LOS ANGELES — Before the biggest game of most of their lives, the Rams are making a defensive adjustment that, for a few weeks, has felt inevitable.
Veteran safety Eric Weddle will wear the “green dot” in the Super Bowl, defensive coordinator Raheem Morris confirmed Thursday afternoon (The Athletic’s Dan Pompei first reported the change of that responsibility from inside linebacker Troy Reeder to Weddle in a feature on Weddle published earlier this week). That means Weddle will communicate the defensive signals from Morris through the helmet microphone only one player is allowed to wear on each side of the ball. Weddle actually did this in his initial stint with the Rams and was one of the earliest known safeties to do so (usually that microphone goes to the middle linebacker).
“He’s one of those guys who has been special since he got here, since he walked in the building, with his leadership, with his communication, with his play,” Morris said. “Make no mistakes about it, we didn’t bring him here just to talk. We brought him here to be a playmaker, which he’s done over the last couple of weeks. He’s one of the reasons that we’re in the situation that we’re in.”
The Rams coaxed Weddle, 37, out of retirement as the postseason began, although he didn’t need much convincing.