If Gurley goes....

[thirteen28]

I will never again support paying a RB big money. Doing that is a bad model. But that said if he will take a cheap one year I would sign him.

I don't know the best model, but I still think there is a place for a feature back in the NFL. They used to get paid all the time, and in fact the Rams have done it in the past (see Faulk, Marshall) and not gotten burned by it. Gurley's injury and the subsequent handling of it made this contract go sideways, but if he had continued his trajectory from 2017 through the first 11 games or so of 2018, this isn't even a conversation and nobody is questioning his contract.

I'm not sure what the best model is going forward, but there has to be some way to try to balance the risk of injury with keeping a unique talent at the position for the long-term. While it seems like RBs are a dime a dozen, it's rare to get a talent that can do all that Gurley did for us when healthy and in his right mind.

 

[Merlin]

I think the key here is a combination of two things... Availability & Risk. Every draft has a ton of RB options and you can find them outside of the early rounds. And they get beat to hell. So if you're gonna pay a RB it needs to be very short term IMO, and "paying" them is going to slide back to how it was pre-Gurley contract where teams understand this.

And btw I was all for paying Todd and I'm not going back on that, because he did deserve it. But as a general rule I am no longer in support of it. The goal is winning a championship and you don't need a rare back to do that, just like with the "#1 Wideout" thing there is no real correlation between having those things and winning it all. But what there is a correlation in winning it all with is having a strong OL who can win up front with a combination of different back types.

So it's also a matter of where resources are best spent IMO.

 

[Flatlyner]

Definitely a NO on Gordon. I'd rather keep Gurley if we are going that route. RB is the most replaceable position on the team. I honestly think Henderson can get pretty special back if given the touches. I'd like to grab someone later in the draft to add depth if we lose Gurley, but Brown and Henderson can equal our production from last year if not surpass it and an alarmingly cheaper price tag.

 

[RamDino]

This Gurley trade talk is driving me insane...much like the corona virus!!!

 

[thirteen28]

I think the key here is a combination of two things... Availability & Risk. Every draft has a ton of RB options and you can find them outside of the early rounds. And they get beat to hell. So if you're gonna pay a RB it needs to be very short term IMO, and "paying" them is going to slide back to how it was pre-Gurley contract where teams understand this.

And btw I was all for paying Todd and I'm not going back on that, because he did deserve it. But as a general rule I am no longer in support of it. The goal is winning a championship and you don't need a rare back to do that, just like with the "#1 Wideout" thing there is no real correlation between having those things and winning it all. But what there is a correlation in winning it all with is having a strong OL who can win up front with a combination of different back types.

So it's also a matter of where resources are best spent IMO.

Maybe the key is to just use the franchise tag on RBs that are unique talents, or shorter deals with a lot of up front money that can avoid or minimize the cap ramifications after the first season. It's true that a unique talent at the position isn't required to win a championship, but conversely, a unique talent CAN help you win a championship, and can be the difference. The GSOT might have been good with a dime-a-dozen type RB, but the presence of a franchise RB like Faulk catapulted it to a completely new level, and he was instrumental in the Rams winning the Super Bowl.

As far as the OL point, you always need that, as there is a pretty strong correlation between having a bad OL and missing out on the playoffs.

 

[Malibu]

Tough one on one hand I am a Gordon fan he walks in and replaces Gurley seamlessly if at a reasonable price and we are not saddled with TGs long term salary and we gain a high draft pick.

On the other hand I love TG and I hope he can bounce back only the Rams know. If the Rams are trading him based on unhappiness that is no reason to trade him especially NOW bc we are not going to maximize our value for him bc every team will be weary of the knee. I hate reading really valuable assets for bargain bin prices. So what to do?

I hate having to waste a pick in the draft on a TV when this team is so close and hope it works vs knowing with Gordon or TG most likely we are really solid at RB.

 

[Boston Ram]

I have always been in the camp of not paying for a RB. Would rather pick one up cheap in FA or draft another guy. If they are able to move TG and free up space, we need to use that money to get some depth at LB and other positions.

 

[Dieter the Brock]

This Gurley trade talk is driving me insane...much like the corona virus!!!

Drink lots of fluids

 

[Ram_Rally]

No to Gordon. We should never pay a RB top dollar again after this.

Gordon won't be top dollar. ,7-8 million is my guess.

 

[Oregonram]

I would like some help from those of you who follow this more closely than I do. I know the Coaching staff had some interviews with some RB candidates before we knew about Todd getting released. I didn’t pay much attention, as I thought it was a smokescreen since we drafted Henderson last year. Now I’m not so sure. Do any of you know who we have spent some time looking at, and do you have any thoughts on those guys? Are there any intriguing Vets out there that are feee agents?