Todd Gurley among reasons for optimism at Rams' Bye/Wagoner

[RamBill]

Todd Gurley among reasons for optimism at Rams' bye
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...gurley-among-reasons-for-optimism-at-rams-bye

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Here we are at the St. Louis Rams' bye. It's only Week 6 and while most of the league will be in action Sunday, there will be no game for the 2-3 Rams to play.

So what better time than now to offer a look at three reasons for optimism and three reasons for pessimism (coming later Sunday) for the team's final 11 games? We'll start with the bright side:

1. The emergence of Todd Gurley: It's only a two-game sample size but what a two games it's been. Gurley leads the NFL in rushing over the past two weeks with 305 yards and in just three games since making his debut, he's averaging 5.7 yards per carry. This is an offense built to feature the running game and now it has the running back worthy of that approach. It's not overstating things to say that Gurley is the most exciting offensive player the Rams have had since receiver Torry Holt's prime (with apologies to Steven Jackson). And Gurley is just getting started. He still hasn't had his first game without a knee brace but he's practiced without it and looks faster in those practices. Teams will key on Gurley moving forward but he's talented enough to make a legitimate run at the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

2. A stout defense: Save for a disappointing Week 2 outing against the Washington Redskins, the Rams defense has finally lived up to lofty preseason expectations and it's done so against some of the most dynamic offenses in the league in Pittsburgh, Arizona and Green Bay. Five games in, the Rams defense is allowing 18.2 points per game (that doesn't include points scored via special teams or by opposing defenses). The Rams are tied for 10th in yards allowed per play (5.25), third in sacks (19) and tied for eighth in takeaways (nine). All of that despite an offense that has offered little in the way of help. The Rams' defense has been on the field fifth-most in the league with an average opponent time of possession of 33 minutes, 24 seconds. Some of that is a result of the defense's mediocre performance on third down. This group will miss linebacker Alec Ogletree but if the offense can find a way to start sustaining drives on a consistent basis, it should get better as the year goes on.

3. A lighter schedule: The Rams' first five opponents combined for a record of 16-9, making for a difficult start to the season from a scheduling perspective. To their credit, the Rams beat the Arizona Cardinals on the road, one of the two toughest opponents on that slate, and proved they could hang with just about any team in the league. The Rams also blew a golden opportunity to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers and laid an egg against a beatable Washington team. But while we have already discussed the fact that the Rams are in no position to take any team lightly, the reality is that they will be getting a break from the likes of the Packers, Cardinals and Steelers. The team's next five opponents enter Sunday's games with a combined record of 8-16 and only two opponents in the final 11 games have a record better than .500. Yes, the Rams still have to prove they can be consistent and string wins together, but not having to go on the road to face Super Bowl contenders like Green Bay and Arizona in back-to-back weeks should offer at least a little bit of help in that endeavor.

 

[RamBill]

Todd Gurley's next step? Finishing in the end zone
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...d-gurleys-next-step-finishing-in-the-end-zone

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Despite back-to-back breakout performances in only his second and third NFL games, St. Louis Rams running back Todd Gurley found himself disappointed when he watched the film of his efforts against the Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers.

Never mind that Gurley's 320 rushing yards in those two games were the most of any player in the NFL in that period or that he'd pretty much single-handedly offered hope to an offense in desperate need of some.

Gurley's self-criticism comes down to the three things that matter most in real estate and, apparently, football: location, location, location. Specifically, Gurley doesn't like any run, especially a long one, that doesn't end with him standing in the end zone celebrating with his teammates.

"It’s definitely frustrating not going all the way," Gurley said. "It’s something I have got to practice at. The running backs get on me a lot. You’ve got to just keep practicing."

Considering that Gurley's five carries of 20-plus yards tie him for second-most in the NFL and his 180 yards on those five carries are the most among all players going into Monday night's game, it might sound like Gurley is just joking or being too hard himself. But he's completely serious.

And who can blame him given that he made a habit of breaking long runs in which he was rarely caught on his way into the end zone at Georgia? In his injury-shortened 2014 season alone, Gurley had a 25-plus yard run in all six games he played and in four of those games he picked up at least 40 yards on a carry. That included touchdown runs of 23 yards, two from 51 yards away and a 100-yard kickoff return for a score.

In 2012, Gurley's best season, he had touchdown runs covering 55, 38, 29, 51 and 24 yards plus another triple-digit kick return for a score. So for Gurley, ending long runs in the end zone became something of a habit, one he has no intention of breaking now that he's in the NFL.

"You still want to finish those explosive runs and be able to break those tackles. Even though those D-linemen are in the NFL, you still want to break those tackles," Gurley said. "I still felt like I had a couple of runs where I should have broke out of a couple of tackles and kept my feet, especially in the first quarter. Just trying to get a feel for the game, I feel like a lot of times I miss on my initial couple of reads at the beginning of the game, but I’ll get it together."

Three games into his NFL career, Gurley still hasn't scored. He probably could have against Arizona at the end of that game, but opted instead to fall down after a long run so the Rams could run out the clock and leave with a win.

So how does Gurley get that touchdown, especially after a long run before it? Believe it or not, he says the best way to do it is to develop it in practice. While there's no tackling in a normal Rams practice, most running backs don't take every carry all the way to the end zone in an effort to save their legs. That would be a wise move for a rookie back coming off a torn ACL, but Gurley says he plans to finish in the end zone at least occasionally in order to establish a trend that can carry over into games.

"Just finish the runs at practice, that’s about it," Gurley said. "Those explosive runs, that’s still a good sign, but at the end of the day you still want to finish those explosive runs."

Gurley also has hinted that removing the brace he wears on his surgically-repaired left knee would help him get closer to full speed, thus eliminating the chance that he'll be caught from behind, as he was by Arizona safety Tyrann Mathieu after a 52-yard run against the Cardinals. Gurley lamented not scoring on that run after the fact, but has intimated that he could have another level to accelerate to when he's allowed to shed the brace.

Gurley practiced without the brace in the week before the game against the Packers, but wore it in the game at the behest of the team's athletic training staff. That's a choice made with Gurley's health in mind, something the Rams will also have to consider when it comes to his workload.

Against Green Bay, Gurley carried 30 times, exceeding expectations for his work at this early stage of his return from injury. Although Rams coach Jeff Fisher has acknowledged that Gurley is emerging as the focal point of the offense, he also knows that's not sustainable over the course of the season.

“I think 30 carries a game down the stretch is probably a little much," Fisher said.

With that in mind, Gurley got a little extra rest during the team's bye-week practices. Moving forward, it's fair to wonder if there's a sweet spot of carries that would suit Gurley.

“No," Fisher said, a grin creeping across his face. "One hundred fifty yards [per game] over the last two weeks is the sweet spot for me.”

For Gurley, it's clear the sweetest spot of all is the end zone.