- Joined
- Jul 31, 2010
- Messages
- 8,874
Hochman: Let's enjoy Gurley while we can
• By Benjamin Hochman
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_ab4a96a3-fd83-5958-8eec-34a4b8970c05.html
The only people left on the practice field are the franchise player and the franchise’s biggest fan.
There’s Todd Gurley, whose last name, these days, deserves a permanent exclamation point, like Yahoo! or Wham!
He’s standing 5 yards from a JUGS machine, as Adam Mirghanbari feeds it footballs. Gurley, helmet on, catches pigskins zipped at 40 mph, over and over, while the showers get cold.
“These are people who are setting the tone, and since Todd Gurley came here, he comes out there,” said Mirghanbari, who goes by Merg around here. “He’s very responsible, very intelligent, he has a work ethic. He’s not out there just to do it. He’s working every single time on hand placement, body placement, tucking the ball away, all the mechanics. He’s not messing around.”
Now, look. There have been some draft busts who also caught passes after practice. But the Rams’ rookie running back has been Beast Mode-ly lately (although Gurley is a connoisseur of Jolly Rancher Bites, not Skittles).
Gurley is going to become the best Rams offensive player – heck, the Rams’ future seems to be now ... even though, of course, the Rams’ future is also quite unsettled. Merg watches Gurley’s hands first-hand, acknowledging that his latest favorite player might be moving in a few months. But like many others in St. Louis, Merg is just soaking up the present. Maybe Gurley is ours for years to come — or just months to come — but we’re watching the emergence of the next great Rams running back, just like the scattered fans in Anaheim stands did, in 1993 and 1994, before Jerome Bettis was whisked away to St. Louis.
This Merg fellow, you might have spotted him on the Rams’ sidelines over the years. He’s the other guy with the mustache. Merg is the Rams’ biggest fan. Officially — he was inducted into the Visa Hall of Fans, back in 1999, along with a representative from the other teams, such as the Packalope and the Boss Hogette.
Merg traveled to every Rams game in the past 21 years, and his omnipresence got him a part-time gig helping out the team with odd jobs, for instance, giving the refs footballs from the sideline or feeding the JUGS machine after practice.
“It’s a dream come true that I never dreamed,” the 51-year-old fan said.
Even front-row fans haven’t had as good a view as ol’ Merg. And in the past two games, Gurley’s first two as the Rams’ featured ball carrier, the rookie ran for 146 and 153 yards, including the clutch clincher at Arizona, the third-and-12 run to move the chains and secure the win.
“He converts power to speed really, really quickly,” Bettis, a Hall of Famer, told me by phone Tuesday. “He’s got the quick feet, he’s elusive, he can get in and out of cuts.”
In the fourth quarter of games this season, Gurley has five runs of 10 yards or more, tied for the NFL lead. Impressive … then remember he’s only played in three games, and in his first game had six total carries.
Oh, and how about this Tuesday tidbit from coach Jeff Fisher? In his soft, stoic voice, which sounds like the actor Billy Bob Thornton (you ever notice that?), the coach said: “The good thing about Todd is, Todd’s not 100 percent. Just wait ’til he’s 100 percent.”
Told how Fisher is gauging his comeback from an ACL tear in his left knee, Gurley grinned.
“With the injury, I don’t know how it works, but I guess it takes a full year of recovery,” Gurley said. “I feel good, I’ve been playing, just making sure I stay on top of things — and still get better.”
Even if Gurley continues to flirt with 100 yards and 100 percent, the Rams’ run game still needs a complementary counterpunch. The game is different from the days of Eric Dickerson. And Gurley himself admitted he’s still amid the process of learning, notably the zone-blocking scheme the Rams have installed.
But everything seems to be lining up for Gurley this Sunday, as his Rams host the Cleveland Browns, the No. 30 defense in the NFL. It’s easy to get giddy. But Fisher reminded us that “their rank of 30th statistically is very, very misleading. This is a good defensive football team. They tackle, they make plays, they stop the run, they challenge you. … We’re going against a really good defense scheme that challenges you.”
Duly, although hesitantly, noted.
The last Rams running back to win rookie of the year was, yep, Bettis, back in 1993. Just like Gurley, the Rams drafted Bettis 10th overall. And although he’s forever remembered for Pittsburgh, Bettis exploded in those first two years in Los Angeles.
“Los Angeles is a great place if you can win football games, and I say that because if you’re not winning in Los Angeles, there’s a lot of other things people can do on the weekend if you’re not winning,” Bettis said. “If they can find a way to win in Los Angeles, (Gurley) can become a superstar among stars in the NFL.”
Right now, Gurley is our town’s. He’s the best thing the Rams’ offense has going. He’s yours, so enjoy him. Merg sure is.
• By Benjamin Hochman
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_ab4a96a3-fd83-5958-8eec-34a4b8970c05.html
The only people left on the practice field are the franchise player and the franchise’s biggest fan.
There’s Todd Gurley, whose last name, these days, deserves a permanent exclamation point, like Yahoo! or Wham!
He’s standing 5 yards from a JUGS machine, as Adam Mirghanbari feeds it footballs. Gurley, helmet on, catches pigskins zipped at 40 mph, over and over, while the showers get cold.
“These are people who are setting the tone, and since Todd Gurley came here, he comes out there,” said Mirghanbari, who goes by Merg around here. “He’s very responsible, very intelligent, he has a work ethic. He’s not out there just to do it. He’s working every single time on hand placement, body placement, tucking the ball away, all the mechanics. He’s not messing around.”
Now, look. There have been some draft busts who also caught passes after practice. But the Rams’ rookie running back has been Beast Mode-ly lately (although Gurley is a connoisseur of Jolly Rancher Bites, not Skittles).
Gurley is going to become the best Rams offensive player – heck, the Rams’ future seems to be now ... even though, of course, the Rams’ future is also quite unsettled. Merg watches Gurley’s hands first-hand, acknowledging that his latest favorite player might be moving in a few months. But like many others in St. Louis, Merg is just soaking up the present. Maybe Gurley is ours for years to come — or just months to come — but we’re watching the emergence of the next great Rams running back, just like the scattered fans in Anaheim stands did, in 1993 and 1994, before Jerome Bettis was whisked away to St. Louis.
This Merg fellow, you might have spotted him on the Rams’ sidelines over the years. He’s the other guy with the mustache. Merg is the Rams’ biggest fan. Officially — he was inducted into the Visa Hall of Fans, back in 1999, along with a representative from the other teams, such as the Packalope and the Boss Hogette.
Merg traveled to every Rams game in the past 21 years, and his omnipresence got him a part-time gig helping out the team with odd jobs, for instance, giving the refs footballs from the sideline or feeding the JUGS machine after practice.
“It’s a dream come true that I never dreamed,” the 51-year-old fan said.
Even front-row fans haven’t had as good a view as ol’ Merg. And in the past two games, Gurley’s first two as the Rams’ featured ball carrier, the rookie ran for 146 and 153 yards, including the clutch clincher at Arizona, the third-and-12 run to move the chains and secure the win.
“He converts power to speed really, really quickly,” Bettis, a Hall of Famer, told me by phone Tuesday. “He’s got the quick feet, he’s elusive, he can get in and out of cuts.”
In the fourth quarter of games this season, Gurley has five runs of 10 yards or more, tied for the NFL lead. Impressive … then remember he’s only played in three games, and in his first game had six total carries.
Oh, and how about this Tuesday tidbit from coach Jeff Fisher? In his soft, stoic voice, which sounds like the actor Billy Bob Thornton (you ever notice that?), the coach said: “The good thing about Todd is, Todd’s not 100 percent. Just wait ’til he’s 100 percent.”
Told how Fisher is gauging his comeback from an ACL tear in his left knee, Gurley grinned.
“With the injury, I don’t know how it works, but I guess it takes a full year of recovery,” Gurley said. “I feel good, I’ve been playing, just making sure I stay on top of things — and still get better.”
Even if Gurley continues to flirt with 100 yards and 100 percent, the Rams’ run game still needs a complementary counterpunch. The game is different from the days of Eric Dickerson. And Gurley himself admitted he’s still amid the process of learning, notably the zone-blocking scheme the Rams have installed.
But everything seems to be lining up for Gurley this Sunday, as his Rams host the Cleveland Browns, the No. 30 defense in the NFL. It’s easy to get giddy. But Fisher reminded us that “their rank of 30th statistically is very, very misleading. This is a good defensive football team. They tackle, they make plays, they stop the run, they challenge you. … We’re going against a really good defense scheme that challenges you.”
Duly, although hesitantly, noted.
The last Rams running back to win rookie of the year was, yep, Bettis, back in 1993. Just like Gurley, the Rams drafted Bettis 10th overall. And although he’s forever remembered for Pittsburgh, Bettis exploded in those first two years in Los Angeles.
“Los Angeles is a great place if you can win football games, and I say that because if you’re not winning in Los Angeles, there’s a lot of other things people can do on the weekend if you’re not winning,” Bettis said. “If they can find a way to win in Los Angeles, (Gurley) can become a superstar among stars in the NFL.”
Right now, Gurley is our town’s. He’s the best thing the Rams’ offense has going. He’s yours, so enjoy him. Merg sure is.
