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October 22, 2014 at 4:51 pm #10181
RamBillParticipantMaking sense of Rams’ running back situation
By Nick Wagonerhttp://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/12887/making-sense-of-rams-running-back-situation
EARTH CITY, Mo. — Less than a week ago, St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer seemed to finally shed some light on what the Rams’ “plan” for deploying their running backs really is.
Schottenheimer said the team would divvy up carries between running backs Zac Stacy, Benjamin Cunningham, Tre Mason and Trey Watts, with carries for receiver Tavon Austin sprinkled in. From there, the Rams would go with the hot hand late in the game.
It didn’t make much sense at the time considering it’s hard for any back to remain the “hot hand” if he doesn’t get to keep carrying the ball. But it didn’t matter a few days later when the Rams played the Seattle Seahawks.
In the span of a couple of hours, the Rams introduced Stacy as the starting running back, then Cunningham actually started the game before Mason ended up getting 18 carries, by far the most amongst the backs and the second most by a Ram this season. All of that while Stacy played one snap and got no carries.
Apparently, it didn’t take long to decide that Mason had the hot hand.
“We’re going to play all three backs,” coach Jeff Fisher said Sunday. “I have great respect for all three of them, and Trey Watts for that matter. They are very unselfish, they root each other on. Tre got a hot hand and it was just kind of a different thing. We felt that we may have a chance to crease their defense at times with him.”
To Mason’s credit, that feeling proved to be mostly true as he ran for 85 yards on his 18 carries and scored his first NFL touchdown. Combined with the small sample size he received in his first game the week before against San Francisco, Mason has clearly been the Rams’ most explosive option in his limited opportunities.
In those two games, Mason has 23 carries for 125 yards, an average of 5.4 yards per carry. Were it not for his late fumble that the Rams apparently recovered (at least in the eyes of the officials), Mason’s work in his first two appearances would make him the overwhelming favorite to continue as the predominate ball-carrier going forward.
But even with that miscue on his resume, the evidence certainly points in the direction of a changing of the guard at the position. Stacy has dealt with calf and ankle injuries in recent weeks, and when he’s played hasn’t looked like the productive back he was a year ago. He’s averaging 3.93 yards per carry on 61 attempts and his longest rush went for 16 yards. Cunningham hasn’t fared much better, averaging 3.78 yards per attempt on 36 carries, but he’s at least scored a touchdown in three consecutive games.
Watts and Austin have flashed some potential, but neither is equipped to handle the role on a more permanent basis.
Which brings us to Mason. It was game 5 a year ago when Stacy took the reins at running back. Perhaps game 6 will become that same turning point this season for another change as the third-round draft choice stakes his claim to further responsibility.
“I was always told to take full advantage of the opportunities you get because there may not be many,” Mason said. “That’s just kind of a message that I grew up on. There may not be many opportunities but when you get those few, make the most of them because it can change into a lot.”
How much it has changed things remains to be seen. When asked about the division of carries again Monday, Fisher offered a similar refrain.
“It’ll be a week-to-week thing,” Fisher said. “Zac could get 25 carries this week. We had some things in early this week. It was working so we decided to stay with ‘Mase.’ It’s nothing that Zac has done or hasn’t done. He’s been a little banged up the last couple of weeks, but obviously he’s an outstanding runner as well. We clearly have significant depth there at the position.”
While the Rams might have multiple options, if the Rams insist on sticking with the hot hand at running back it’s hard to believe that it will be anyone but Mason who gets his temperature taken first.
October 23, 2014 at 12:07 am #10225
InvaderRamModeratorif mason can learn to take care of the ball. and that’s a huge if. it’s a no brainer for me. i mean he looks like he’s capable of putting up some huge numbers pretty soon. he’s got the vision combined with the burst.
but like i said. that’s a huge if. he’s been fumbler for awhile.
October 24, 2014 at 9:48 am #10339znModeratorWhile Mason flourishes, Stacy disappears
By Jim Thomas
A week ago during his regular Thursday media session, offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said the Rams were going to give all their running backs some touches in the early going against Seattle, and then go with the hot hand.
Turns out, Tre Mason got the hot hand early. Very early.
“I think he did,” Schottenheimer said. “We all know about his talent. We still need them all. They’re all good players; they’ll all have roles for us.”
The Rams’ running backs situation has been a minefield for fantasy football players this season. It has reached the point where from week to week it has been difficult to determine who’s doing what.
At the start of the season, Zac Stacy was getting about two-thirds of the reps, with Benny Cunningham getting one-third. Then Cunningham started cutting into Stacy’s reps a bit. And now, after being inactive for the first four games of the season, rookie Mason has burst onto the scene beginning with the Monday night game against San Francisco.
Another rookie, undrafted Trey Watts, was sprinkled into the backfield for a couple of games earlier in the season. If that weren’t enough, you may have noticed that wide receiver Tavon Austin is getting some work at running back as well. Austin, in fact, had a season-high five carries Sunday against Seattle.
Almost lost in all that transpired in the 28-26 upset victory over the Seahawks was the fact that Cunningham made his first NFL start. So all in all, the Rams are taking the old running-back-by-committee thing to new heights.
“I think that’s kind of good for us,” Schottenheimer said. “For a defense not to know who they’ve got to prepare for. To know that at any moment it might be a different guy out there.”
Of course the most surprising thing that happened Sunday in the backfield wasn’t Cunningham’s start. Or the fact that Mason, the third-rounder from Auburn, broke out for 85 yards on 18 carries, including his first NFL touchdown.
No, that distinction goes to Stacy, who was on the field for only one play and had zero touches.
“It was just a weird situation,” Stacy told the Post-Dispatch. “Right now, we’re doing a rotation with me, Tre, and Benny — and we’re going with the hot hand. I’m just staying positive, I’ll keep working, and whenever my opportunity is called just take advantage of it.”
As a rookie last season, Stacy basically saved the Rams’ running game. After carrying just once for four yards over the first four games of 2013, he piled up 969 yards in the final 12 contests with his no-nonsense, between-the-tackles style.
Stacy got off to a decent start this season, but similar to the situation at wide receiver, the competition has been keen at running back. Stacy showed up on the injury list during the week of preparation for San Francisco (calf) and Seattle (ankle), but didn’t miss much practice time either week.
Is he healthy now?
“Absolutely,” Stacy said. “I feel good. Just little nicks and bruises that most running backs go through, especially around this time of the season. But I’m good to go; ready to roll.”
Running backs coach Ben Sirmans told his group that Cunningham would be starting the night before the Seattle game. But no one knew how the reps would be divided. The flow of the game and the “hot hand” approach determined that.
Stacy certainly didn’t know his role would be so limited.
“It was somewhat surprising,” Stacy said. “But at the end of the day, I was prepared mentally and prepared physically. And if my name was called I was ready to go.”
Schottenheimer said: “It wasn’t what we planned at all. It just kind of goes back to the thought of we got going a little bit and Tre was playing really, really well.
“Zac’s a really good running back. He’s going to help us this game — in a lot of games. He handled it like a pro and the main thing is we want to win. Whatever it takes to win, we’ll do.”
On Monday, coach Jeff Fisher went as far as saying Stacy could have 25 carries this week in Kansas City. That may be an exaggeration, but the backfield does remain in a state of flux.
There was a new wrinkle Thursday when Cunningham was a limited participant in practice because of a knee issue. (He did seem to be moving well.)
Most likely, Mason will be given every opportunity to develop a hot hand vs. the Chiefs after his eye-opening display against Seattle. He brings a speed element and a higher potential for the explosive play than Stacy and Cunningham.
“(Mason) certainly played well last week,” Schottenheimer said. “Popped a couple big runs. Some of it is that they haven’t seen him. Now teams get a better idea of what he’s about.
“I think there’s some things he needs to do, taking care of the football. Obviously that last play was a little scary, but wow, what a talented young man.”
Mason said he was trying to “put the nail in the coffin” on his third-down run at the end of the Seattle game that ended with a fumble and wild scramble for the ball. As a result, he almost put the nail in the Rams’ coffin.
INJURY UPDATE
Safety T.J. McDonald passed concussion protocol and returned to practice Thursday. RG Rodger Saffold (knee), WR Kenny Britt (ankle) and DE William Hayes also returned to practice after missing Wednesday’s work. But CB Janoris Jenkins (knee) remains sidelined.
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