Jared Barth spent three years of high school in Pennsylvania.
So the Rams’ rookie edge rusher knows a lot about his team’s opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles, in Sunday’s NFC divisional round playoff game at Lincoln Financial Field.
Was Verse an Eagles fan?
“I hate Eagles fans,” Vaas told the Times on Thursday. “They’re really annoying. I hate Eagles fans.”
Vaas repeated that phrase over and over again. And the front-runner for Defensive Rookie of the Year did it with the same passion that shows in his pass rush.
“I hate seeing that green and white. It actually makes me upset. I feel like I get really hot.”
— Rams linebacker Jared Verse on how much he hates the Philadelphia Eagles
Vaas noted that when the Rams played the Eagles at SoFi Stadium in November, Eagles fans overheard him using obscenities that he could hear even with headphones on.
“I’m not doing nothing for them,” he said. “It was my first time playing. Oh, I hate Eagles fans.”
Apparently the Eagles’ colors are also a trigger.
“When I see that green and white, I hate it,” he said. “I’m actually upset. I feel like I’m going to get really hot.”
After Friday’s practice, coach Sean McVay was asked what he thought of Vaas’ comments.
“He told the truth. I belong to the Rams,” McVay said.
Vaas told reporters in the locker room that he was woken up at 4 a.m. Friday by a barrage of social media.
“When you first hear, ‘I hate Eagles fans,’ you’re like, ‘Oh, I’m done with it,'” Vaas said with a laugh. “I was like, ‘Oh, no more.’ So they seemed pretty upset about it, but you have to bounce back from that.”
Did Vaas stand by his comments? Or do you want to adjust?
“I just want to move on from there,” he said. “What was said was said. That was in the past. We have a game to deal with.”
So are the Eagles.
“That’s probably not the wisest thing to say when you come to Philadelphia,” said Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, who played six seasons with the New York Giants. “I’ve been on the other side, so even if I had some feelings, I probably wouldn’t give them any additional fuel.
“Philly fans definitely saw that comment. It was already going to be loud and rock, so we just added more to it.”
Verse will be disciplined and do his job Sunday, contributing to a defense that must control Barkley if the Rams are to avenge their 37-20 loss to the Eagles and advance to the NFC Championship Game. .
Against the Rams in November, Barkley gained 302 total yards, including 255 yards rushing, and scores on runs of 72 and 70 yards. The Rams were out of position to make tackles and made Barkley miss multiple times.
Vaas acknowledged his role in the debacle. He said several chances to limit Barkley’s short gains were missed and Barkley tried too much, resulting in long runs.
“I just didn’t take advantage of them,” he said. “I took my foot off my feet.”
In the seven games since then, Vaas said he has improved in that regard. In last Monday’s 27-9 wild-card victory over the Minnesota Vikings, the 6-foot-4, 260-pound Verse showed just how quick he is.
Jared Barth of the Rams returned a fumble 57 yards and ran into the end zone for a score in the NFC Wild Card Playoffs against the Vikings.
(Wally Scully/Los Angeles Times)
The former high school sprinter scooped quarterback Sam Darnold’s fumble and dashed 57 yards for a touchdown. NFL Next Generation Stats lists Verse’s speed at 19.88 mph.
“I’ve been trying to show Coach McVay that I can do anything he asks of me, whether it’s wide receiver or running back,” Vaas said.
Vaas, the 19th pick in last year’s draft, said that every time he recovered a fumble in college, he was tackled by an opposing player before he could run.
Against the Vikings, Barth had a clear path to the end zone.
“I felt like if I went five yards, no one was going to catch me, I was gone,” he said. “So once I got five points, I thought it was over. So I decided to see how fast I could go.”
Verse is one of the top players on a young Rams defense that has excelled in the post-Aaron Donald era. The Rams tied the NFL postseason record with nine sacks against the Vikings.
Verse had four and a half sacks and was among the league’s leaders in quarterback pressures. On Sunday, he will once again face an Eagles lineup that features two-time All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson and left tackle Jordan Mailata.
In the first game, Barth made a splash by running down the 6-8, 366-pound Mailata.
“I remember when my back was flat,” Mailata told reporters in Philadelphia this week. “It was a great rush from him.
“That guy is playing with a high motor. I think he’s playing well, he’s playing hard. He’s got great movement. … To be fair, I also I told him a few things: Good, good.”
Johnson said Verse continues to rush aggressively and is exceptionally quick on the snap.
“He plays hard and is really active in the run game,” Johnson told reporters in Philadelphia. “He’s obviously just one of those really talented players. The more experience he gets, the better he’ll get.”
Vaas, the only Ram selected for the Pro Bowl game, is expected to be among the finalists for postseason awards in New Orleans during Super Bowl week.
But he’s aiming to play in big games.
When asked about his award talk, he said, “I’ve never focused on the outcome of anything.” “If you do what you have to do, everything else will follow.
“This year, I may be part of the conversation to receive that prestigious award, and I am delighted to be part of that conversation.
“Next year, it’s going to be a bigger story. But that comes with the job.”
Progress toward that goal continues on Sunday, when the Vaas take on the Eagles at their home stadium and in front of their fans.
“I would go crazy,” he said, adding that he would play within the scope of his role. “It’ll work out somehow.”
