- Joined
- Jul 31, 2010
- Messages
- 8,874
Rams hoping Rob Boras can jump-start sagging run game
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...ping-rob-boras-can-jumpstart-sagging-run-game
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Earlier this year, new St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator Rob Boras almost had that title before Rams coach Jeff Fisher scanned his options and ultimately went with quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti instead.
That decision was made largely because Cignetti had years of recent play-calling experience in college while Boras, then the tight ends coach, hadn't called plays at any level since 2003 as the offensive coordinator at UNLV. So Boras had to settle for a promotion to the title of assistant head coach/offense, which didn't quite fulfill his dreams of being an NFL coordinator but wasn't a bad consolation.
As it turned out, Boras didn't have to wait long to ascend to the top of the medal stand. Fisher fired Cignetti on Monday afternoon, promoting Boras to the job he narrowly missed out on about 10 months ago.
Asked what Boras brings to the table that could help the Rams' ailing offense, Fisher pointed to a few things but there was one priority that stood above the rest.
“There’s some different thoughts," Fisher said. "Stimulate the staff. A little more creativity. But, it’s run game. We’re lacking the run-game efficiency right now and it all starts right there. Rob, wherever he’s been, he’s been very successful with respect to the run. So, that’s where it’s going to start.”
As part of Boras' added responsibilities with his previous promotion, it was said that he would be heavily involved with the run game and that Boras has a history of understanding how that jibes with the play-action passing game. That included a new-found emphasis on outside-zone runs mixed with a variety of other looks. So Boras has already been a part of a run game that hasn't worked all that well, which begs the question of what makes Fisher think Boras will be able to get Todd Gurley and Co. going?
“What I’m anticipating is it’s play selection, it’s calls, it’s adjustments and things like that," Fisher said. "It’s commitment to it as far as the play calling is concerned. Expanding on some things that we need to do and then hopefully pushing things down the field as a result of it, because that’s what we haven’t been able to do.”
Since Fisher arrived in 2012, he's made it clear that the center of his offensive philosophy is a run-oriented attack that can incorporate downfield passing off of those runs. Aside from a brief four-game interlude at the beginning of the 2013 season, that has been the goal but it's never really been reached. From 2012-14, the Rams ranked 19th in the NFL in rushing yards and 17th in yards per carry.
This season, the Rams are tied for ninth in rushing yards and are sixth in yards per carry. To be sure, that represents an improvement but it also hasn't come with much consistency. Since week 10, the Rams are 19th in the NFL in rushing yards and 16th in yards per carry. Worse, they haven't been running it all that much, either, as their 82 rushing attempts in those four games (all losses) are 21st in the NFL.
Against Arizona on Sunday, Gurley had one rush for 34 yards with his eight other attempts going for a total of 7 yards, including zero yards before contact. On five of his nine carries, Gurley was first hit at or behind the line of scrimmage on five of them.
So the onus, at least for now, falls on Boras to prevent Gurley's talent from going to waste.
"We’re going to move in a different direction under the guidance of Rob," Fisher said. "That’s going to include our philosophy, which is to run the ball and convert third downs and play-pass and be aggressive and attack and do those kind of things."
Of course, whether it's the run game, the pass game or the ideal combination of the two, the Rams simply must score more points in order to compete in their final four games.
That means Boras will need to quickly adjust to again handling play-calling duties, even if that lack of experience was the issue that originally kept him from landing the job.
“Rob’s a hands-on, very enthusiastic [and] detailed guy," Fisher said. "He gets the big picture. He’s not done a lot of play calling before and that was really the difference and the reason I went with Frank, but we can take care of that. I have no concern about that. He’ll be more than prepared to call this game by the time Sunday comes along. It’s just the relationships that you see, the relationships that he has with the tight ends and the energy that he brings and the expectation that he has.
"He’s a perfectionist and that’s what we need. He’s going to bring and demand accountability to the offensive players with an expectation of them going above and beyond what they’ve already done.”
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...ping-rob-boras-can-jumpstart-sagging-run-game
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Earlier this year, new St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator Rob Boras almost had that title before Rams coach Jeff Fisher scanned his options and ultimately went with quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti instead.
That decision was made largely because Cignetti had years of recent play-calling experience in college while Boras, then the tight ends coach, hadn't called plays at any level since 2003 as the offensive coordinator at UNLV. So Boras had to settle for a promotion to the title of assistant head coach/offense, which didn't quite fulfill his dreams of being an NFL coordinator but wasn't a bad consolation.
As it turned out, Boras didn't have to wait long to ascend to the top of the medal stand. Fisher fired Cignetti on Monday afternoon, promoting Boras to the job he narrowly missed out on about 10 months ago.
Asked what Boras brings to the table that could help the Rams' ailing offense, Fisher pointed to a few things but there was one priority that stood above the rest.
“There’s some different thoughts," Fisher said. "Stimulate the staff. A little more creativity. But, it’s run game. We’re lacking the run-game efficiency right now and it all starts right there. Rob, wherever he’s been, he’s been very successful with respect to the run. So, that’s where it’s going to start.”
As part of Boras' added responsibilities with his previous promotion, it was said that he would be heavily involved with the run game and that Boras has a history of understanding how that jibes with the play-action passing game. That included a new-found emphasis on outside-zone runs mixed with a variety of other looks. So Boras has already been a part of a run game that hasn't worked all that well, which begs the question of what makes Fisher think Boras will be able to get Todd Gurley and Co. going?
“What I’m anticipating is it’s play selection, it’s calls, it’s adjustments and things like that," Fisher said. "It’s commitment to it as far as the play calling is concerned. Expanding on some things that we need to do and then hopefully pushing things down the field as a result of it, because that’s what we haven’t been able to do.”
Since Fisher arrived in 2012, he's made it clear that the center of his offensive philosophy is a run-oriented attack that can incorporate downfield passing off of those runs. Aside from a brief four-game interlude at the beginning of the 2013 season, that has been the goal but it's never really been reached. From 2012-14, the Rams ranked 19th in the NFL in rushing yards and 17th in yards per carry.
This season, the Rams are tied for ninth in rushing yards and are sixth in yards per carry. To be sure, that represents an improvement but it also hasn't come with much consistency. Since week 10, the Rams are 19th in the NFL in rushing yards and 16th in yards per carry. Worse, they haven't been running it all that much, either, as their 82 rushing attempts in those four games (all losses) are 21st in the NFL.
Against Arizona on Sunday, Gurley had one rush for 34 yards with his eight other attempts going for a total of 7 yards, including zero yards before contact. On five of his nine carries, Gurley was first hit at or behind the line of scrimmage on five of them.
So the onus, at least for now, falls on Boras to prevent Gurley's talent from going to waste.
"We’re going to move in a different direction under the guidance of Rob," Fisher said. "That’s going to include our philosophy, which is to run the ball and convert third downs and play-pass and be aggressive and attack and do those kind of things."
Of course, whether it's the run game, the pass game or the ideal combination of the two, the Rams simply must score more points in order to compete in their final four games.
That means Boras will need to quickly adjust to again handling play-calling duties, even if that lack of experience was the issue that originally kept him from landing the job.
“Rob’s a hands-on, very enthusiastic [and] detailed guy," Fisher said. "He gets the big picture. He’s not done a lot of play calling before and that was really the difference and the reason I went with Frank, but we can take care of that. I have no concern about that. He’ll be more than prepared to call this game by the time Sunday comes along. It’s just the relationships that you see, the relationships that he has with the tight ends and the energy that he brings and the expectation that he has.
"He’s a perfectionist and that’s what we need. He’s going to bring and demand accountability to the offensive players with an expectation of them going above and beyond what they’ve already done.”
