Malcom Brown injures MCL- #2 RB discussion

[JRobinson]

Someone is going to have to step in lol.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

I prefer Davis. He has been practicing much longer.

 

[12intheBox]

Depends on where Davis is with his pass blocking

 

[Billy Baroo]

Depends on where Davis is with his pass blocking

Where is Dunbar with his?

 

[SteezyEndo]

Where is Dunbar with his?

That's TBD right now. Prior though McVay wanted Dunbar for some reason. We as fans who never really followed Dunbar will have to wait in anticipation. The LesSean McSnead era is going to be interesting.

 

[Rmfnlt]

Unfortunate.... Brown shined when given the chance... next man up, as they say... get well soon!!

 

[Jacobarch]

So any actual news on this injury? I saw espn's tweet but nothing to confirm it.

 

[Dieter the Brock]

I'm with Bonifay, I don't see anyone capable of filling the shoes of Malcolm Brown
Really liked Malcolm Brown when he was recruited by UT, and it's been nice seeing him kill off teams in garbage time for our Rams
I'm not sure Justin Davis or Dunbar are the bruising runner this team needs to back up Gurley

With that said I think Gurley has one of his best running games ever this weekend

 

[12intheBox]

Where is Dunbar with his?

Dunbar is a veteran - he was brought in specifically for his abilities on 3rd down - pass blocking among those.

Pass blocking for RBs is hard. Diagnosing who to take when there are mutiple guys free - when to peel off and make yourself an outlet - being able to slow down a 260 lb guy running full steam at you when you are stationary - its tough. Not many rookies are competent in this part of the game. Maybe Davis is - I really don't know - but thats often the hardest aspect for young RBs to develop.

 

[12intheBox]

I expect to see Tavon get a few more traditional carries out of the tailback position - and I'm perfectly fine with that if it happens.

 

[HE WITH HORNS]

Let Austin run the ball more, we got to use him somehow now that he's not returning punts and isn't catching many passes.

 

[BonifayRam]

Rams paid 1.5 million for a 1 year trial basis on RB Lance Dunbar this season. I found this interesting article back in 2012 on him.

Lance Dunbar: RB, North Texas

1. Easily one of the most dynamic running backs that college football has to offer, North Texas' Lance Dunbar was a standout performer from 2009-2011.
   
   As a sophomore, Dunbar accounted for 1,678 total yards and scored 19 touchdowns while upping the ante as a junior in 2010. There, Dunbar ran for 1,553 yards and gained 332 in receiving yards and scored 16 touchdowns.
   
   Now, his senior season was not on pace with the first two. However, Dunbar still managed to total 1,465 yards and reach pay dirt 12 times. If anything, these numbers display consistency at a high level despite not having the luxury of much talent around him.
   
   At 5'9", 200 pounds, Dunbar is good size to slice between the tackles in the pros while being a reliable check-down safety outlet, as well as on screens and pass blocking.
   
   Although the Sun Belt conference isn't a BCS conference, Dunbar was zeroed in by every opposing defense, and no one could completely shut him down. Even behind an adequate offensive line in the NFL, Dunbar has the potential to emerge rather quickly through training camp.

 

[Riverumbbq]

IMO, Dunbar is Tavon Austin lite, although it would be nice to eventually see what he can do. Still, i'm in with Davis as our change of pace RB if Brown is done for the season. If I had to choose who is brought up to the 53, I might just go to Sam Rogers over Dunbar, ... L.D. is the one getting the money, so I wouldn't be surprised with him getting the nod. jmo.

 

[norcalramfan]

Injury described as a MCL sprain here.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...ning-back-malcolm-brown-down-with-mcl-injury/
Doesn't say how severe, but can't be as bad as a tear.

 

[Ram65]

Malcolm Brown going down appears to be a big blow to the Rams running back depth. None of the backups have his power and have limited recent experience. Brown a bruising power back is close to 230Lbs @ 6 Ft. Dunbar is out this week but he is closer to 190 Lbs than 200 Lbs. Rookie Justin Davis is listed at 198 Lbs. Lastly Tavon Austin with the most recent experience is listed at 179 LBs. Brown was a good backup to Todd Gurley. Not as explosive but, always got positive yards and was not an easy tackle.

PLAYER ATT YDS YDS/ATT LONG TD
Todd Gurley 161 686 4.3 36 7
Tavon Austin 31 169 5.5 27 1
Malcolm Brown 37 138 3.7 16 1
Jared Goff 13 45 3.5 22 1
Gerald Everett 1 13 13 13 0
Robert Woods 2 12 6 8 0
Justin Davis 1 1 1 1 0
Sean Mannion 5 -9 -1.8 -1 0

I recently made a comment to @dieterbrock that should injuries occur Tavon Austin would be the emergency backup He thought he was backup without the emergency title. IIRC. The Rams will be playing better teams and defenses in the second half. Gurley will need some plays off to stay healthy.

Questions come to mind:

Is Tavon going to be the #2 running back ? For how long?

How many more carries does he get above his 3.875 APG?

Can Dunbar or Davis step in as a #2 RB?

Will the Rams look for another player? Who?

 

[Jacobarch]

Injury described as a MCL sprain here.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...ning-back-malcolm-brown-down-with-mcl-injury/
Doesn't say how severe, but can't be as bad as a tear.

that's a 4 to 6 week injury, if it's just a sprain. He'll be back by end of the season and hopefully our playoff run.

 

[OldSchool]

Injury described as a MCL sprain here.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...ning-back-malcolm-brown-down-with-mcl-injury/
Doesn't say how severe, but can't be as bad as a tear.

Just cites Alden who has no source other than the McVay presser where he doesn't discuss any severity.

 

[Noregar]

The only thing that would preclude activating Dunbar is if he still is not physically or mentally ready. If Dunbar is not ready, I agree with Riverumbbq that Sam Rogers could actually get the call. With Brown, the Rams lose some size and physicality that Dunbar, Davis, and Austin cannot replace but perhaps Rogers can. Brown's loss will also be felt on special teams too and Rogers may also be the best bet to fill the ST void left by losing Brown.

 

[Tron]

I prefer to see Davis get his reps, but since none of us have seen Dunbar in this offense, we really don't know what we have with him. Might get a mix of the two.

 

[Dxmissile]

Austin might not be able to stop them but he will definitely stick his head in there. The guy is a fearless competitor and a very willing and good blocker