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Rams take full advantage of Todd Gurley in impressive win over Dallas Cowboys
Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley (30) sprints to the end zone past Dallas Cowboys cornerback Anthony Brown, right, for a touchdown in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)
By RICH HAMMOND | rhammond@scng.com | Orange County Register
ARLINGTON, Texas — “Middle-school offense.” Todd Gurley didn’t mince words, and good for him.
A year ago, the Rams were lost. They ran the ball like a team clad in cement shoes. Touchdowns drives were as infrequent as traffic-free jaunts on the 405. Frustration mounted, and finally Gurley let loose after a game and opined that a group of teenagers could organize an offense equal to the Rams’ attack.
Turns out, the offense just needed Coach Sean McVay, who might pass for a high school senior if he shaved.
Gurley, sullen and criticized last year, now arguably is the NFL’s top all-purpose threat, and is the main reason why the Rams are the league’s surprise team. After a bumpy first half, the Rams responded with brilliance Sunday afternoon and rallied for a 35-30 victory over the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.
“When you’re winning, I’m telling you, it makes everything so much better,” Gurley said with a big grin.
What a turnaround. Gurley led the Rams in rushing (121 yards on 23 carries) and receiving (94 yards and one touchdown on seven catches) Sunday and accounted for more than half of the Rams’ 412 yards. His turnaround is the main reason why the Rams have a 3-1 record and flying higher than anyone expected.
This isn’t perfection. The Rams looked dreadful on defense in the first half, when they allowed 24 points and 287 yards and trailed by 11 points. These lengthy lapses have been too frequent for the Rams this season, and success won’t be sustainable if they continue.
But not only did the Rams clean up things on defense in the second half, when they allowed six points and 153 yards, but the Rams also now have an offense potent enough to survive defensive hiccups. That’s why this year’s 3-1 record feels much different than last year, when the Rams finished 1-11.
The Rams had great balance on offense against the Cowboys, as quarterback Jared Goff had a steady day (21 of 36, 255 yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions) and they ran for 168 yards.
The Rams nursed a small lead for most of the fourth quarter and held the ball for more than 10 minutes. The Cowboys regained momentum in the middle of the quarter, when they pulled within 32-30 but failed to convert on a game-tying two-point conversion attempt.
In need of first downs, with 7:08 left, the Rams turned to Gurley. He carried the ball seven times and caught one pass as the Rams bled more than five minutes off the clock and took a 35-30 lead on kicker Greg Zuerlein’s seventh field goal of the game.
The defense made one final stop to secure the victory and the Rams jumped around on the sideline like, well, a bunch of excited middle-schoolers.
“The biggest thing for us,” offensive lineman Rodger Saffold said, “is whenever we’ve seen some adversity, we’ve been able to stay calm, stay focused and continue to play our game.”
It’s amazing how a successful running game can calm nerves. A year ago, the Rams seemed to have no idea what to do with Gurley. They ran him up the middle, into a wall of defenders, and when that didn’t work, they just tried it again and again. Gurley averaged 3.2 yards per rushing attempt.
McVay, also the Rams’ play-caller, has made things look different. He sends receivers in motion to pull attention from Gurley, and McVay had the wild idea of actually throwing the ball to Gurley.
The Rams’ run blocking has improved, and Gurley looks more motivated, perhaps in part because he has coaches who are putting him in positions to succeed. With 362 rushing yards and 234 receiving yards through four games, he’s almost halfway his 2016 all-purpose total of 1,212.
Gurley also has become only the third running back in NFL history to total at least 575 yards from scrimmage and at least seven touchdowns in his team’s first four games. The others? Jim Brown and Emmitt Smith.
A year ago, Gurley looked broken. McVay’s offense, and some offensive upgrades, provided the fix.
“I don’t think it’s necessarily if you can ‘fix’ him,” McVay said. “I mean, this guy is a great player. … Just because last year, from a numbers standpoint, maybe it wasn’t what we would have liked, that doesn’t take away from some of the things he did on tape, when you really study it. These are things that we expect from Todd, and I know he expects of himself.”
[www.ocregister.com]
Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley (30) sprints to the end zone past Dallas Cowboys cornerback Anthony Brown, right, for a touchdown in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)
By RICH HAMMOND | rhammond@scng.com | Orange County Register
ARLINGTON, Texas — “Middle-school offense.” Todd Gurley didn’t mince words, and good for him.
A year ago, the Rams were lost. They ran the ball like a team clad in cement shoes. Touchdowns drives were as infrequent as traffic-free jaunts on the 405. Frustration mounted, and finally Gurley let loose after a game and opined that a group of teenagers could organize an offense equal to the Rams’ attack.
Turns out, the offense just needed Coach Sean McVay, who might pass for a high school senior if he shaved.
Gurley, sullen and criticized last year, now arguably is the NFL’s top all-purpose threat, and is the main reason why the Rams are the league’s surprise team. After a bumpy first half, the Rams responded with brilliance Sunday afternoon and rallied for a 35-30 victory over the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.
“When you’re winning, I’m telling you, it makes everything so much better,” Gurley said with a big grin.
What a turnaround. Gurley led the Rams in rushing (121 yards on 23 carries) and receiving (94 yards and one touchdown on seven catches) Sunday and accounted for more than half of the Rams’ 412 yards. His turnaround is the main reason why the Rams have a 3-1 record and flying higher than anyone expected.
This isn’t perfection. The Rams looked dreadful on defense in the first half, when they allowed 24 points and 287 yards and trailed by 11 points. These lengthy lapses have been too frequent for the Rams this season, and success won’t be sustainable if they continue.
But not only did the Rams clean up things on defense in the second half, when they allowed six points and 153 yards, but the Rams also now have an offense potent enough to survive defensive hiccups. That’s why this year’s 3-1 record feels much different than last year, when the Rams finished 1-11.
The Rams had great balance on offense against the Cowboys, as quarterback Jared Goff had a steady day (21 of 36, 255 yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions) and they ran for 168 yards.
The Rams nursed a small lead for most of the fourth quarter and held the ball for more than 10 minutes. The Cowboys regained momentum in the middle of the quarter, when they pulled within 32-30 but failed to convert on a game-tying two-point conversion attempt.
In need of first downs, with 7:08 left, the Rams turned to Gurley. He carried the ball seven times and caught one pass as the Rams bled more than five minutes off the clock and took a 35-30 lead on kicker Greg Zuerlein’s seventh field goal of the game.
The defense made one final stop to secure the victory and the Rams jumped around on the sideline like, well, a bunch of excited middle-schoolers.
“The biggest thing for us,” offensive lineman Rodger Saffold said, “is whenever we’ve seen some adversity, we’ve been able to stay calm, stay focused and continue to play our game.”
It’s amazing how a successful running game can calm nerves. A year ago, the Rams seemed to have no idea what to do with Gurley. They ran him up the middle, into a wall of defenders, and when that didn’t work, they just tried it again and again. Gurley averaged 3.2 yards per rushing attempt.
McVay, also the Rams’ play-caller, has made things look different. He sends receivers in motion to pull attention from Gurley, and McVay had the wild idea of actually throwing the ball to Gurley.
The Rams’ run blocking has improved, and Gurley looks more motivated, perhaps in part because he has coaches who are putting him in positions to succeed. With 362 rushing yards and 234 receiving yards through four games, he’s almost halfway his 2016 all-purpose total of 1,212.
Gurley also has become only the third running back in NFL history to total at least 575 yards from scrimmage and at least seven touchdowns in his team’s first four games. The others? Jim Brown and Emmitt Smith.
A year ago, Gurley looked broken. McVay’s offense, and some offensive upgrades, provided the fix.
“I don’t think it’s necessarily if you can ‘fix’ him,” McVay said. “I mean, this guy is a great player. … Just because last year, from a numbers standpoint, maybe it wasn’t what we would have liked, that doesn’t take away from some of the things he did on tape, when you really study it. These are things that we expect from Todd, and I know he expects of himself.”
[www.ocregister.com]
