job appears safe (at least for now.) 

That said, there are four other people who look to be critical in producing a nasty, hard-nosed, tough, gritty, scrappy and intense defense in 2012.

Without further ado, let us take a look at those four men. 

Cortland Finnegan

Cortland Finnegan, as most of us know, is regarded as one of the toughest and most intense players in the NFL, as you can see in this terrific footage from the NFL Network and their Sound FX show, as shared on YouTube.

For the most part, he plays a hard, physical game. Occasionally, though, his intensity and passion get the best of him, as was the case in this infamous incident with wide receiver Andre Johnson in 2009. 

Finnegan, though, is much more than a fighter. He is a darn good cornerback, one of the best in the league and one who happens to play with an edge and a feistiness that can set an aggressive and tenacious tone for an entire defense. 

According to an article from Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch with information from Pro Football Focus, Finnegan rated as the third-best corner in the NFL in 2011, adept against both the run and pass.

The 28-year-old Finnegan has averaged 67 tackles over the last five seasons and is superb in run support. In pass coverage, he excels against some of the league's best receivers.

In the NFC West, he will likely do battle with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald of Arizona, Sidney Rice of Seattle and Randy Moss of San Francisco.

In regard to our topic, though, it is the mentality and all-out aggression that Finnegan will help bring to the St. Louis defense that will help make this D a nasty one in the upcoming campaign.  

For much more on the Rams' outstanding acquisition during the NFL Free Agency period, please read a great column from Nick Wagoner of StLouisRams.com. 

Jerome Murphy

Jerome Murphy entered the NFL with a reputation as a physical, hard-hitting defensive back.  

After entering the NFL as a third-round rookie in 2010, his playing time was limited.  However, after missing all of last season with an ankle injury, Murphy is expected to make an impact this year and should be a terrific fit under Fisher and secondary coach Chuck Cecil. 

We will detail Cecil more on the next slide, but he himself was a feisty and a hard-nosed DB.  Murphy brings the type of toughness and aggression that both Cecil and Fisher love from their defenders. 

Paired with Finnegan, the Rams should field two of the toughest corners in the league. 

I spoke to Murphy's defensive back coach from the University of South Florida, Rich Rachel, and he said the following encouraging words about his former DB: 

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He (Murphy) was just here about two weeks ago and at first I didn't recognize him.  He looked like he had gained 10 pounds of muscle.  

He has long arms and is flexible and high-waisted. When he gets ready to bump, you are in for a long day if you are lined up across from him. He is a fierce tackler, even at the NFL level.

I think Coach Fisher will like him. He loves studying tape and he is eager to get going.

"

Murphy has been listed at 6'0" and 200 in the past.  If he has truly put on 10 pounds, he should be rather imposing at 210 or so.  

The 25-year-old Murphy should be a favorite for the nickelback role and could theoretically compete for a starting spot, depending on what occurs in the 2012 NFL draft. 

Either way, look for Murphy to form a great combo with Finnegan in regards to making receivers think twice about going up high for passes and in providing strong, hard-hitting run support for the Rams. 

For more on Murphy, please see my feature piece on the promising young DB here. 

For further details on the third-year pro, please check the 2010 NFL draft scouting report from CBSSports.com.

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Chuck Cecil

As a player, Chuck Cecil was widely renowned as a hard-nosed, hard-hitting safety throughout the entirety of his career (1988-1995).

Cecil played for the Green Bay Packers (1988-1992) and the then Phoenix Cardinals (1993-1995). Cecil was named by Pro Football Weekly to the 1992 NFC All Conference Team in 1992 and made the Pro Bowl following that season.

Cecil has brought the same type of fire, intensity and toughness to his coaching career that he did when playing safety. He was so intense during a 2010 game against the Denver Broncos that he apparently flipped off the officials after reportedly being displeased with their performance.

Cecil led the secondary for Tennessee in 2008, the same year that Finnegan made his only career Pro Bowl appearance.  

That year, Cecil directed a secondary that become perhaps the finest in the NFL.  

Three of four DBs earned Pro Bowl births. The Titans secondary collected 19 interceptions, which ranked second in the NFL among all secondaries. 

In 2007, the Tennessee secondary managed 14 interceptions and the defensive total, 22, ranked second in the league.  Finnegan, who was in his sophomore season, made major progress in that first year with Cecil as his position coach.

In 2012, expect the entire St. Louis secondary to play with a little more toughness and tenacity reminiscent of the playing/coaching attitude of Cecil and head coach Jeff Fisher, who we will look at next. 

Jeff Fisher

Jeff Fisher-directed defenses always played tough and produced consistently in Nashville, Tennessee. Expect that to continue in St. Louis as he installs his defense and builds around Chris Long, James Laurinaitis, Quintin Mikell, Robert Quinn, Kendall Langford and Cortland Finnegan. 

That looks to be a very solid corps, not including what else the Rams might add as free agents and through the 2012 NFL draft. 

I recently talked to former St. Louis Rams kick returner and wide receiver Tony Horne, who was a key player on the Rams' Super Bowl-winning team that defeated Fisher's Titans. In talking about Fisher and the Titans, Horne told me the following:

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I only got one chance to face the Titans which was during the Super Bowl in 1999. They were everything that the player profile explained about them as well as what I saw on film that year.

You could tell they were led by a great war general on the field (Fisher) because of their toughness, determination, the way they finished plays and how they played until the whistle blew.

That summer after we defeated them in the Super Bowl we scrimmaged them for three days in training camp and it really showed what type of coach Jeff Fisher was. He was very tough and he expected greatness and a work ethic from his players.

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Fisher's defense led the entire NFL during the year that Tony Horne and the Rams scrimmaged with the Titans.  Fisher's Tennessee defenses were routinely competitive and tough each year.

A defensive back himself at USC, Fisher, like Cecil, has brought the same toughness he displayed as a player to the coaching ranks.  As would be evident, both have been terrific at instilling that toughness in their players.

With Finnegan, Murphy, Cecil and Fisher added to the mix, look for the Rams to display a noticeable toughness and tenacity that should be contagious among defenders in St. Louis this fall.

For more on Fisher from former Tennessee Titans tight end Frank Wycheck, please listen here. 

Shane Gray covers the St. Louis Rams year-round. You are encouraged to check out the rest of his work here and to follow him on Twitter.