Before the Rams' secondary runs out onto the field on game days, they circle up for a pep talk. Safety Quentin Lake took on that responsibility as a team captain for the majority of the year. But ever since an elbow injury landed him on Injured Reserve, safety Kam Curl has picked up that mantle.
While their leadership styles are "somewhat similar," Curl said, Lake is a little more "corporate" with his speeches. Curl, a quieter presence, gets straight to the point.
Lake went down with his injury in Week 11, so Curl has stepped up as a leader over the past two games. However, this isn't a totally new experience for him – he knows how to lead by example both on and off the field, and when to speak up.
"He has great ownership of what's going on and great communication," said head coach Sean McVay. "I think when you're at that safety position, you're naturally thrusted into a communication role (based on) where you are in the formation and what roles and responsibilities you have relative to the communication that's required."
Defensive coordinator Chris Shula Shula described him as one of the team's smartest players and best communicators. So, he's those leadership qualities, which have been amplified in recent weeks, all season long.
"He's a quieter guy, but I think he's a guy that, when he talks, people are listening," Shula said. "He has the respect of the whole defense and it starts with his play on the field, his play in practice and his preparation."
Curl's high level of play throughout the season has almost thrust him into that leadership role, said defensive end Kobie Turner. He ranks second on the team in tackles with 91 and his two interceptions are tied for third. People "flock to him" in meetings and on the gridiron, Turner said.
Still, Curl has been in this position before. He was the leader of the secondary group in Washington before he signed with Los Angeles prior to last season, and that experience taught him how to rally the troops in the secondary.
"(The defensive back room) is a family, honestly, a true brotherhood," Turner said. "And that kind of allows all of that to come into place."
Curl has been more vocal over the past few weeks in an effort to replace some of Lake's communication. Still, Lake is around the team, attending meetings and rehabbing at the facility, so they talk to him almost every day.
After he went down, Curl told Lake to take his time getting healthy, and he'd hold down the fort until that time comes, which McVay indicated wouldn't be until the playoffs at the earliest.
"It's a big loss for us," Curl said. "But it's the NFL, it's next man up."
In a divisional matchup with the Cardinals this weekend, Curl will need to help prepare the Rams' secondary for a battle against a passing attack that likes to throw the ball downfield to physical pass-catchers.
That pep talk might require some extra gusto from the usually soft-spoken Curl.
