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The Rams Have a Big-Time Closer in Todd Gurley
Posted by: Bernie Miklasz
http://www.101sports.com/2015/10/25/the-rams-have-a-closer-in-todd-gurley/
Move over, Trevor Rosenthal.
Make a little room, will ya?
There’s another closer in town, but he doesn’t pitch for the Cardinals or play baseball.
His name is Todd Gurley, the rookie running back chosen 10th overall in the 2015 NFL Draft who just may be the finisher that coach Jeff Fisher needs put opponents away after they’ve been roughed up by the Rams defense and softened by Gurley’s combination power/speed running
Before I continue, here are the obligatory warnings and caveats:
First, Gurley has started three games in his NFL career. Small sample size? No. It’s a speck of a sample.
Next, it doesn’t matter how many yards Gurley romps for on the ground; the Rams won’t win many games unless the defense plays a substantial role in swarming and smothering opponents.
Finally, Gurley can’t do it alone. The Rams’ snoozer of a passing attack had better awaken, and soon, or opposing defenses will do everything but put the National Guard on the field to control Gurley. Running backs that have to win games on solo missions won’t last long. They’ll eventually absorb debilitating beatings, and their batteries will wear out.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way …
Gurley is something else. As I wrote late last week, Gurley is the Rams’ most exciting offensive talent since Marshall Faulk started his last game for the franchise on New Year’s Day, 2006. (The final game of the 2005 season.) I’m not saying Gurley is Faulk, or that Gurley will be a Hall of Famer, or even a one-time All-Pro selection. The rookie back came to the Rams with a surgically mended ACL, and he’ll have to prove he can last.
Gurley cleared another hurdle Sunday, and we’re not talking about his sensational leap over a diving Cleveland tackler to pick up extra yards in one of his most enthralling runs of the day. Gurley played for the first time without a knee brace, and it enhanced his flexibility and probably gave him some extra giddy-up. But this is a tough league that punishes running backs — especially backs that become a fixation for NFL defensive coordinators.
But when Gurley has the football in his hands he makes us sit up, lean forward, or stand in anticipation of watching an instant thrill. And the Rams haven’t had a player like that since Faulk.
Gurley has gone for 146, 159 and 128 yards rushing in his first three NFL starts.
In the first three games of 2015 the Rams were jammed and rushed for 214 yards.
With Gurley as the starter for the next three games, they’ve motored for 513 yards rushing.
Finally: entertainment.
You could say Gurley is an upgrade at the position.
Gurley was the Rams offense in Sunday’s 24-6 victory over the Cleveland Browns at The Ed. He rushed 19 times for 128 yards and two touchdowns. He caught four passes for 35 yards. He accounted for 53 percent of the Rams’ total 308 yards in a game controlled by the Rams defense.
We’ll give the Rams’ defense credit for this one. Gregg Williams’ menacing defenders let Cleveland breathe for only two field goals. They recovered four fumbles — one returned by safety Rodney McLeod for an early touchdown and quickie 7-0 lead, and two others that were cashed in for 10 points.
Browns quarterback Josh McCown was dragged down for four sacks smacked around on many other occasions, and eventually suffered a knockout; McCown had to retreat to the locker room for treatment late in the fourth quarter..
The Rams defense was the boss on Sunday, and that’s why they get the “W.”
But like any good closer, Gurley protected the lead.
Gurley’s gloss prevented his team’s sluggish offense from rolling into the ditch. With Gurley moving moving forward and running through and around tacklers, the Rams can at least go in the right direction (well, most of the time) and reduce the possibility of killer turnovers.
Other than a 41-yard strike from quarterback Nick Foles to WR Kenny Britt that set up Gurley’s first touchdown run of the game — and his NFL career — the Rams’ somnambulant air game hissed for 122 yards on 22 passing attempts. Gurley’s second TD was a beauty: a 16-yard trail of broken and missed tackles to boost the Rams’ leas to 24-6 and put the Browns into submission.
How important is Gurley to the Rams offense?
In his three starts Gurley has 433 yards rushing, and his 485 yards from scrimmage represents exactly 50 percent of the Rams’ net yardage (970) over the three games.
The Rams still have many problems to clean up, but there’s no doubt they’re a better team with Gurley in the house.
“Just an animal, really,” Foles said of Gurley after Sunday’s win. “The guy’s an extremely, talented, hard-worker. His vision, when he runs — like I’ve said before — just watching him run, he’s special. There’s not many people that can run like that, that have ever played this game. So, he’s a young guy that keeps working hard. So, the sky’s the limit to what he can do throughout his career.”
At the outset we’ve seen a pattern. Opponents come out and are determined to stop Gurley from doing damage. The plan succeeds for a while, but Gurley doesn’t back down. He revs up. And as the game grinds on, Gurley and the Rams’ run blockers begin winning the battle.
The Browns had to be reasonably satisfied after containing Gurley to 45 yards rushing in the first half.
Then, in the third quarter, Gurley escaped for a 48-yard run that put Cleveland’s game plan in the shredder.
When asked how he believed his defense did in the mission to contain Gurley, Browns coach Mike Pettine said:
“Hot and cold. That is easy to say except for the (48-yarder), but that is what he does. The two big games that he has had, he had four or five chunk runs that accumulated for about half of the yards he had. I felt at times we did a good job and other times we didn’t. You can tell he is a back and he can make you miss, jump over you. He is patient and he knows when to slow down and he is good with his change of pace. We battled for a while, but unfortunately we weren’t good enough.”
Here are Gurley’s rushing totals, broken down by quarter, in his first three starts:
First Quarter: 12 rushes for 16 yards … 1.3 yards per carry … 3 runs of 10+ yards … stuffed 3 times for minus 10 yards.
Second Quarter: 18 rushes for 95 yards … 5.3 yards per carry … 4 runs of 10+ yards … stuffed 2 times for minus 5 yards.
Third Quarter: 17 rushes for 112 yards … 6.6 yards per carry and one TD … 3 runs of 10+ yards… 2 stuffs for minus 7 yards.
Fourth Quarter: 21 rushes for 210 yards … 10.0 yards per carry, one TD … 6 runs of 10+ yards … 1 stuff for minus 4 yards.
The Rams, 3-3 overall, are 2-1 with Gurley as the starter with wins over Arizona and Cleveland. Given that Gurley rushed for 159 yards in Green Bay, the loss at Lambeau was hardly his fault. Four interceptions by Foles — two from inside the Green Bay’s 10-yard line — ruined the chance of an upset.
In the two victories Gurley has averaged a preposterous 9.1 yards on 25 second-half rushing attempts with two TDs and nine first downs. In the fourth quarter of the two wins, Gurley has averaged 8.8 yards on 16 carries with a TD and five first downs.
Gurley won’t sustain those extreme stats; impossible. But Gurley closed strong in games during his college career at Georgia, and he’s closing strong in his early weeks with the Rams. And is Gurley’s finishing ability is something the Rams can reasonably count on — even at lesser numbers — then this is another reason why he’s such a good fit for Fisher’s established formula for winning games.
You don’t have to like Fisher’s style of football on offense, and I don’t have to like Fisher’s style of football on offense. So this is not an endorsement of the coach’s beloved system. But Fisher is determined to do things his way, and by now it’s obvious he won’t change. So bang your head all that you want; this is the way it will be.
Accordingly: as long as Fisher is this team’s head coach, it’s absolutely imperative for him to have a back like Gurley to use as a cudgel on the defense later in games when the Rams open a lead.
(Or as I wrote the other day: Eddie George v. 2.0.)
NFL teams traditionally win a high percentage of their games when they lead after three quarters. Getting the lead obviously has been an issue for the Rams since Fisher became coach in 2012. But when they do have an advantage after three quarters, the Rams have done done smashingly well.
As coach of the Oilers/Titans, Fisher was 113-14 when his team led at the start of the fourth quarter.
With the Rams, Fisher is 17-2-1 when up after three quarters.
That includes a 2-0 record with Gurley, the new closer in town.
Thanks for reading …
–Bernie
Posted by: Bernie Miklasz
http://www.101sports.com/2015/10/25/the-rams-have-a-closer-in-todd-gurley/
Move over, Trevor Rosenthal.
Make a little room, will ya?
There’s another closer in town, but he doesn’t pitch for the Cardinals or play baseball.
His name is Todd Gurley, the rookie running back chosen 10th overall in the 2015 NFL Draft who just may be the finisher that coach Jeff Fisher needs put opponents away after they’ve been roughed up by the Rams defense and softened by Gurley’s combination power/speed running
Before I continue, here are the obligatory warnings and caveats:
First, Gurley has started three games in his NFL career. Small sample size? No. It’s a speck of a sample.
Next, it doesn’t matter how many yards Gurley romps for on the ground; the Rams won’t win many games unless the defense plays a substantial role in swarming and smothering opponents.
Finally, Gurley can’t do it alone. The Rams’ snoozer of a passing attack had better awaken, and soon, or opposing defenses will do everything but put the National Guard on the field to control Gurley. Running backs that have to win games on solo missions won’t last long. They’ll eventually absorb debilitating beatings, and their batteries will wear out.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way …
Gurley is something else. As I wrote late last week, Gurley is the Rams’ most exciting offensive talent since Marshall Faulk started his last game for the franchise on New Year’s Day, 2006. (The final game of the 2005 season.) I’m not saying Gurley is Faulk, or that Gurley will be a Hall of Famer, or even a one-time All-Pro selection. The rookie back came to the Rams with a surgically mended ACL, and he’ll have to prove he can last.
Gurley cleared another hurdle Sunday, and we’re not talking about his sensational leap over a diving Cleveland tackler to pick up extra yards in one of his most enthralling runs of the day. Gurley played for the first time without a knee brace, and it enhanced his flexibility and probably gave him some extra giddy-up. But this is a tough league that punishes running backs — especially backs that become a fixation for NFL defensive coordinators.
But when Gurley has the football in his hands he makes us sit up, lean forward, or stand in anticipation of watching an instant thrill. And the Rams haven’t had a player like that since Faulk.
Gurley has gone for 146, 159 and 128 yards rushing in his first three NFL starts.
In the first three games of 2015 the Rams were jammed and rushed for 214 yards.
With Gurley as the starter for the next three games, they’ve motored for 513 yards rushing.
Finally: entertainment.
You could say Gurley is an upgrade at the position.
Gurley was the Rams offense in Sunday’s 24-6 victory over the Cleveland Browns at The Ed. He rushed 19 times for 128 yards and two touchdowns. He caught four passes for 35 yards. He accounted for 53 percent of the Rams’ total 308 yards in a game controlled by the Rams defense.
We’ll give the Rams’ defense credit for this one. Gregg Williams’ menacing defenders let Cleveland breathe for only two field goals. They recovered four fumbles — one returned by safety Rodney McLeod for an early touchdown and quickie 7-0 lead, and two others that were cashed in for 10 points.
Browns quarterback Josh McCown was dragged down for four sacks smacked around on many other occasions, and eventually suffered a knockout; McCown had to retreat to the locker room for treatment late in the fourth quarter..
The Rams defense was the boss on Sunday, and that’s why they get the “W.”
But like any good closer, Gurley protected the lead.
Gurley’s gloss prevented his team’s sluggish offense from rolling into the ditch. With Gurley moving moving forward and running through and around tacklers, the Rams can at least go in the right direction (well, most of the time) and reduce the possibility of killer turnovers.
Other than a 41-yard strike from quarterback Nick Foles to WR Kenny Britt that set up Gurley’s first touchdown run of the game — and his NFL career — the Rams’ somnambulant air game hissed for 122 yards on 22 passing attempts. Gurley’s second TD was a beauty: a 16-yard trail of broken and missed tackles to boost the Rams’ leas to 24-6 and put the Browns into submission.
How important is Gurley to the Rams offense?
In his three starts Gurley has 433 yards rushing, and his 485 yards from scrimmage represents exactly 50 percent of the Rams’ net yardage (970) over the three games.
The Rams still have many problems to clean up, but there’s no doubt they’re a better team with Gurley in the house.
“Just an animal, really,” Foles said of Gurley after Sunday’s win. “The guy’s an extremely, talented, hard-worker. His vision, when he runs — like I’ve said before — just watching him run, he’s special. There’s not many people that can run like that, that have ever played this game. So, he’s a young guy that keeps working hard. So, the sky’s the limit to what he can do throughout his career.”
At the outset we’ve seen a pattern. Opponents come out and are determined to stop Gurley from doing damage. The plan succeeds for a while, but Gurley doesn’t back down. He revs up. And as the game grinds on, Gurley and the Rams’ run blockers begin winning the battle.
The Browns had to be reasonably satisfied after containing Gurley to 45 yards rushing in the first half.
Then, in the third quarter, Gurley escaped for a 48-yard run that put Cleveland’s game plan in the shredder.
When asked how he believed his defense did in the mission to contain Gurley, Browns coach Mike Pettine said:
“Hot and cold. That is easy to say except for the (48-yarder), but that is what he does. The two big games that he has had, he had four or five chunk runs that accumulated for about half of the yards he had. I felt at times we did a good job and other times we didn’t. You can tell he is a back and he can make you miss, jump over you. He is patient and he knows when to slow down and he is good with his change of pace. We battled for a while, but unfortunately we weren’t good enough.”
Here are Gurley’s rushing totals, broken down by quarter, in his first three starts:
First Quarter: 12 rushes for 16 yards … 1.3 yards per carry … 3 runs of 10+ yards … stuffed 3 times for minus 10 yards.
Second Quarter: 18 rushes for 95 yards … 5.3 yards per carry … 4 runs of 10+ yards … stuffed 2 times for minus 5 yards.
Third Quarter: 17 rushes for 112 yards … 6.6 yards per carry and one TD … 3 runs of 10+ yards… 2 stuffs for minus 7 yards.
Fourth Quarter: 21 rushes for 210 yards … 10.0 yards per carry, one TD … 6 runs of 10+ yards … 1 stuff for minus 4 yards.
The Rams, 3-3 overall, are 2-1 with Gurley as the starter with wins over Arizona and Cleveland. Given that Gurley rushed for 159 yards in Green Bay, the loss at Lambeau was hardly his fault. Four interceptions by Foles — two from inside the Green Bay’s 10-yard line — ruined the chance of an upset.
In the two victories Gurley has averaged a preposterous 9.1 yards on 25 second-half rushing attempts with two TDs and nine first downs. In the fourth quarter of the two wins, Gurley has averaged 8.8 yards on 16 carries with a TD and five first downs.
Gurley won’t sustain those extreme stats; impossible. But Gurley closed strong in games during his college career at Georgia, and he’s closing strong in his early weeks with the Rams. And is Gurley’s finishing ability is something the Rams can reasonably count on — even at lesser numbers — then this is another reason why he’s such a good fit for Fisher’s established formula for winning games.
You don’t have to like Fisher’s style of football on offense, and I don’t have to like Fisher’s style of football on offense. So this is not an endorsement of the coach’s beloved system. But Fisher is determined to do things his way, and by now it’s obvious he won’t change. So bang your head all that you want; this is the way it will be.
Accordingly: as long as Fisher is this team’s head coach, it’s absolutely imperative for him to have a back like Gurley to use as a cudgel on the defense later in games when the Rams open a lead.
(Or as I wrote the other day: Eddie George v. 2.0.)
NFL teams traditionally win a high percentage of their games when they lead after three quarters. Getting the lead obviously has been an issue for the Rams since Fisher became coach in 2012. But when they do have an advantage after three quarters, the Rams have done done smashingly well.
As coach of the Oilers/Titans, Fisher was 113-14 when his team led at the start of the fourth quarter.
With the Rams, Fisher is 17-2-1 when up after three quarters.
That includes a 2-0 record with Gurley, the new closer in town.
Thanks for reading …
–Bernie