Cam Akers breakaway speed

[ArkyRamsFan]

We might miss those breakaway runs, but I think overall, McVay wants backs that can produce positive yards without big lanes and ideal blocking.

A hypothetical offense gets 20 plays, 10 passes, 10 runs.
Player A has 10 carries, 8 go for 0 yards and 2 go for 50, he finishes with 100 yards and an amazing 10 ypc.
Player B has 10 carries and every one goes for 5, he finishes with 50 yards and a respectable 5 ypc.

Player A averages twice the YPC and gets 2 highlights on sportscenter, but Player B put his QB in much better down and distance situations and makes the play callers job much easier. I think McVay might prefer player B and his steady plus yards over player A's big stats and impressive highlights.

badnews,
Stellar post and well said. Hadn't really looked at it that way before but there's no doubt that Player B is the kind of RB that Coach Mac is wanting to move his offense.

~ArkyRamsFan~

 

[oldnotdead]

Ever have a rib injury? I have and I am not surprised that it can hurt your speed. His explosion doesn't seem to be there. A rib injury such as his normally takes 6+ weeks to completely heal. IMO he's been brought back a bit early and it's something I mentioned when he first got hurt. I'm surprised he's playing as well as he is. I'm not worried over the long term. IMO a 100% healthy Akers scores.

If I remember correctly Sweat ran a 4.1 and Akers ran a 4.47 so with his injury I wouldn't be surprised if he is running closer to 4.5. So it didn't surprise me.

 

[Merlin]

Nice post. But also 40 speed and long speed are two different things. Some guys have a bit of that Carl Lewis thing going where they have a second gear.

Akers has plenty of speed to go with his other talents. He's gonna be just fine.

 

[Merlin]

Ever have a rib injury? I have and I am not surprised that it can hurt your speed. His explosion doesn't seem to be there. A rib injury such as his normally takes 6+ weeks to completely heal.

This is a fair point, when you can't fully breathe (as in some of those rib injuries) that definitely affects everything else.

But I'm not worried about his speed tbh. He can give us good success rate runs, which will be his role, and then pop an occasional big play. The dude has plenty of getup. The delay so far has been him just learning the offense IMO. Knowing where to be and what to do and being at that point where he can play fast and do his thing.

 

[Faceplant]

Not on

The fact that you two remember the one time this happened might make @drsnook 's post even that much more valid. Technically wrong maybe but seriously.... ED was unreal to watch hit his stride. Buh bye!

Dude, I not only remember it..... But I remember watching ED break through and looking for Darrel Green immediately... And there he was.... Fast as fuck. That game was brutal. That was the first Rams game I ever saw in person. I have seen 4 more since. All L's. :-(

 

[bwdenverram]

I don't think we actually have a RB with "break away" speed per se, but they all are capable of it at times. Gurley had the most speed we've had in a while for a big back.

 

[LARAMSinFeb.]

It happened, and I was watching it live and in person at RFK..... Took the fastest man in the league to do it though.


View: https://youtu.be/3Eg3RHKKbQU

Madden's excitement about football plays was so relatable and contagious. One of a kind.

 

[Faceplant]

Madden's excitement about football plays was so relatable and contagious. One of a kind.

Agreed. I miss him terribly.

 

[oldnotdead]

If remember correctly Gurley ran a 4.3 but that was back in 2011. When timed for the draft I believe his official time was 4.5 so both Henderson and Akers have better long speed. That said, Gurley had a very good burst which broke arm tackles and got separation in pass routes. Merlin is correct it's not necessarily in a player's timed long speed. A player with average times in his long speed but with an explosive burst can be very productive.

Also, run style is important. Brown times averaged in the upper 4.5 range but he's got a good burst like Gurley, and he's a grinder type of runner, i.e. not shy of contact and tries to be always moving forward which makes him the better choice on short yardage. He's also the best pass protector of the 3 RBs. He is perfect for a change of pace back who also is a good receiver as well.

I would love for them to keep this trio intact but I'm not sure they can afford to do that. Brown is likely to receive offers to be "the man" from other teams next year. He's proven he's a good 3 down RB, good in pass protection, good receiver, and good at short yardage. In a between the tackles run offense, he would be a good choice for a team in need of a #1` RB.

That is why I see them using a mid-round draft pick on a RB to fill Brown's role next year. A lot of fan buzz about Jones but IMO he might not be what the Rams want in a rotational RB.

Jones is slightly slower than average when timed for his long speed. That said his film seems to show good acceleration, good field vision, good anticipation, but I don't see him as a tackle breaker something you want as a between the tackles RB in the NFL. I don't see him having perimeter speed and if he tries to bounce it in the NFL he's more likely going to lose yardage. That makes him IMO a situational backup RB. The Rams need a RB who can either fill Brown's role or is interchangeable with Henderson and Akers as true rotational RB.

 

[Faceplant]

I don't think MB is or ever will be a #1 back. He can't stay healthy, for one.... And doesn't have any 1 trick that is good enough to keep defenses honest. He's a great second back however.

 

[Ram65]

Akers and Henderson have quick 10 Yard Splits from the combine. Henderson's as far as I can see is the fastest I've seen. Ras has it. Henderson is 1.42 while Akers is 1.47!

 

[oldnotdead]

And doesn't have any 1 trick that is good enough to keep defenses honest.

And what "trick" would that be?

Brown is a solid between the tackles RB with a decent short yardage game. He has the speed to break long runs. He will break arm tackles, and no he isn't flashy but so what? He's a 3 down RB with his pass protection and receiving skills. But he's not a #1 RB? The reason he isn't the #1 here is because of McVay's offensive scheme. He needs RBs who can play inside as well as the perimeter. That is the one area where Brown struggles. So most teams would swing pass to him in the flats where he can break one tackle and get a good gain which is basically a long handoff. But with McVay's staple WR motion it negates a lot of that in the Ram offense which is why most of the passes to Ram RBs is beyond 5 yards unless it's a dumpoff.

He would have value to a team for who even needs a starting 2 down RB as they use a 3rd down RB as a situational sub. The Rams will be right up against the cap so it would make sense to draft a mid-round RB to fill Brown's role.

 

[FarNorth]

badnews,
Stellar post and well said. Hadn't really looked at it that way before but there's no doubt that Player B is the kind of RB that Coach Mac is wanting to move his offense.

~ArkyRamsFan~

Great post Bad News!! Just to add my 2 cents worth:

It's also true that we just don't have Gurley anymore and didn't have an opportunity to draft an outstanding RB who also has world class breakaway speed (or such a receiver either). Coming into this year it also wasn't clear that our oline could open the kind of holes that Gurley turned into long gains or tds. We also lost Cooks, our downfield speed threat. Imo we no longer have quite the same high likelihood for big gain plays at any point in any game that we had with Gurley.

So McVay and the Rams have adjusted. It's more of a ball control offense, though still with some downfield threats in both the running and passing games. Our running backs, receivers, o-line, and balanced attack game strategies are well suited to this approach. Henderson and Akers have both shown a lot in the quick inside running game, and Woods and others have been schemed into outside pass/run threats.

Still, so far the Rams have been somewhat better at keeping and moving the ball than at scoring. In fairness, Henderson and Akers imo are just getting started and have not yet had the opportunity to fully show their potential for big plays. We may yet get to the same result we had with Gurley of a very high scoring and big play offense with these guys.

In any event the Rams can get certainly to the same result of a lot of wins and a deep playoff run by a more balanced combination of an excellent possession offense and an outstanding defense.

 

[oldnotdead]

Oh and the other option would be to draft a FB so they can run a power gap scheme. There have been many times runs could have been broken if there was a lead blocker.

 

[ArkyRamsFan]

ond,
While I agree that M. Brown brings some things to the table there is no way he is considered to be anything near a Franchise RB. I don't see him being "The Man" anywhere in this league. He should have a decent career as a back up and fill in type player but that's about it.
Also, from what I've noticed the more he totes the rock the less productive he becomes. Not sure if he get tired or what but this ain't what a Bell Cow/Franchise back is supposed to do.

~ArkyRamsFan~

 

[Faceplant]

And what "trick" would that be?

Brown is a solid between the tackles RB with a decent short yardage game. He has the speed to break long runs. He will break arm tackles, and no he isn't flashy but so what? He's a 3 down RB with his pass protection and receiving skills. But he's not a #1 RB? The reason he isn't the #1 here is because of McVay's offensive scheme. He needs RBs who can play inside as well as the perimeter. That is the one area where Brown struggles. So most teams would swing pass to him in the flats where he can break one tackle and get a good gain which is basically a long handoff. But with McVay's staple WR motion it negates a lot of that in the Ram offense which is why most of the passes to Ram RBs is beyond 5 yards unless it's a dumpoff.

He would have value to a team for who even needs a starting 2 down RB as they use a 3rd down RB as a situational sub. The Rams will be right up against the cap so it would make sense to draft a mid-round RB to fill Brown's role.

You certainly have an off putting way about your posts.... I think Malc is a fine back, but not necessarily one I would trust in some situations... And certainly not someone I would expect to play 16 games as a bell cow. What about his career to date tells you otherwise?

 

[Mojo Ram]

I don't think we actually have a RB with "break away" speed per se, but they all are capable of it at times. Gurley had the most speed we've had in a while for a big back.

The Rams offense as a whole isn't particularly speedy. They aren't slow by any means but it's predicated on execution.
Higbee/average
Everett/good
Kupp/avg
Woods/good
JRey/avg
Brown/avg
Hendo/good
Akers/good
Goff/slow

 

[RaminExile]

So how did Cam Akers get caught from behind in what might have been a house call on Sunday vs Washington?

Does he just lack breakaway speed?

I investigated the matter and provide my exclusive coverage right here, right now at Ramsondemand!!!

View attachment 40074


Turns out the big DE that caught Akers was 6 foot 6 - 260 pound Montez Sweat. Yep a DE. But how is that possible he caught Akers?

Well, Montez Sweat ran a 4.41 at the combine. He broke the record for the fastest DE to ever run at the combine.

Sweat's 4.41 is a faster 40 then Odell Beckham (4.43) Calvin Ridley (4.43) and Amari Copper (4.42).

monumental sports network

www.nbcsports.com

And what was Akers 40 time? 4.47

So, next time Akers breaks into the open field you might see a house call. But on Sunday he just happened to have his first NFL house call negated by a really fast DE, the fastest DE to ever run a 40 at the NFL combine.

Peace!

Sweat is a freak.

 

[Snaz]

The Rams offense as a whole isn't particularly speedy. They aren't slow by any means but it's predicated on execution.
Higbee/average
Everett/good
Kupp/avg
Woods/good
JRey/avg
Brown/avg
Hendo/good
Akers/good
Goff/slow

Florida WR @VanJefferson12 couldn't run the 40 at Combine (foot injury) but @ZebraTechnology had him as fastest player at the @seniorbowl with max speed of 21.05 mph, which is faster than Devin Duvernay (20.90/4.39), Denzel Mims (20.26/4.38), and Antonio Gibson (20.15/4.39).Jun 20, 2020