Los Angeles Rams

Aaron Donald: 'Last year was just the beginning'

Published Jun. 10, 2015 5:02 p.m. ET

foxsports

Reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Aaron Donald was pleased with his first year in the NFL, but believes him and the defense can do even bigger and better things in his second season. That is a scary thought for all the other offenses around the league.

Donald finished his rookie year with nine sacks and did not even move into the starting lineup until Week 6.

“Last year was just the beginning,” Donald said, via the Rams official website. “It’s the start of something to build off of.”

With all of the starters on defense coming back, Donald believes the continuity they built last season will help them take it to that next level this season.

“I think we had a solid year last year, but we’re expecting bigger things from us this year,” Donald said. “We have a better feel for how each other plays out there, so I’m just excited about this upcoming year.”

Donald is looking forward to working with defensive coordinator Gregg Williams for a second straight season. There will less time taken to learn the schemes and they will be able to get out on the field quicker this offseason.

“At the same time you learn what he wants, he learns how you play and can go off that,” Donald said. “So you want to build a relationship and have that chemistry with a coach.”

“You get a lot more comfortable,” Donald continued, “and I think you play a little bit faster because there’s a lot of stuff we’ve got, in terms of different schemes and the playbook.”

Donald is expected to have a monster year for a defense that has aspirations to be one of the best in the NFL.

(St. Louis Rams)