Aaron Donald played in the season opener with peace of mind. With a six-year, $135 million extension in hand, the Los Angeles Rams star defensive tackle didn’t have to worry about his future.
But even Donald’s newfound security couldn’t provide him with a sense of satisfaction after a victory over the Oakland Raiders.
Donald expressed disappointment in his performance after Monday night’s game, and the feeling lingered on Thursday.
“I could have played better,” Donald said. “I’m gonna always be my worst critique — that’s just about trying to push myself to get myself better.”nike nfl jerseys cheap china
Against the Raiders, Donald, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, finished with a lone tackle.
“I feel the way he did, somewhat,” defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said, adding, “I want him to do better, he wants to do better, but he’s still a great football player.”
The Rams (1-0) play the Arizona Cardinals (0-1) in an NFC West matchup on Sunday at the Coliseum. The Cardinals feature running back David Johnson, who recently signed a three-year, $39 million extension, and quarterback Sam Bradford, Donald’s teammate in St. Louis in 2014.
“He’s a good quarterback,” Donald said. “If you don’t get to him and he’s back there, comfortable, it’s a long day for us, so our job as a front is to get him to the ground and get some hits on him and try to make him uncomfortable back there.”
In their season debut, the Rams’ defensive line — featuring Donald, Ndamukong Suh and Michael Brockers — had a difficult time getting to Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, who often hurried to get the ball off.china nike nfl jerseys cheap
“They had a good scheme against us, trying to get the ball out pretty quickly,” said Suh, who finished with four tackles and a quarterback hit. “A lot of checkdowns and what not, so they didn’t want to get us started.”
