Good Bye Aaron Donald

by hcut2k4 | 7 years ago | 0 Comments

I will forever be indebted to Aaron Donald. Aside from being the most dominate defensive player in the league over the past 7 seasons, he represented this organization with class and dignity. He has done everything we have asked of him and more. We asked him to play 3-4 DE, NT, and his natural 4-3 DT position. He took on double teams, rushed the passer from the edge, and stuffed runs in the backfield. Having Aaron Donald on the field was like dialing up a big blitz with max coverage. He collapsed pockets, harassed QB’s, and destroyed running backs. I can’t count the number of times Donald ran down a runner, 30 yards down field to save a game changing score.

Aaron Donald is a two time Super Bowl MVP. He has recorded 15 or more sacks every season for the past 7 years. The Rams defense has ranked 5th, 1st, 11th, 3rd, and 2nd in scoring over the past 5 seasons, behind Aaron Donald’s greatness. He is the heart and soul of the Los Angeles Rams.

The Rams would not be two time Super Bowl Champion without Aaron Donald. He earned the nickname “Cheat Code” because it is seemingly, an unfair advantage to have him on your defense -- like having 12 defenders on the field.

Because of the Rams incredible success over the past 5 seasons, we do not have the resources to keep the team together. While we have lost key pieces in the past, we are now in a position that in order to field a competitive team, we need to add players that we just cannot do and also keep Aaron Donald. This is the harsh reality of professional sports. We would love nothing more than for Aaron to retire a Ram. But we believe we can continue to win in his absence if we make smart decisions and get a little lucky in the draft. There is no replacing Aaron Donald. Our defense will not be the same. It will not be as dominate. But as a team, we will rise to the occasion.

We want to wish Aaron Donald the best in Cleveland. We were not going to trade Donald to a team that cannot contend for a championship. He deserves to be on a Super Bowl caliber team and the Cleveland Browns are just that. They are a first class organization and I have assurances that Aaron will be given the respect he deserves on that stellar defense.

Once again, I would like to thank Aaron Donald for the last 7 incredible seasons. You will always be a Ram to me.

 

-Kelly (Rams owner/GM)