Zac Stacy focused on adding to his game/Wagoner

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RamBill

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Zac Stacy focused on adding to his game
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/9204/stacy-focused-on-adding-to-his-game

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- St. Louis Rams running back Zac Stacy fell 27 yards short of reaching 1,000 for his rookie season, an accomplishment that would have been impressive given he barely played the first quarter of the season.

As Stacy prepares for Year 2, however, he's not concerning himself with any numbers or statistical milestones. Instead, Stacy is working on all the little details that can keep him on the field for all three downs and make him productive for those snaps.

"Really for me, it’s not the success I had last year," Stacy said. "I still have a lot of improving to do. That’s what I’m most excited about. That’s what I’m most excited about, the improvement I can make to be a better running back, be a better complete back, running, protecting and catching balls out of the backfield, so that’s really just my main focus right now."

Naturally, the running portion of his job is important. It's also the area where Stacy flashed the most promise as a fifth-round rookie out of Vanderbilt. He finished the year with 973 rushing yards, 141 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Along the way, Stacy had some big performances, especially in home games against Seattle, Tennessee and New Orleans.

But Stacy and the running game as a whole struggled in three road games against tough NFC West defenses to close the season. None more so than the regular-season finale against the Seahawks when he rushed for 15 yards on 15 carries. Those struggles left Stacy with a 3.9 yards per carry average.

Perhaps of more concern was the fact that Stacy battled some bumps and bruises that cost him time along the way. Most notable was a dominant effort against Chicago in which he rushed for 87 yards on 12 first-half carries, but didn't play in the second half because of a concussion.

One of Stacy's offseason goals has been to do all he can to prevent further minor injuries, though he is the first to acknowledge that is a difficult proposition at his position.

"As a running back, we take more hits so it’s very important to take care of your body," Stacy said. "Doing all the little things off the field, eating right, taking care of your body after practice, things like that."

Beyond his health, Stacy also has made improved pass protection a point of emphasis for this season. He wasn't horrible in blitz pickup last season, but had moments where he could have been better. In the team's loss to Carolina, Stacy didn't get enough of blitzing safety Quintin Mikell, who hit quarterback Sam Bradford as he threw, which led to an interception returned for a touchdown. It was a deficit the Rams never made up.

"Sam Bradford, you look at him and he’s the money man so it’s very important to protect his butt," Stacy said. "We take pride in that as running backs and we’re going to continue to do that."

Improving on all of the little details will undoubtedly be important for Stacy if he wants to continue as the team's primary back. The Rams surprised many by using a third-round pick on running back Tre Mason.

Early indications from the Rams are that Mason, along with Benny Cunningham, will serve as a change of pace to Stacy, but Stacy knows full well that job security is only as strong as your last performance. After all, he became the starter after four ineffective and injury-plagued weeks for Daryl Richardson last year.

"There's going to be competition," Stacy said. "No doubt about it."
 

Rmfnlt

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Stacy is another interesting story line for 2014.

If you really look at his game-by-game stats, it was up and down.

Interesting that they took Mason relatively high in the draft.

I have a goood feeling about Mason. Just a hunch.
 

RamBill

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Rams RB Zac Stacy must rise to challenge again
By R.B. FALLSTROM

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/rams-rb-zac-stacy-must-214121874--nfl.html

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Zac Stacy made his mark as a fifth-round pick last year, falling just shy of 1,000 yards. Now, the running back must prove his worth all over again.

The St. Louis Rams sent a message in this year's draft, taking Heisman Trophy finalist Tre Mason in the third round. And though they've released Daryl Richardson, undrafted rookie Benny Cunningham was impressive last season and former second-rounder Isaiah Pead remains in the mix.

There's always going to be someone gunning for the job.

''Oh absolutely, there's going to be competition,'' Stacy said. ''There's no doubt about that.''

Stacy has the advantage heading into training camp because he knows the routine, has a better grasp of the playbook and knows firsthand about the pounding that must be absorbed.

''You know what to expect, you know what's going on,'' Stacy said. ''Last year, as rookies we were all running around like chickens with our heads cut off. It's been great so far.''

Mason was the SEC offensive player of the year and the first non-quarterback to lead Auburn in total offense since Bo Jackson in 1985, running for 1,816 yards with 23 touchdowns and setting school single-season records for all-purpose yards and rushing TDs.

Given Mason shredded Missouri for 304 yards and four TDs in the SEC championship game, he arrived at Rams Park a well-known commodity. He won't be satisfied as a change-of-pace option, coach Jeff Fisher's initial assessment.

''Not sure how it starts out, and you never know what can happen in the future,'' Mason said. ''I'm here to do what they ask of me.''

Stacy's rookie season is a good example. The first four games, he was inactive twice and totaled 4 yards on a single carry.

Stacy is Vanderbilt's career leading rusher. Mason was a much bigger star in the SEC for Auburn's national championship runners-up and deemed a premium pick.

''I'm happy for Tre or whatnot,'' Stacy said. ''Obviously, with him being one of the top college running backs last year, we know the things he can do, and it's all about the adjustment to the playbook.''

Stacy aims to make everything come naturally on the field, so he's not taking the team's OTA sessions lightly

''Very important, very important,'' Stacy said. ''Treating every rep like it's a game rep.''

Richardson was the starter entering training camp last summer, coming off an effective rookie season as the Steven Jackson's understudy, but was dogged by foot injuries. Stacy got the starting job in Week 5 and didn't let go.

He's not wasting time fretting about settling for 973 yards when the 49ers held him to 15 yards on 15 carries in the finale.

''My mentality is to go out and be productive,'' he said. ''Being consistent with my play, I think the yards and stats and accolades will come.''

Stacy is a compact 5-foot-9 and 224 pounds, runs low to the ground, hits the hole quickly and can bounce off tacklers. The Rams rested him most or all of practice weeks, allowing him to recover from the punishment and stay fresh for game days.

Mason is an inch shorter and 20 pounds lighter but was extremely durable at Auburn, and big in the big games. He followed up his signature game against Missouri with 195 yards rushing in the national championship game against Florida State.

He's still running behind college teammate and close friend Greg Robinson, the second overall pick of the draft, who'll begin his career at left guard.

''I've got to do it to learn it,'' Mason said. ''I'm the type of guy who's hands-on.''

Cunningham, 5-foot-10 and 217 pounds, was undrafted out of Middle Tennessee. Both he and Stacy had 100-yard games against the Bears in Week 12, and he totaled 261 yards in limited duty with a 5.6-yard average.

Pead had 21 yards on seven carries, all in the first two games of the season, plus 11 receptions with a 7.1-yard average. He reportedly was shopped during the draft.
 

mr.stlouis

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The Rams are also focused on that, via resigning Saffold and drafting Robinson. This is truly an underrated story. Rams running has full potential to be one of the best in the league.