WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – It's not just the fact that it two two draft classes in the aggregate to effectively make up for the loss of Aaron Donald on the Rams defensive line following his retirement.
For coaches and players, the work ethic and standard he set is a big reason why he is being celebrated during Sunday night's game against the Buccaneers at SoFi Stadium.
"He was a great teammate, great energy to be around, a guy that brought it every single day and then and off the field just a class human being that represents all that's right with the NFL," quarterback Matthew Stafford said.
Donald's "ring me!" gesture after the game-clinching pass rush against the Bengals in Super Bowl LVI is one of the defining memories of his time as a Ram, as well as the pressure on Jimmy Garoppolo that led to Travin Howard's game-clinching interception in the NFC Championship which sent the Rams to that Super Bowl. So too, were his 10 Pro Bowls, eight First Team All-Pros and three Defensive Player of the year Awards. There was also the single-season sack record for a defensive tackle. The list goes on.
Of equal importance was the example his work ethic set, especially as head coach Sean McVay began his tenure with the Rams.
"I remember my grandpa saying this when I used to talk to him about why they thought they were able to sustain such a level of success in San Francisco for the years he was there. When your best players are the ones that model the way, those become the standards and everybody falls in line and nobody's above it," McVay said. "There's extreme ownership, there's an accountability, there's a work ethic, there's an enjoyment for celebrating other's successes. There's the right mindset and then there's the right energy that you bring every single day. When he did that, it's like well shoot, if Aaron's doing that, then I better fall in line. It's no different than the way it was for (former 49ers quarterback) Joe Montana, (former 49ers wide receiver) Jerry Rice, (former 49ers safety) Ronnie Lott and I think that was what we set out to do. I think that's what's been right in a lot of the things that have gone on here. Aaron is one of the central figures to that for the last handful of years."
Donald also had an influence on McVay because of the way he let him into his personal life. Donald on Wednesday spoke about going through some personal challenges at one point in his career and how conversations with McVay helped him get through them.
"I love that guy and what he meant to me," McVay said. "Like I've said, the most important thing was he let me into his life and you got some insight into knowing what really mattered to him, but he sure was a hell of a football player too. I'm damn grateful and there are a lot of blessings that have come my way because I was fortunate enough to be able to coach him."
As for his teammates on defense and the younger players who either played with him in his final season or arrived after it, one of the greatest examples is the continuation of breaking down position group huddles with "DAWG WORK!" – a nod to the work ethic mantra former defensive line coach Eric Henderson established that Donald helped grow.
Defensive end Kobie Turner most remembers Donald's daily approach and the hunger that drove it, as well as his preparedness for every opponent. It's a standard that still resonates and is followed by the current group of defensive linemen.
"The fact that, I mean, he approached each and every day like he wasn't the greatest player in the world, and he was," Turner said. "I mean, he had his process, and he stuck with it, and that ultimately continued to lead to his success. And I think that's something that's resonated with us, too. Whether it be that, whether it be his mentality as well, people fear him, quarterbacks feared him, and it was because of the work that he put in, it was because of the way that he hunted, it was the way that he knew his craft and was always prepared. Regardless who he was playing, what he was doing, he was always ready."
Turner said Donald set the standard and showed the way from when he came in when he was younger by the way he played in those early stages of his career, a standard this group of Rams defensive linemen is consciously and subconsciously aware of.
"His legacy continues to live on through us, because you know, 'All right, we're the Rams defensive line, like, we can't be slacking, we have to go and hunt,'" Turner said. "And it's not even something that we think about so much, it's more of something that we live. We live in the process of each and every day coming in and putting in the work that's going to garner us the success that we want on Sundays. We live in being so locked in and focused and prepared for each and every opportunity. That's another thing that people don't often talk about him, but he was prepared for each and every opportunity. So yeah, like, there's times where he just outworked somebody, or where he out-physicaled somebody, or he was just faster, but he also knew exactly what was coming because (of) his film study and because of his preparation. And so at the end of the day, there's a standard that's that's held here. You can't slack. You have to always be prepared, and you have to always hunt and be relentless. And that's something that we try to uphold, whether it be front of mind where you're actually thinking about it, or whether that be you just know that there's a standard and you just got to work."
Even those young players who weren't his teammate in his final season see the lasting impact of Donald's legendary work ethic. Outside linebacker Jared Verse, who got pass-rushing advice from Donald after Week 1, has seen it first-hand.
""The one thing everybody brings up about him more than anything isn't what he did on the field, it's not about helping others, it's how hard he worked," Verse said. "That's the one thing everybody talks about. Sean talks about two people whenever he talks about hard work. He talks about (former Lakers shooting guard) Kobe (Bryant) and he talks about Aaron Donald. To hear that I'm like, alright, to get to the point that he's at, to get to the point that Kobe's at, to get to the point those greats are at, you have to work that much harder than everybody else."
"I think he'd be proud of the way these guys work," defensive coordinator Chris Shula said. "He had a saying, 'Hard work pays off,' and he really believed in the work. I think he would be proud, especially of the D-line, of how they go about their day and winning the day. Also, having a process to get ready for a game and buying into that process physically and mentally. They have a lot of really good guys in that room. We make fun of [defensive line coach] Giff [Smith] all the time. We say he's got the easiest job. All those guys are the hardest workers…tough and run to the ball. I think Aaron Donald would be part of that group."
Wide receiver Puka Nacua remembers training camp practices his rookie year and the run plays where his blocking assignment had him going back across the line of scrimmage. As much trust as there is in everyone to do their job so that you don't think about running into the defensive tackle, it still happened a couple times because of how talented Donald is.
"Making sure I have to be on my P's and Q's at all moments," Nacua said.
Still, more than that attention to detail, what resonates most about Donald's legacy is a trait Nacua himself can appreciate.
"I think it's something that Coach McVay has said recently, 'The game honors toughness,'" Nacua said. "If you've ever seen the guy 'number 99' [Aaron Donald] walk on the football field or even out here on the practice field, you know his game is toughness. It's something that we feel like is an identity of ours. When you see something like that, going back to modeling the way, it adds that little bit of juice inside you."
