The Rams are going to ruin Todd Gurley

[tempests]

Gurley doesn't turn 22 until August.

Premature to start penning obituaries for the kid's career.

 

[Mojo Ram]

He still coaches like it's the 1980s, where you can throw the ball 20 times a game with a crappy quarterback and rely on the running game and defense.

Kinda like this?
13 of 23 141 yds 0 TD 1 INT

 

[Mojo Ram]

In all seriousness i get your point, and i'd be lying if i said i hadn't also worried a little about this.
Dickerson didn't have a QB, Bettis didn't have one, Marshall had one i think...SJ39 didn't really have one.

There is a history of HOF running backs playing without a legit QB here. All one can do is hope and have confidence that Snisher don't rest on Gurley being the ENTIRE offense here for the next 5 years.

 

[VegasRam]

He went over the top a bit, but the basis of his article is a fear all of us Rams fans have deep down.

No it isn't. And no we don't. (I'm sure I speak for all the members here.):shades:

 

[RaminExile]

So what great QB did Eric Dickerson have during his Rams career?...

Not agreeing with the article necessarily - but the point of it was that a) Gurley is not Eric Dickerson (yet). And b) the game has changed. Just because something worked 20 years ago doesn't mean it will now. That's exactly the criticism Fisher has faced.

 

[RaminExile]

That 1980's football works pretty well for seattle, unless they play the Rams. The Rams just need a QB that can see what the D is doing and check into the correct play, he doesnt have to make plays on his own or carry the O. Just take what they are giving and one of your play makers will break one eventually. The QB must also have enough sense to not check into the same play every time, I think this is part of the reason the O is so predictable, Foles would check into the same play almost every time he saw a certain key. There must be quite a few different plays that can be run from any 1 formation so change it up dont let the D get comfortable make them earn their paycheck.

But the difference is a simple one. Teams respect Russel Wilson. They will by stack the box every time. Of course that means you can and indeed should punish them with a grinding run based offense. But you have to have a credible threat in your QB for it to work or your running back is ruined like Steven Jackson (ruined is a bit unfair on the great S Jax who was a monster for so long - but he should have gone to the hall f fame given his talent but won't because he played on bad Rams teams - and he got nicked up a lot later in his career because of the poundings he took (and gave out) because teams stacked the box against him after Bulger got Bulgerized.

 

[Mojo Ram]

I rofl every time I see that thing. :rolllaugh:

I have a feeling that gif is going to be absolutely priceless when we win a super bowl in the next few years.

 

[gabriel18]

I like that it's all doom and gloom by these know it alls . That way when the Rams light it up this year it will be all the sweeter . I have a good feeling this year for some reason .

 

[RamFan503]

These idiots have to dream up something to put in print. And for the BR, if it is anti-Rams so much the better.

 

[JoeBo21]

I like that it's all doom and gloom by these know it alls . That way when the Rams light it up this year it will be all the sweeter . I have a good feeling this year for some reason .

relocation, Hard Knocks, maybe drafting a franchise QB.. it's all coming together

 

[Amitar]

I think he brings up a good point. Until I see the offense play calling and play design improve dramatically then yah Gurley's career could be shortened. I think Keenum and Mannion might turn out to be good QB's in the right system. Hopefully Fisher lets Boras do his job and stays the out of the way.

 

[Ballhawk]

This is why Mannion hasn't been playing, they don't want to ruin him with their mediocre WRs.

 

[rdlkgliders]

I want to say a lot of things like off season attention mongering. look at the unpopular side of a polarizing topic or maybe just say my only comment is No Comment.

 

[blackbart]

The Rams are going to ruin Todd Gurley

The Rams' grand return to Los Angeles next year will feature one of the worst quarterback situations in football: the law firm of Keenum and Foles.

That's Case Foles and Nick Keenum. Sorry, my bad. Case Keenum and Nick Foles.

The only teams that might be worse are a Ryan Fitzpatrick-less Jets and the Browns. But even if the Rams' QB situation isn't the worst, it is the most worrisome. Because of the effect it could have on Todd Gurley. What will this do to one of the more promising players in football?

Without a quarterback that scares defenses and causes eight-man fronts to loosen up, Gurley will be constantly targeted. He will face clogged fronts, and all of the hitting will shorten and dampen his career.

I fear the Rams will ruin Gurley. I fear they will destroy one of the bright stars in the game because they don't know how to run an offense. They don't know quarterbacks. The head coach, Jeff Fisher, doesn't know modern offensive football. He still coaches like it's the 1980s, where you can throw the ball 20 times a game with a crappy quarterback and rely on the running game and defense.

Rob Carr/Getty Images


That's a formula few teams use today. Even the Seahawks morphed into an explosive passing offense.

We've seen this with the Rams before. It happened with the great Eric Dickerson, who never had an elite passing quarterback. No, he wasn't ruined, but two things on that.

One, he was Eric Freaking Dickerson. The only runners in history, to me, better than Dickerson were Jim Brown and O.J. Simpson. He was a freak. Gurley is outstanding, but isn't on that freak level.

Two, while Dickerson's quarterbacks weren't great, they were still better than Keenum and Foles.

I think Gurley could be the next Adrian Peterson. But not with these Rams. Not with Fisher. Not taking handoffs from Keenum or Foles. No way.

So good luck, Mr. Gurley. You are immensely talented, and with a competent franchise, you might be historic.

Too bad you're not with a competent franchise.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...tance-rams-incompetence-will-cost-todd-gurley

Another garbage hit piece from BR from a guy who has no contacts within the organization writing an opinion piece as if he knows anything about anything in the NFL.

 

[LACHAMP46]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...ance-rams-are-sabotaging-todd-gurleys-career#
Mike Freeman's 10-Point Stance: Rams Are Sabotaging Todd Gurley's Career
By Mike Freeman, NFL National Lead Writer Oct 26, 2016

We are watching a star go downhill before our very eyes, players on Josh Brown, and Peegate.
1. The Ruination of Todd Gurley Continues
This past week Todd Gurley rushed for 57 yards. It was the ninth consecutive week he failed to reach 100 yards. Nine. Straight. Weeks.

Remember when Gurley was going to wreck this league? Remember when he was compared to Eric Dickerson? Remember when Gurley was going to rush for 2,000 yards? Remember?

I warned in the spring that the Rams wouldruin Gurley, a unique talent, one of the most unique we've seen in the past four or five years. But now we are seeing it in action.

It's rare for us to see—firsthand—bad coaching ruin a potential Hall of Famer. But that is what we are witnessing. Gurley doesn't stand a chance with the Rams. He never did.

Things could change for Gurley in the future if Jared Goff starts. At some point. This century. But we still don't know how good Goff is. Or will be.

He may be talented enough to open up the offense and take pressure off Gurley. But if he was that good, wouldn't he already be starting?

Maybe Goff needs time, but if the Rams have to wait three or four seasons, Gurley will have a lot more wear on him.

Even if Goff is a quality quarterback, can we trust the offensively challenged Jeff Fisher to tutor him? There's been talk of a Fisher extension for weeks now, but it hasn't come. It probably will happen, but who knows?

I asked several assistant coaches around the league to tell me what was hampering Gurley. Their answers weren't surprising but rang true to anyone who has watched him play: Gurley consistently faces eight- and nine-man fronts. The Rams' quarterback play has been awful, so defenses focus most of their resources on Gurley.

Norm Hall/Getty Images


A great runner facing eight-man fronts is nothing new. Adrian Peterson faced them every game last season and still ran for 1,485 yards. The key is devising blocking and offensive schemes that make defenses pay, even if the quarterback is terrible.

Fisher won't adapt to modern football. His offensive philosophy remains archaic. One assistant coach said his team noticed that one of the biggest problems for Gurley was that he gets the football in far too many obvious running situations.

The talent around him stinks. This is obvious. Fisher simply hasn't put good players on the roster.

It's also been pointed out to me that some of Gurley's struggles are on Gurley himself, particularly his running style. He isn't shifty like Barry Sanders; he isn't going to break a lot of tackles. When he was prospering, Gurley had clearer running lanes.

Those days when Gurley destroyed defenses are over (for now). The NFL, as it always does, has adapted. When that happens, it's up to teams to adapt back. The Rams simply aren't capable of doing that, and Gurley is suffering.

It's important to take note of what's going on in L.A. because there's a potentially great football career being subverted by the decisions of those with the most influence over that career. We don't usually see great players get run into the ground, bit by bit, like a diamond drill taking onablative armor.

And the ruination of Todd Gurley continues.

 

[MountainRam]

Paging all fisher-bots in media to rally around dear leader

 

[Ajb44]

We can still see how good he is when he catches the ball and somehow makes 4 people miss everytime for extra yards. He's just missing holes in the running game right now. Making bad reads!

 

[thirteen28]

There are some good point in the article a couple posts up. They definitely need to do something about the blocking scheme because it's not working now and I have a hard time believing that the maulers we have on the front line can't get any push.

As for Gurley himself, I'm not so sure losing the weight in the offseason was the best move, and it might behoove him to regain it as muscle in the offseason. The added strength might help him break a few more tackles.

 

[shovelpass]

 

[Varg6]

I just hope we don't ruin him like we did Steven Jackson--a super talent who never had the opportunity to be on a decent team (as a Ram).