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Rams want to get Gurley, running game, out of doldrums
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_a59dbb28-4795-5c0a-bc3e-f8e13ea115b0.html
Few rookies regardless of position have opened their NFL careers with the impact Todd Gurley did for the Rams this season. The numbers and the milestones are familiar to most.
First rookie in league history with 125 yards-plus rushing in his first four starts.
More yards rushing in his first four starts than any NFL player in the Super Bowl era.
Gurley was the NFL’s offensive rookie of the month for October. He got that Jolly Ranchers endorsement. He was heralded by analysts and media members across the land.
In short, he was the next big thing. Just like that.
But after that amazing start, the yardage and highlight-reel runs have dried up.
In his first four starts, Gurley averaged 142 yards per game and 6.4 yards per carry. That period encompassed starts against Arizona, Green Bay, Cleveland and San Francisco, with the Rams going 3-1 in those contests.
But in Gurley’s next four starts, his production has been more than cut in half. Namely, 55 yards per game and 3.1 yards per carry. The Rams are 0-4 in those games against Minnesota, Chicago, Baltimore and Cincinnati.
Thanks in part to the work of wide receiver Tavon Austin on end-arounds and jet sweeps, the Rams still rank seventh in the league in rushing offense entering Sunday’s rematch with Arizona.
But for the most part, the bottom has fallen out of the running game as teams load the box with extra defenders to swarm Gurley, and the Rams’ injury-plagued offensive line goes through one combination after another.
“He’s not frustrated,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “He’s a team guy. He’s having fun. Wants to help us win. He knows he’s a big part of this team. His production on the field not only helps offense, it helps defense, it helps everything.”
A decline in explosive plays has coincided with the decline in production for Gurley. The Rams define an explosive run as a carry gaining 10 yards or more. In his first four starts Gurley had 15 such explosive runs, including gains of 30, 48, 54, 55 and 71 yards.
In his next four starts, Gurley has had only two such runs — on gains of 13 and 16 yards Nov. 8 at Minnesota. He hasn’t had a run longer than nine yards in the three games since then.
“It’s execution,” Gurley said. “Doing what we’ve got to do. Taking the right steps, taking the right track, whether it’s getting a double block or a triple, (or) single. Just basically execution.”
Obviously, the line injuries haven’t helped. Beginning with the first game in the current losing streak — Minnesota — Gurley has failed to reach 100 yards. Beginning with that contest, the Rams have featured a different starting combination up front for four consecutive weeks.
Starting right guard Jamon Brown was lost for the season Nov. 15 against Chicago. Starting right tackle Rob Havenstein has missed three of the past four games with what has been described as ankle and calf injuries. Even one of the replacements on the line, Andrew Donnal, is out with a knee injury.
“It’s just staying on our blocks and giving Todd a chance,” said Havenstein, who could return to the lineup this week. “Because he’s gonna do special things. He’s just that type of player, that type of back.”
The Rams tweaked the running game to a degree against Cincinnati. Among the new wrinkles was the Wildcat formation in which Gurley lined up in the shotgun formation behind center with quarterback Nick Foles split out like a wide receiver.
In two plays out of the Wildcat, the Rams got 60 yards on a Gurley handoff to Austin, and later got a modest three yards on a Gurley keeper. Gimmick plays can help to a degree, but only for a few plays.
They can’t solve deeper problems, such as not opening enough holes with a greener-than-green offensive line. Or not showing enough prowess in the passing game to keep defenses honest and get them to back off the line of scrimmage.
“We’ve looked hard at it,” Fisher said. “We just gotta continue to give him opportunities. So we’ll get creative in the run game, and gonna get hats on hats and let him go.”
“It takes all 11,” offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti said Thursday. “One, we’ve got to get him at-bats, get him carries. Through four quarters of it, we impose our will. Hopefully like last time, you continue to get better throughout the game.”
That was a reference to Gurley’s first NFL start, Oct. 4 at Arizona. As a team, the Rams had only nine yards rushing on nine carries in the first half — a half in which Arizona had a 2-to-1 edge in time of possession.
Things started out slowly in the third quarter on the ground, but the Rams stayed with the running game and suddenly things started clicking. Gurley had runs of 23 and 12 yards on a third quarter touchdown drive; then had runs of 12 and 52 yards on a fourth-quarter TD march. When all was said and done, he finished with 19 carries for 146 yards in a 24-22 upset victory.
Gurley had only nine carries (for 19 yards) in last week’s 31-7 blowout loss in Cincinnati, a game where the Rams fell behind by such a big margin they had to basically junk the running game for much of the second half.
This is normally the time of the long NFL season when all rookies, much less those coming off surgery like Gurley, can hit the wall. But Gurley would have none of it.
“What wall?” he said. “I’m good.”
The only wall he’ll face will be the one the Big Red plan to throw at him in his first rematch game against a division opponent. And that could be a formidable one.
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_a59dbb28-4795-5c0a-bc3e-f8e13ea115b0.html
Few rookies regardless of position have opened their NFL careers with the impact Todd Gurley did for the Rams this season. The numbers and the milestones are familiar to most.
First rookie in league history with 125 yards-plus rushing in his first four starts.
More yards rushing in his first four starts than any NFL player in the Super Bowl era.
Gurley was the NFL’s offensive rookie of the month for October. He got that Jolly Ranchers endorsement. He was heralded by analysts and media members across the land.
In short, he was the next big thing. Just like that.
But after that amazing start, the yardage and highlight-reel runs have dried up.
In his first four starts, Gurley averaged 142 yards per game and 6.4 yards per carry. That period encompassed starts against Arizona, Green Bay, Cleveland and San Francisco, with the Rams going 3-1 in those contests.
But in Gurley’s next four starts, his production has been more than cut in half. Namely, 55 yards per game and 3.1 yards per carry. The Rams are 0-4 in those games against Minnesota, Chicago, Baltimore and Cincinnati.
Thanks in part to the work of wide receiver Tavon Austin on end-arounds and jet sweeps, the Rams still rank seventh in the league in rushing offense entering Sunday’s rematch with Arizona.
But for the most part, the bottom has fallen out of the running game as teams load the box with extra defenders to swarm Gurley, and the Rams’ injury-plagued offensive line goes through one combination after another.
“He’s not frustrated,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “He’s a team guy. He’s having fun. Wants to help us win. He knows he’s a big part of this team. His production on the field not only helps offense, it helps defense, it helps everything.”
A decline in explosive plays has coincided with the decline in production for Gurley. The Rams define an explosive run as a carry gaining 10 yards or more. In his first four starts Gurley had 15 such explosive runs, including gains of 30, 48, 54, 55 and 71 yards.
In his next four starts, Gurley has had only two such runs — on gains of 13 and 16 yards Nov. 8 at Minnesota. He hasn’t had a run longer than nine yards in the three games since then.
“It’s execution,” Gurley said. “Doing what we’ve got to do. Taking the right steps, taking the right track, whether it’s getting a double block or a triple, (or) single. Just basically execution.”
Obviously, the line injuries haven’t helped. Beginning with the first game in the current losing streak — Minnesota — Gurley has failed to reach 100 yards. Beginning with that contest, the Rams have featured a different starting combination up front for four consecutive weeks.
Starting right guard Jamon Brown was lost for the season Nov. 15 against Chicago. Starting right tackle Rob Havenstein has missed three of the past four games with what has been described as ankle and calf injuries. Even one of the replacements on the line, Andrew Donnal, is out with a knee injury.
“It’s just staying on our blocks and giving Todd a chance,” said Havenstein, who could return to the lineup this week. “Because he’s gonna do special things. He’s just that type of player, that type of back.”
The Rams tweaked the running game to a degree against Cincinnati. Among the new wrinkles was the Wildcat formation in which Gurley lined up in the shotgun formation behind center with quarterback Nick Foles split out like a wide receiver.
In two plays out of the Wildcat, the Rams got 60 yards on a Gurley handoff to Austin, and later got a modest three yards on a Gurley keeper. Gimmick plays can help to a degree, but only for a few plays.
They can’t solve deeper problems, such as not opening enough holes with a greener-than-green offensive line. Or not showing enough prowess in the passing game to keep defenses honest and get them to back off the line of scrimmage.
“We’ve looked hard at it,” Fisher said. “We just gotta continue to give him opportunities. So we’ll get creative in the run game, and gonna get hats on hats and let him go.”
“It takes all 11,” offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti said Thursday. “One, we’ve got to get him at-bats, get him carries. Through four quarters of it, we impose our will. Hopefully like last time, you continue to get better throughout the game.”
That was a reference to Gurley’s first NFL start, Oct. 4 at Arizona. As a team, the Rams had only nine yards rushing on nine carries in the first half — a half in which Arizona had a 2-to-1 edge in time of possession.
Things started out slowly in the third quarter on the ground, but the Rams stayed with the running game and suddenly things started clicking. Gurley had runs of 23 and 12 yards on a third quarter touchdown drive; then had runs of 12 and 52 yards on a fourth-quarter TD march. When all was said and done, he finished with 19 carries for 146 yards in a 24-22 upset victory.
Gurley had only nine carries (for 19 yards) in last week’s 31-7 blowout loss in Cincinnati, a game where the Rams fell behind by such a big margin they had to basically junk the running game for much of the second half.
This is normally the time of the long NFL season when all rookies, much less those coming off surgery like Gurley, can hit the wall. But Gurley would have none of it.
“What wall?” he said. “I’m good.”
The only wall he’ll face will be the one the Big Red plan to throw at him in his first rematch game against a division opponent. And that could be a formidable one.
