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http://cover32.com/2016/04/07/act-ii-may-toughest-rams-rb-todd-gurley/#LRulrHJspL8oGdFW.99
They say the second million is the toughest to make. Songwriters can’t always write their next big hit. It’s what comes next that can be the toughest act to follow. For second year Rams running back Todd Gurley, year two in Los Angeles could be a breakout season; or another chapter in the big book of “Sophomore Slumps”.
The league’s third-leading rusher, Gurley accumulating 1,106 yards in 13 games. He was also the first Ram since Steven Jackson in 2012 to rush for more than 1,000 yards and the first Rams rookie to do so since fan favorite and Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis in 1993.
Not bad for a rookie who didn’t get a touch until three weeks into the 2015 NFL campaign.
But as rookie seasons go, even one as impressive and hope filled for Rams fans, the anxiety around the dreaded slump of a second season is one that has caught a few would be NFL stars and their teams by surprise.
But for running backs, who have notoriously short careers, year one can be a tough act to follow.
The NFL landscape is dotted with names who seemed to have had pro football stardom in their futures. But a look at some of those whose names you know, add to the validity that the “Sophomore Slump” is very real.
I offer the following:
Rashaan Salaam, who as a rookie had a stat line of 296 carries, 1,074 yards, 3.6 YPC, 10 TDs, compared to a sophomore season with 143 carries, 496 yards, 3.5 YPC, 3 TDs.
Wide Receiver Mike Williams had a solid first season posting 65 receptions for 964 yards, 11 TDs, 14.8 YPC. Year two provided only 65 receptions for 771 yards, 3 TDs, 11.9 YPC.
Hall of Fame member Franco Harris had a rookie year with 188 carries for 1,055 yards, 10 TDs, 5.6 YPC, followed by a year two performance of 188 carries for 698 yards, 3 TDs, 3.7 YPC.
In all honesty, the bigger concern for me is what if, and this is a real possibility, that the Rams stable of backup quarterbacks forces Gurley to carry a bigger load than is either fair or reasonable.
One recent articles ask very openly if the current situation revolving around quarterback in Los Angeles, and the offensive game plan may actually “ruin” Todd Gurley.
Mike Freeman writing for bleacherreport says: “I fear the Rams will ruin Gurley. I fear they will destroy one of the bright stars in the game because they don’t know how to run an offense“.
Even if the Los Angeles lands a name like Jared Goff, Carson Wentz, or the more likely Paxton Lynch, Todd Gurley will be looked to for production that needs to either mirror, or surpasses his rookie season.
So unless one of the above named moves into the category of soon to be elite quarterbacks, Gurley becomes the easy focus for defenses the Rams will face in 2016.
Fair or not, the Rams second year running back has a big second season ahead of him. As act II’s generally go, the hope is that it exceeds what act I offered. For the Los Angeles Rams, expectations will be high.
For fans in Los Angeles, hopes will be that his name is not on the list of second year guys who flashed bright, and flamed out in year two.
“Sophomore Slumps” are notorious and filled with name recognition.
For Todd Gurley, that is a list to avoid, and a recognition he won’t have any interest in.
They say the second million is the toughest to make. Songwriters can’t always write their next big hit. It’s what comes next that can be the toughest act to follow. For second year Rams running back Todd Gurley, year two in Los Angeles could be a breakout season; or another chapter in the big book of “Sophomore Slumps”.
The league’s third-leading rusher, Gurley accumulating 1,106 yards in 13 games. He was also the first Ram since Steven Jackson in 2012 to rush for more than 1,000 yards and the first Rams rookie to do so since fan favorite and Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis in 1993.
Not bad for a rookie who didn’t get a touch until three weeks into the 2015 NFL campaign.
But as rookie seasons go, even one as impressive and hope filled for Rams fans, the anxiety around the dreaded slump of a second season is one that has caught a few would be NFL stars and their teams by surprise.
But for running backs, who have notoriously short careers, year one can be a tough act to follow.
The NFL landscape is dotted with names who seemed to have had pro football stardom in their futures. But a look at some of those whose names you know, add to the validity that the “Sophomore Slump” is very real.
I offer the following:
Rashaan Salaam, who as a rookie had a stat line of 296 carries, 1,074 yards, 3.6 YPC, 10 TDs, compared to a sophomore season with 143 carries, 496 yards, 3.5 YPC, 3 TDs.
Wide Receiver Mike Williams had a solid first season posting 65 receptions for 964 yards, 11 TDs, 14.8 YPC. Year two provided only 65 receptions for 771 yards, 3 TDs, 11.9 YPC.
Hall of Fame member Franco Harris had a rookie year with 188 carries for 1,055 yards, 10 TDs, 5.6 YPC, followed by a year two performance of 188 carries for 698 yards, 3 TDs, 3.7 YPC.
In all honesty, the bigger concern for me is what if, and this is a real possibility, that the Rams stable of backup quarterbacks forces Gurley to carry a bigger load than is either fair or reasonable.
One recent articles ask very openly if the current situation revolving around quarterback in Los Angeles, and the offensive game plan may actually “ruin” Todd Gurley.
Mike Freeman writing for bleacherreport says: “I fear the Rams will ruin Gurley. I fear they will destroy one of the bright stars in the game because they don’t know how to run an offense“.
Even if the Los Angeles lands a name like Jared Goff, Carson Wentz, or the more likely Paxton Lynch, Todd Gurley will be looked to for production that needs to either mirror, or surpasses his rookie season.
So unless one of the above named moves into the category of soon to be elite quarterbacks, Gurley becomes the easy focus for defenses the Rams will face in 2016.
Fair or not, the Rams second year running back has a big second season ahead of him. As act II’s generally go, the hope is that it exceeds what act I offered. For the Los Angeles Rams, expectations will be high.
For fans in Los Angeles, hopes will be that his name is not on the list of second year guys who flashed bright, and flamed out in year two.
“Sophomore Slumps” are notorious and filled with name recognition.
For Todd Gurley, that is a list to avoid, and a recognition he won’t have any interest in.
