The ONLY complaint I have of Gurley(and it’s not his fault), is that he doesn’t break long runs anymore. He’s had 1 40+ yard run since 2015. It’s mostly because the defense plays the pass so deep that he can’t get past the secondary. The one year Marshall Faulk won MVP his longest run all year was 36 yards. But I still think it’s an important aspect of his game that we need down the line.
I'll give you that, just going by my own memory admittedly ravaged by alcohol, it does seem like Faulks ability to cut and change direction gave him some consistent yards when meeting the safeties or linebackers.
That said, Gurley has somehow been getting even better with timing how he hits those holes, and when he punches through it's with so much initial burst that it's fun to watch, and he's getting a little violent when he hits the secondary/linebackers.
I think it has a lot to do with play design and execution, everyone is blocking so well, the wide receivers in those bunch formations, clearing routes for each other but also knowing that helping Gurley is helping them so it's a lot of fun to watch. Is it a screen by design? Sweep to the strong side? Hand off to Gurley? Misdirection? Play action? Then you see how well they're running to the left side between the tackles and it's just insane.
I think it's a matter of time before a missed tackle that springs Gurley for a really nice play.
On a different note, I really like the way McVay has been subbing in Brown (who has been blocking well when necessary) much more immediately lately. No, he's not the same threat, but when you can follow up ab 18 yard rush with fresh legs and a 10 yard rush, you do it. It seems to really keep everyone guessing.
