This Rashid Shaheed quote perfectly proves why Chase Blackburn had to go

The firing of Chase Blackburn as the LA Rams’ special teams coordinator didn’t come without evidence. One of those to point that out was returner Rashid Shaheed of the Seattle Seahawks.

On Thursday, the Seahawks defeated the Rams 38-37 in OT. During that game, Shaheed scored a touchdown on a punt return around the eight-minute mark of the fourth quarter.

At the time, the Rams were leading 30-14. Thus, propelling a 15-point comeback. Afterward, Shaheed pointed out the special teams’ obvious weaknesses, per Adam Schefter and Brady Henderson of ESPN.

“We’ve been focused on that left return, field return, all week. We knew that they had kind of a weak point with their special teams, and we were able to circle the punt team and make a big play.”

Despite the loss, the Rams are 11-4 and made the playoffs. However, they are looking to solidify their seeding during the remainder of the regular season.

On Dec. 29, they will take on the Atlanta Falcons. After that, they will conclude the regular season against the Arizona Cardinals on Jan. 4.

The firing of Blackburn is unique in that it came at the end of the season. Also, it happens right before the playoffs.

The struggle is real for the Rams’ special teams.

Under Blackburn, the special teams have been inconsistent across multiple areas. Among those are missed kicks, blocked field goals, poor punt coverage, and penalties.

As a result, the Rams have put themselves in a position to be among the worst teams in the league in this category. Earlier in the year, they were ranked 30th out of the 32 teams with a -16.9 EPA (Expected Points Added).

In addition to firing Blackburn, the Rams made a few moves. They replaced kicker Joshua Karty with rookie kicker Harrison Mevis. Plus, they brought up veteran kicker Jake McQuaide.

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