- Joined
- Aug 18, 2019
- Messages
- 1,047
LA Rams running game rebuilding around Cam Akers
LA Rams running game is rebuilding. Not only will the Rams rely upon rookie Cam Akers' legs, but look for some innovations in the ground game.
ramblinfan.com
The LA Rams restoration of their running attack officially transitioned from demolition to construction when the team selected Florida State running back Cam Akers with the 52nd pick of the 2020 NFL Draft. But that was several steps into the entire transformation. In fact, the Rams began to rework their ground attack from the moment the 2019 season ended.
While nobody sat in the meeting rooms, the clues were laid out in a very obvious fashion. The first signs of a huge transformation began in January 2020 when a reputable football sportswriter, Mike Silva, first broke the rumor that the LA Rams were prepared to part ways with star running back Todd Gurley. Rather than fade away, the rumors grew in frequency and intensity, eventually focusing upon trading away both Gurley and wide receiver Brandin Cooks.
Coaching changes
Meanwhile, on a separate track, the Rams parted ways with running back coach Skip Peete. Peete was a favorite of Gurley, who lobbied hard to retain his running back coach when the team moved away from Jeff Fisher and hired head coach Sean Mcvay. In his place, the Rams hired on former South Carolina RB coach Thomas Brown.
Without Gurley, the LA Rams faced a shallow stable of running backs: 5-foot-11 222-pound Malcolm Brown, 5-foot-8 208-pound Darrell Henderson, and 5-foot-10 205-pound John Kelly, who combined for just 111 total rushes in 2019 for 411 yards and five touchdowns. Unphased, the Rams made the plunge and parted ways with their lead runner, Todd Gurley.
The first step to restore the running game was not just to add a feature back, but enough talent to allow a redesign of the running attack. So in addition to 5-foot-10 217-pound Akers, the Rams signed up 5-foot-9 198-pound Kansas State RB James Gilbert and 5-foot-11 208-pound SMU scoring star Xavier Jones.
What to expect?
For starters, the Rams offense will not suddenly revert back to a run-first mentality. The Rams have two 1000 yard receivers in Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp, two tight ends itching to get more involved in the passing game in Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett, a reserve receiver aching to set himself up for a huge 2021 contract in Josh Reynolds, and two rookies chomping at the bit in wide receiver Van Jefferson and tight end Brycen Hopkins. With a passing offense ranked fourth in the NFL behind an injury-riddled offensive line in 2019, the Rams will likely come out shooting in 2020.
Of course, the underlying offense will be of McVay’s design. But there will be changes. With the LA Rams no longer handing the ball off to Todd Gurley, everything changes. Gurley’s presence on the football introduced certain levels of confidence in the running game. The expectation whenever the ball was placed in his hands was that he would gain nearly five yards per play, and could break it for a first down at any time.
Show-me something
Now, the Rams are back to proving everything. Whether the ball is handed off to Malcolm Brown, Darrell Henderson, Cam Akers, James Gilbert, or Xavier Jones, the team will be more along the lines of “Let’s see what happens now” mindset. While that may seem like a step back, it could very much be positive for 2020.
Facing uncertainty, the LA Rams players will be particularly vigilant over their performance. With Gurley rushing, his ability to gain positive yards camouflaged blocking mistakes. Now, each block on each play will be scrutinized, which could help the inconsistent play from 2019 develop into more dependable play at the line of scrimmage.
Rams starting three
Right now, the Rams will likely stick with three running backs for the 55-man roster and will go with veterans Malcolm Brown and Darrell Henderson to pair up with rookie Cam Akers. Similar to 2019, look for the Rams to platoon on offense, giving Cam Akers looks in early downs, bringing in Darrell Henderson for third down plays at six yards or better, and going with Malcolm Brown when the team gets into the red zone.
With a lack of direct contact, the Rams are truly limited as to how much they can customize the offense to accentuate the play of Akers. So, the team will likely roll out a similar game plan from 2019, and tweak it a bit out of the box. In the first three games, the Rams worked almost exclusively with a Gurley / Brown backfield until mid-October, when the Rams began to give Henderson a share of the load.
Henderson Brown breakout year?
Of course, the team sticks to the plan as long as everyone remains healthy. And of course, if Malcolm Brown or Darrell Henderson suddenly start putting up stellar numbers, the Rams will most certainly shift towards giving more opportunities to the hot running back.
Malcolm Brown had the makings of a breakout season to start off 2019. Likewise, many expect that LA Rams’ second-year running back Darrell Henderson will have a headliner season in 2020. Much like the offensive line, Henderson’s debut was clouded with injury, which seemed to hamper his timing with the offense. Look for him to synch up in 2020, and perhaps with tremendous effects.
Easing in Akers
The Rams are not big on tossing a rookie into the game, just to sit back and see if he can play or not. That means that Cam Akers will likely not get 30 carries in his first game, nor in any game in the month of September. Some headlines will even ask “What’s wrong with Akers?” as many will scramble to understand why the Rams do not run him into the ground early in the season.
While Akers may not start the season with a huge workload, you can expect the team to ensure he carries the ball. In a 16 game season, we expect Akers will rush 230 times and break 1000 yards rushing for his rookie season. For our money, we expect Akers will be 2/3rds of the Rams rushing offense in 2020 by season’s end.
Rams’ rushing legacy restored
The LA Rams’ history of elite running backs in the NFL is amazing. The list of former Rams rushers is a virtual who’s who of elite running backs in the history of the NFL. That lineage continued through Todd Gurley, who was undoubtedly the keystone of Sean McVay’s offense. Now, that coaching reputation is on the hook. Can McVay’s offense work for the next running back chapter of the Rams?
We think it will. Akers embodies nearly all of the attributes the Rams sought in the 2020 NFL Draft. While an argument can be made that other rushers had an incredible offensive line blocking for them, or that they faced inferior defenses, no such argument can be made to discount Akers collegiate production. He faced the toughest competition and benefited the least from a robust offensive line. While the LA Rams offensive line will likely not be one of the top-ranked units in the NFL, they need only to be consistent and open holes for Akers. He’s proven that he can do the rest.
