A few defensive lines through football history have been saddled with the "Fearsome Foursome" nickname. The Los Angles Rams defensive line from the 1960s is the most prominent. Chicago Bears linebacker Dick Butkus called them "the most dominant line in football history." Keeping Deacon Jones, Merlin Olsen, Rosey Grier, and Lamar Lundy out of the backfield was an every down chore for offensive lines. No offense meant to Grier and Lundy, they were terrific football players, but Deacon Jones, Merlin Olsen and a couple of chairs make a "Fearsome Foursome." The Rams are in St. Louis now and they have put together a defensive front four that is likely the best in the entire NFL. The Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers have controlled the NFC West the couple of seasons. Their defenses have had a lot to do with that dominance. The Rams defense, with their defensive line, can compete with the defenses in Seattle and San Francisco.
The St. Louis Rams have spent some high draft picks on defensive line talent. All four of the expected starters were selected in the first round:
Robert Quinn #14 in 2011
Michael Brockers #14 in 2012
Aaron Donald #13 in 2014
Chris Long #2 in 2008
It's hard to believe that Chris Long has already been in the league six seasons. At 29, he still has some impact years in front of him and he has a ton of talent around him. Offensive lines used to be able to concentrate on him now they have to contend with Robert Quinn on the other side. Quinn is one of the best pass rushers in the league. He might have been the best defensive lineman last year. 19 sacks. He was a nightmare to play against and he's still learning. Michael Brockers is also still learning the pro game. At 6'5" and 325 lbs, he's got tremendous size. With 5.5 sacks last year, he's shown that he's more than a run stuffer. He can get to the quarterback. So can rookie Aaron Donald. He hasn't even played an NFL down and he's drawn comparisons to Cincinnati Bengals little destroyer Geno Atkins and former Minnesota Vikings Hall of Famer John Randle. Donald gets those comparisons because he's small for a defensive tackle. He's 6'1" 285 lbs. If he was bigger, he would have been in the conversation for the top pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. He's fast. He's strong. And, he never stops. The Rams defensive line starters are terrific. Some of their backups could start on most of the 31 other teams in the league. Defensive end William Hayes can get after the quarterback. Kendall Langford has been a starter. He can play inside and outside and he has unique size at 6'6" and 313 lbs. Seventh-round pick Michael Sam will get a lot of attention. The hope here is that he earns that attention for what he does on the football field. He may not be one of the most athletic football players but he can be one of the more effective. The Rams have incredible talent on their defensive line. The kind of talent that you never want to take off of the football field. It's also the sort of talent that you want to preserve for an entire game and for late in the season. The Rams also have the sort of talent on the bench that you want to get on the field. Too much talent is a problem that head coach Jeff Fisher probably prefers to have. It's far better than not having enough talent.
They haven't even played a down together but it's impossible not to be intrigued by the potential of the St. Louis Rams new defensive line. They will likely be the sort of line that gets a nickname of their own.
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