Rams’ Jared Verse says he won’t antagonize Niners LT Trent Williams during NFC West showdown

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Rams edge rusher Jared Verse gets part of his own edge by running a steady stream of trash talk and jokes at his opponents.

But Verse grinningly admits he won’t be quite so verbose when the Rams (3-1) host the San Francisco 49ers (3-1) and their 11-time Pro Bowl left tackle, Trent Williams, on Thursday night.

“I don’t lie down for anybody,” Verse said. “I don’t change up how I am for anybody. But I also am not, you know, dumb. I’d rather let a sleeping giant sleep. I’m not going to wake up nobody that’s minding their business, especially somebody like that.”

Verse admits he struggled against Williams in their only previous meeting last September. He rarely struggled for long stretches at any other point last season on the way to the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

“Trent is one of the best linemen ever,” Verse said. “He’s probably going in the Hall of Fame for a reason. I think he’s been in the league longer than I’ve played football, so he kind of understands it. But I think the biggest challenge he adds is with age, you become more savvy. He’s figured out, ‘OK, I’m not going to take this block head-on. I’m going to manipulate it.’ He’s going to mess with you just a little bit that makes you not be able to make the play, but he’s still that dominant version of Trent that can get right in front of you and stop him in the pass rush.”

Verse has followed up his impressive rookie year with two sacks, six quarterback hits and 17 tackles in the Rams’ first four games. While he trails teammate Byron Young, the NFL co-leader with five sacks, Verse is drawing extreme attention from opponents’ offensive lines, sometimes clearing space for his teammates to capitalize.

Verse heads into this NFC West showdown with the Niners after the best performance of the new season. He had a sack and six pressures in the Rams’ 27-20 comeback victory over the Colts.

He also produced another memorable highlight when the Rams rushed him up the middle from a stand-up position, instead of coming off the edge. With perfect timing, Verse ran over Indianapolis center Tanor Bortolini on the way to forcing an incompletion by Daniel Jones — and only missing a sack because he was tripped, according to Sean McVay.

“That was awesome,” the head coach said. “You talk about timing it up with the play clock going down. It looked like a trip to me potentially, but I thought he was awesome. I think really the last couple of weeks, the energy, the pre-snap demeanor and the vibe that he’s brought to our group, I think he’s been excellent.”

It was the type of spectacular athletic play that Verse makes regularly. He still had to petition the Rams’ defensive coaching staff to put the unusual scheme into the game plan, allowing him to rush up the middle.

“It’s something I enjoy,” Verse said. “I like being in different positions, because it’s not often I get to go up against a center or guard and use my speed, my power, to be able to play them games from a different position. I like that.”

Verse is one big reason why the Rams are second in the league with 14 sacks while ranking in the top 10 against both the run and the pass. San Francisco quarterback Mac Jones said Tuesday that he thinks the Rams have the best defense in the league.

“I feel we’re definitely getting a lot more respect,” Verse said. “To say we’re the best defense, that could be neither here nor there. I think we’ve got a lot of things to work on, but I’m not really focused too much on being the best defense in the league. … When we’re the best version of us, we can dog anybody.”

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL