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Rams' Tre Mason focused on staying ready despite reduced workload
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...sed-on-staying-ready-despite-reduced-workload
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- After St. Louis Rams running back Todd Gurley burst on the scene in Week 4 against the Arizona Cardinals, coach Jeff Fisher lamented the fact that backup running back Tre Mason didn't get more work on a day when Gurley had 19 carries.
Fisher attributed Mason's lack of snaps to an overall lack of snaps for his offense, which ranks last in the NFL in first downs and thus has struggled to sustain drives.
"I’d like to get Tre more playing time, but that’s an offensive issue," Fisher said then. "That’s a production issue -- a team issue. When you’re not converting third downs or you’re having difficulty on first down and our opponents are getting a lot more snaps than we are, it’s hard to get the reps. We need more offensive reps. Fortunately, we got it in the second half and it showed what we can do. I’d like to get Tre more snaps and we’ll continue with Todd. It’s the way we’ve been doing it.”
Last Sunday against Green Bay, the Rams did both of those things, but the Gurley part of the equation was far more substantial than the Mason portion. Mason played just two snaps against Arizona. He played five against the Packers, not exactly a major increase in workload. Gurley, meanwhile went from 19 carries on 35 snaps to 30 carries on 44 snaps.
On Monday, Fisher again said the Rams would like to get Mason more work moving forward.
“We wanted to get Tre in more; it just didn’t happen," Fisher said. "He will play more. I think 30 carries a game down the stretch is probably a little much for [Gurley]. He’ll probably be one of those guys that get some rest this week.”
Indeed, nobody will get any carries this week with the Rams on their bye week. Gurley is getting a breather after so much work the past two weeks, but it's hard to see Fisher pumping the brakes too much on Gurley, who is already the Rams' best offensive weapon.
All told, Mason has played just 51 snaps in four games after missing the opener because of a hamstring injury. Gurley has claimed the starting job, playing 93 snaps in three weeks and Benny Cunningham (the only back to play in all five games) is the team's trusted third-down option. He leads the team's running backs with 112 offensive plays.
For the second year in a row, the Rams' leading rusher from the previous season is watching his playing time dwindle dramatically. No one could blame Mason if he was frustrated by the situation, but if he is, he's not expressing it publicly.
"You have got to stay positive," Mason said. "It’s not my decision. I’m just thankful for every day I wake up. You have got to be thankful for every day you wake up. Of course you want to be on the field and you want to win. The main goal is to win."
A third-round pick in 2014, Mason didn't earn his way into the lineup until week 6 of his rookie season. But when he finally got his chance, he claimed the starting job from incumbent Zac Stacy and finished with 765 rushing yards and averaged 4.27 yards per carry.
As this year's draft approached, the Rams decided that Gurley could be the type of game-changing running back who could become the focal point of the ground-oriented attack that Fisher has committed to. The Rams used the No. 10 overall pick on Gurley and traded Stacy to the New York Jets. Gurley's ascension to the top of the running back depth chart was just a matter of getting his surgically-repaired ACL back up to speed.
Now that it's happened, Mason is doing his best to stay ready for when his number is called.
"I’m doing everything I can, I feel like," Mason said. "Just be ready, prepare myself as a starter and continue to be ready. When you truly are thankful for waking up in the morning, then you’ll have a nice mindset to be ready."
Understandably, the Rams want to continue to get the ball in Gurley's hands as much as possible. His 5.71 yards per carry easily exceeds Mason's 2.45. But Mason still figures to have some value and has the type of outside speed that could not only be a good complement to Gurley, but also ease some of the burden on the burgeoning rookie.
"Those aren’t my decisions," Mason said. "I’m a player. I just want to win. That’s my mindset."
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...sed-on-staying-ready-despite-reduced-workload
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- After St. Louis Rams running back Todd Gurley burst on the scene in Week 4 against the Arizona Cardinals, coach Jeff Fisher lamented the fact that backup running back Tre Mason didn't get more work on a day when Gurley had 19 carries.
Fisher attributed Mason's lack of snaps to an overall lack of snaps for his offense, which ranks last in the NFL in first downs and thus has struggled to sustain drives.
"I’d like to get Tre more playing time, but that’s an offensive issue," Fisher said then. "That’s a production issue -- a team issue. When you’re not converting third downs or you’re having difficulty on first down and our opponents are getting a lot more snaps than we are, it’s hard to get the reps. We need more offensive reps. Fortunately, we got it in the second half and it showed what we can do. I’d like to get Tre more snaps and we’ll continue with Todd. It’s the way we’ve been doing it.”
Last Sunday against Green Bay, the Rams did both of those things, but the Gurley part of the equation was far more substantial than the Mason portion. Mason played just two snaps against Arizona. He played five against the Packers, not exactly a major increase in workload. Gurley, meanwhile went from 19 carries on 35 snaps to 30 carries on 44 snaps.
On Monday, Fisher again said the Rams would like to get Mason more work moving forward.
“We wanted to get Tre in more; it just didn’t happen," Fisher said. "He will play more. I think 30 carries a game down the stretch is probably a little much for [Gurley]. He’ll probably be one of those guys that get some rest this week.”
Indeed, nobody will get any carries this week with the Rams on their bye week. Gurley is getting a breather after so much work the past two weeks, but it's hard to see Fisher pumping the brakes too much on Gurley, who is already the Rams' best offensive weapon.
All told, Mason has played just 51 snaps in four games after missing the opener because of a hamstring injury. Gurley has claimed the starting job, playing 93 snaps in three weeks and Benny Cunningham (the only back to play in all five games) is the team's trusted third-down option. He leads the team's running backs with 112 offensive plays.
For the second year in a row, the Rams' leading rusher from the previous season is watching his playing time dwindle dramatically. No one could blame Mason if he was frustrated by the situation, but if he is, he's not expressing it publicly.
"You have got to stay positive," Mason said. "It’s not my decision. I’m just thankful for every day I wake up. You have got to be thankful for every day you wake up. Of course you want to be on the field and you want to win. The main goal is to win."
A third-round pick in 2014, Mason didn't earn his way into the lineup until week 6 of his rookie season. But when he finally got his chance, he claimed the starting job from incumbent Zac Stacy and finished with 765 rushing yards and averaged 4.27 yards per carry.
As this year's draft approached, the Rams decided that Gurley could be the type of game-changing running back who could become the focal point of the ground-oriented attack that Fisher has committed to. The Rams used the No. 10 overall pick on Gurley and traded Stacy to the New York Jets. Gurley's ascension to the top of the running back depth chart was just a matter of getting his surgically-repaired ACL back up to speed.
Now that it's happened, Mason is doing his best to stay ready for when his number is called.
"I’m doing everything I can, I feel like," Mason said. "Just be ready, prepare myself as a starter and continue to be ready. When you truly are thankful for waking up in the morning, then you’ll have a nice mindset to be ready."
Understandably, the Rams want to continue to get the ball in Gurley's hands as much as possible. His 5.71 yards per carry easily exceeds Mason's 2.45. But Mason still figures to have some value and has the type of outside speed that could not only be a good complement to Gurley, but also ease some of the burden on the burgeoning rookie.
"Those aren’t my decisions," Mason said. "I’m a player. I just want to win. That’s my mindset."