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Sean McVay not committing to Cam Akers being Rams' workhorse RB
Cameron DaSilva
December 11, 2020 3:37 pm
For the majority of this season, the Los Angeles Rams have utilized a true committee approach at running back. Some weeks, Darrell Henderson got the bulk of the touches. Others, it was Malcolm Brown doing the heavy lifting.
Cam Akers was typically the odd man out, seeing very limited playing time in the first half of the season. However, that’s changed in a big way the last two games. He carried it 21 times in Week 13 against the Cardinals, and then on Thursday night against the Patriots, he was handed the ball 29 times and gained 171 yards.
It was a pleasant surprise to see Akers get such a big workload, especially for those who started him in their fantasy playoffs. But it may not be a trend that continues each week. Sean McVay was non-committal on Akers being the workhorse back moving forward, saying the Rams still want to use Henderson and Brown.
“I think you still want to be able to utilize those guys. I think Malcolm and Darrell are both very valuable parts of what we do,” he said Friday. “It was Cam’s night last night. I do think Cam is capable of that, but as far as how we move forward, I think what’s important for us is capitalizing on all the different playmakers that we do have. Certainly, Cam did a great job last night, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t see opportunities for Darrell and Malcolm moving forward because both of those players have done a lot of really good things that have been helpful in our success as a team. So, very pleased. I think we know Cam is capable of that, but to say that we would commit to that approach, I don’t necessarily think that’s the exact thing that we’re thinking. I think we’re really pleased with Cam and not surprised though.”
There is obviously plenty of coach speak in that response from McVay, so as not to tip his hand. He shouldn’t be expected to come out and divulge what the Rams’ plan is exactly, which may give upcoming opponents a competitive advantage.
Henderson has earned at least a handful of touches each week, too. After all, he was the No. 1 running back according to Pro Football Focus earlier in the season when he was getting most of the carries.
McVay is well aware of the skill sets that Brown and Henderson possess, and the way they can create mismatches on offense in their specific roles. For that reason, McVay wants to keep the offense “multiple” and force defenses to adapt without being able to focus solely on one runner.
“He was the hot hand,” McVay said of Akers. “I think you guys have seen it, last night that approach worked for us, but we’ve seen games each of the last, really over the last month, where all three of those guys have gotten involved and that’s been really good for our offense as well. So, I think the more multiple and the more versatile that you can be and really take advantage of the playmakers that we do have offensively, I think that’s our job as coaches. Then sometimes, you guys have heard me say this going back to even training camp, each game there could be a different approach in a lot of that is predicated on the feel for the flow of the game. Last night Cam got into a rhythm right away and we kind of just felt like he was the hot hand and decided to go with that. It was a real positive for our team last night.”
Fantasy owners will have a close eye on everything McVay says about Akers leading up to Week 15 against the Jets, especially with it being such a favorable matchup for the Rams’ running backs. His comments Friday threw cold water on the idea of Akers being a workhorse, but again, that could simply be him not wanting to tip his hand to opponents.
Cameron DaSilva
December 11, 2020 3:37 pm
For the majority of this season, the Los Angeles Rams have utilized a true committee approach at running back. Some weeks, Darrell Henderson got the bulk of the touches. Others, it was Malcolm Brown doing the heavy lifting.
Cam Akers was typically the odd man out, seeing very limited playing time in the first half of the season. However, that’s changed in a big way the last two games. He carried it 21 times in Week 13 against the Cardinals, and then on Thursday night against the Patriots, he was handed the ball 29 times and gained 171 yards.
It was a pleasant surprise to see Akers get such a big workload, especially for those who started him in their fantasy playoffs. But it may not be a trend that continues each week. Sean McVay was non-committal on Akers being the workhorse back moving forward, saying the Rams still want to use Henderson and Brown.
“I think you still want to be able to utilize those guys. I think Malcolm and Darrell are both very valuable parts of what we do,” he said Friday. “It was Cam’s night last night. I do think Cam is capable of that, but as far as how we move forward, I think what’s important for us is capitalizing on all the different playmakers that we do have. Certainly, Cam did a great job last night, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t see opportunities for Darrell and Malcolm moving forward because both of those players have done a lot of really good things that have been helpful in our success as a team. So, very pleased. I think we know Cam is capable of that, but to say that we would commit to that approach, I don’t necessarily think that’s the exact thing that we’re thinking. I think we’re really pleased with Cam and not surprised though.”
There is obviously plenty of coach speak in that response from McVay, so as not to tip his hand. He shouldn’t be expected to come out and divulge what the Rams’ plan is exactly, which may give upcoming opponents a competitive advantage.
Henderson has earned at least a handful of touches each week, too. After all, he was the No. 1 running back according to Pro Football Focus earlier in the season when he was getting most of the carries.
McVay is well aware of the skill sets that Brown and Henderson possess, and the way they can create mismatches on offense in their specific roles. For that reason, McVay wants to keep the offense “multiple” and force defenses to adapt without being able to focus solely on one runner.
“He was the hot hand,” McVay said of Akers. “I think you guys have seen it, last night that approach worked for us, but we’ve seen games each of the last, really over the last month, where all three of those guys have gotten involved and that’s been really good for our offense as well. So, I think the more multiple and the more versatile that you can be and really take advantage of the playmakers that we do have offensively, I think that’s our job as coaches. Then sometimes, you guys have heard me say this going back to even training camp, each game there could be a different approach in a lot of that is predicated on the feel for the flow of the game. Last night Cam got into a rhythm right away and we kind of just felt like he was the hot hand and decided to go with that. It was a real positive for our team last night.”
Fantasy owners will have a close eye on everything McVay says about Akers leading up to Week 15 against the Jets, especially with it being such a favorable matchup for the Rams’ running backs. His comments Friday threw cold water on the idea of Akers being a workhorse, but again, that could simply be him not wanting to tip his hand to opponents.
