Mob Squad (American football)

The Mob Squad is a nickname that was officially used by the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League during both their last season in St. Louis and their first seasons back in Los Angeles. The nickname referred to the team's return to glory in Los Angeles under such players as Aaron Donald, Todd Gurley, Jared Goff, Cooper Kupp, and head coach Sean McVay. The naming also extends to fans of the Rams,^[1][2][3] primarily used by multiple booster clubs around Southern California.

Players

Aaron Donald has been the definitive leader of the Rams defense throughout the Mob Squad era.

Jared Goff led the Rams to an NFC Championship title in 2018.

The Mob Squad era was defined by defensive tackle Aaron Donald, the team's 2014 first-round selection who has won multiple Defensive Player of the Year awards and is widely considered the best defensive player in the league;^[4][5] quarterback Jared Goff, selected first overall in the 2016 draft with multiple Pro-Bowl selections who served as the offensive leader until being traded in 2021; and Todd Gurley, the team's 2015 first-round selection and star Pro-Bowler running back until his 2019 departure. The Rams have also been home to many other notable players during this period, such as Cooper Kupp, Brandin Cooks, and Robert Woods, among others. The Mob Squad has defined the period of transition from St. Louis as well as the quick rise to prominence the team experienced in Los Angeles under head coach Sean McVay.^[6][7][8][9]

Player accolades

Team achievements

• 2x NFC West champions (2017, 2018)
• NFC Champions (2018)

Player achievements

Aaron Donald

• Super Bowl champion (LVI)
• Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2017, 2018)
• 9× First-team All-Pro selection (2015–2021)
• 8x Pro Bowl selection (2014–2021)
• NFL sacks leader/Deacon Jones Award (2018)
• NFL 2010s All-Decade Team
• 5× PFWA All-NFL Team (2015–2019)
• 4× PFF NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2015, 2016, 2018, 2019)
• Pro Football Writers Association NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2018)
• Kansas City Committee of 101 NFC Defensive Player of the Year (2017, 2018)
• 6× NFL Top 100 (2015–2020)
  • Ranked No. 92 in 2015
  • Ranked No. 14 in 2016
  • Ranked No. 15 in 2017
  • Ranked No. 7 in 2018
  • Ranked No. 1 in 2019
  • Ranked No. 3 in 2020
• 2× NFC Defensive Player of the Month (Oct. 2018, Dec. 2018)
• 7× NFC Defensive Player of the Week (2015 – Week 1, Week 14; 2016 – Week 4; 2018 – Week 7, Week 16; 2019 – Week 11; 2020 – Week 5)

Jared Goff

• 2× Pro Bowl (2017, 2018)^[10]
• PFWA Most Improved Player (2017)^[11]

Cooper Kupp

• Super Bowl champion (LVI)
• Super Bowl MVP (LVI)
• NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2021)
• First-team All-Pro (2021)
• Pro Bowl (2021)
• NFL receptions leader (2021)
• NFL receiving yards leader (2021)
• NFL receiving touchdowns leader (2021)
• PFWA All-Rookie Team (2017)

Todd Gurley

• NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2017)^[12]
• NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (2015)^[13]
• 2× First-team All-Pro selection (2017, 2018)
• 3× Pro Bowl selection (2015, 2017, 2018)
• 3x NFC Offensive Player of the Month (2017 – September, December; 2018 – October)
• 5x NFC Offensive Player of the Week (2017 – Week 4, Week 15, Week 16; 2018 – Week 6, Week 13)^[14]
• FedEx Ground Player of the Year (2017)
• 2x NFL Top 100
• Ranked No. 22 in 2016
• Ranked No. 6 2018
• PFWA All-Rookie Team (2015)^[15]

Pro Bowlers

Year	Players	Position	Selection	Notes
2015	Aaron Donald	Defensive tackle	2nd
	Todd Gurley	Running back	1st
	Johnny Hekker	Punter	2nd
2016	Aaron Donald	Defensive tackle	3rd
	Johnny Hekker	Punter	3rd
	Jake McQuaide	Long snapper	1st
2017	Pharoh Cooper	Return specialist	1st
	Aaron Donald	Defensive tackle	4th
	Jared Goff	Quarterback	1st
	Todd Gurley	Running back	2nd
	Johnny Hekker	Punter	4th
	Jake McQuaide	Long snapper	2nd
	Andrew Whitworth	Offensive tackle	4th
	Greg Zuerlein	Kicker	1st
2018	Aaron Donald	Defensive Tackle	5th
	Jared Goff	Quarterback	2nd
	Todd Gurley	Running back	3rd
	Cory Littleton	Linebacker	1st
2019	Aaron Donald	Defensive tackle	6th
	Jalen Ramsey	Cornerback	3rd
2020	Aaron Donald	Defensive tackle	7th
	Jalen Ramsey	Cornerback	4th
2021	Aaron Donald	Defensive tackle	8th	Participated in Super Bowl LVI instead
	Jalen Ramsey	Cornerback	5th	Participated in Super Bowl LVI instead
	Cooper Kupp	Wide receiver	1st	Participated in Super Bowl LVI instead, won Super Bowl LVI MVP

References

1. "A Rams fan holds up a sign for the Mob Squad during an NFL game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams".
2. "#MobSquad, it's go time: time to Go Metro to the Rams home opener".
3. "Mob Squad Fan Photos vs. Bills".
4. Heyen, Billy (October 26, 2020). "How good is Aaron Donald? Rams' 'one-man wrecking crew' has a case as NFL's best overall player". Sporting News. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
5. Patra, Kevin (June 27, 2019). "Long: Aaron Donald is 'best football player in the world'". NFL. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
6. "Michael Brockers explains origin of 'Mob Squad' nickname".
7. "Squad goals: Rams' Michael Brockers reveals the origin of #MobSquad".
8. "Origin of MobSquad - Rams on Demand".
9. "'Mob Squad' nickname for Rams defensive line goes viral".
10. "Jared Goff Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
11. DaSilva, Cameron (January 19, 2018). "Jared Goff PFWA Most improved player". USA Today. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
12. "AP Offensive Player of the Year Winners". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on October 8, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
13. Orr, Conor (February 6, 2016). "Todd Gurley named Offensive Rookie of the Year". NFL.com. Archived from the original on October 8, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
14. "NFL Players of the Week". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on October 3, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
15. "Rams' Gurley PFWA Rookie/Offensive Rookie of the Year, Chiefs' Peters Defensive Rookie of the Year; 2015 All-Rookie Team named". ProFootballWriters.org. January 19, 2016. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2021.