Aaron Donald 'Can't Be That Good!' Rams Ex Coach Reveals Initial Doubts

Former Los Angeles Rams turned Carolina Panthers coach Thomas Brown revealed his initial doubts about Aaron Donald.

Los Angeles Rams defensive Aaron Donald is heading into his ninth season in the NFL and is already starting to give analysts fits about him being the best defensive player ever. The competition for Donald in the argument of who is the best defensive player of all time is Lawrence Taylor, yet since the Rams won the Super Bowl, many are starting to say L.A.'s No. 99 has a pretty strong case.

Yet, the initial greatness of Donald was not recognized by all. Even a former member of the Rams' coaching staff had his doubts about Donald at one point. Ex-Rams assistant head coach and tight ends coach Thomas Brown recently revealed he didn't think Donald was "that good" initially.

During a recent appearance on the "Playcallers" podcast, Brown gave away his first impressions of the former Pittsburgh Panther. 

“I remember I was a coordinator for the Miami Hurricanes. They would ask us to give advice to our future pro guys on what to prepare and how to prepare, what to expect at the next level,” Brown said. “So they go on and on about Aaron Donald and his process, him being relentless, and how great he is. And in my mind, I’m like, ‘I’ve been around first-round defensive linemen before, and he’s good, but he can’t be that good.’" 

Brown mentions Geno Atkins and David Pollack as elite defensive linemen he's played with before. Both Atkins and Pollack cross paths with Brown at the University of Georgia. Brown was a freshman running back during Pollack's final season in Athens before he'd go on to become a first-round pick. Brown would then play with Atkins, who'd also later become a first-rounder.

Yet, things would change after Brown got a coaching job with the Rams in 2020 as the running backs coach. Brown would explain how his opinion of him quickly changed after seeing Donald dominate in practice. 

"Sean (McVay) keeps going on about A.D., and I’m like, ‘Man, this is crazy; everyone keeps talking about this dude like he’s unstoppable.’ I’m a doubter, not going to lie, I was a doubter, ..." Brown said. "I heard about how good the offensive line was and the success we had, and every day in practice, this dude is unblockable. He’s making every play, and so I go back to Sean and say, ‘Listen, y’all undersold this cat. He’s better than everyone said he was.'”

Now, after spending three seasons on the same team as the future Hall of Famer, Brown has no doubts about the greatness of Donald. The 37-year-old coach left the Rams this offseason for the Carolina Panthers, where he will serve as the offensive coordinator under head coach Frank Reich. And as for Donald, he will be looking to have a bounce-back season after playing in just 11 games last season due to injury.

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