Rockford Football Preview

Rockford has become one of the better programs in the area over the past few years. Last year they fell short deep in the playoffs. They’re looking to make another push and they have the talent to do so. The Rams are heading into year 2 of the new regime and with another year of meshing, they think this could be the year they get over the hump. Brent Cumming is the head coach and he took over last year. He pushes his players to their absolute max and then a little bit more. He wants his guys to play fast and play smart. They’ve quickly adapted to his coaching style and it’s part of the reason they had such a good year last year. The offense last year was decent but it could be better. They know they have some areas to improve. The running game would get stalled and then they’d begin to rely too much on [player_tooltip player_id="54861" first="Zak" last="Ahern"]. He can handle it and he can get hot in a hurry. They were putting up 32 PPG last year and later in the season it was up in the 40s until they ran into Davidson in the playoffs. [player_tooltip player_id="54861" first="Zak" last="Ahern"] is the guy that the Rams will rely on in 2021. He’s a decent athlete and can make defenses tighten up with his legs. He’s a threat in the running game and will turn something into nothing. He also throws a nice ball but he could clean up the footwork quite a bit. He stands at 6’3" and 200 lbs and he likes to work out and live in the weight room. He’s already benching 250 and squatting just under 400. He’s entering the year with big expectations and hoping that he can take another step, especially in the passing game. Ahern recently posted on his Twitter that he ran an official 4.68 40-yard dash. Take that for what it’s worth, but it’s still probably reliable enough to show how good of an athlete he is. Defensively, the Rams have a pretty big problem coming. It’s not anything they can do about it, but when a star playing graduates it’s a huge loss. When that star player who just happens to be a 5’10" and 190 lbs MLB who is now playing in college. You can’t replace a guy like that, you are just hoping to fill the gaps. Tadych was the heart and soul of the defense that only gave up 15 PPG. The Rams are going to be relying on [player_tooltip player_id="80476" first="Kade" last="Kostus"] to step up. Kostus is their big playmaker. They will line him up on the edge of the line, back at LB, and drop in coverage. He’s 6’3" and 245 lbs. He’s a big man who makes plays all over the field. Up to now, he’s been more athlete than LB. He’s so big and so fast he just runs all over the field making plays. He could really be coached up and taught a bunch of mechanics. He recently signed with Central Michigan and he’s their next big project. Kostus has so much potential and hopefully Central Michigan helps him reach it. The Rams start their season at home on August 26th at 7 PM against Sterling Heights Stevenson. They start the first 3 weeks at home before they hit the road. They only have 3 away games this year. They finish the year with one of those away games on October 22nd against Grand Haven. When you have a star QB and a LB/DE with as much potential that Kostus has you are a legitimate threat to make a push. Hopefully, they can find a way to replace Tadych and keep going. They’re going to be a fantastic team but the question is how far can they go? We find out the answer in a few weeks what the Rams are made of.