49ers vs Rams: posts about the game

Rams invented “winning ugliER.”

Kaepernick killed one mole, although he chased many.

wv wrote:

Ugliest Show on Turf? …or..GSOT – Gurleyest Show on Turf ?

w
v

Can’t even claim that. SF is uglier. OK, we are the ugliest winning team on turf. We play on turf. We win with defense and running.

he reminds me of a lot of different running backs. in fact. i’d say there are bits of faulk, dickerson, and jackson in him.

and what’s really fun to think about is i don’t think he’s fully back yet. i think he’s lost some speed from college. but with time i’m thinking he gets that back. probably not until next year.

mostly i just feel priveleged that i get to root for him on this rams team. it’s the perfect marriage really.

but also i want to take some time and give a shout out to tavon austin. not just the yards and the touchdowns. but the down and dirty hustle plays he made this game and in previous games.

think about that. 2 of the most explosive players in all the nfl. they’re also taking a leadership role on this offense. it’s going to take some time. looks like it might not even happen this year. but i think the offense will ultimately be in good shape. just need to help those two guys out.

Ugly for sure but those two or three bust outs a game are certainly entertaining and ultimately deadly.

The Gurley run was eerily reminiscent of AD’s 70+ plus run a couple of years ago ago at home. Almost like an entire defensive strategy breakdown in which once the first wall was passed a single safety was unfairly left to watch him hit the roadrunner dust right by him.

Of course Niner fans saying “we held him to 19-61 otherwise” miss the point. You get a guy like this in a run based offense and you have the typical 3-4 yd, then wait for the big one. Eventually, a single mistake brings about the death strike.

• This reply was modified 9 years ago by c1ram.
• This reply was modified 9 years ago by c1ram.

well. i take that back. deandre hopkins would have been the best pick. but still. not bad.

yeah. in the past, you could see this defense. this team. having a letdown.

we’ll see how much they’ve learned. i’m banking that they’ve learned some things from last year.

but i could see that game also going the way of the washington game earlier this year. let’s hope that doesn’t happen. i do think this defense is more vulnerable to a great running back than a great quarterback. peterson has burned this defense a lot in the past. they did ok against bell this year, but it was his first game back from suspension.

then again. the rams didn’t have todd gurley. hopefully, he can do his part and keep the rams d off the field and fresh.

one other thing. on that 71 yard td today. i think most running backs run right. gurley sees the safety coming up anticipating a gurley going right. at the same time he sees the hole getting bigger to the left. cuts just as the safety commits. the safety realizes this and tries to cut back but slips. that kind of vision to me is extraordinary. he takes what most running backs would have taken for a 10-15 yard gain for a touchdown. untouched.

Does Gurley remind anyone of O.J. Simpson (as a running back)?

wv wrote:

Maddy wrote:

Does Gurley remind anyone of O.J. Simpson (as a running back)?

Not really, but maybe a little like Bo Jackson.

w
v

People all over the place, in the media and on fan boards, are having trouble comparing TG to anyone. To me that’s because he has some very unique qualities that we’re having some trouble (and fun) putting our (collective) finger on.

One key attribute: it;s a combo of things. He has very good lower body strength BUT is also very smooth in his lower body movements, to the point where sometimes you don’t notice he actually did anything. It is all very subtle. In fact we don’t really get the right camera angles to see the real effect IMO. This is combined with very good vision and “contact balance.” So the effect of him running on his big plays is that it just looks like the defenders didn’t tackle him right or took the wrong angle etc. He doesn’t run over guys, it’s like he runs through defenders who LOOK like they aren’t playing it right. Meanwhile of course it’s not the defenders it’s him.

there was one play in particular against the browns where he looked inside. the linebacker must have seen it cuz he moved over to clog the running lane. as soon as he committed, gurley cut back outside. just has this understanding of how to set up his blockers.

what strikes me the most is there’s no stop or start to him. he just kind of glides along until he decides to cut and then he just explodes through the hole. his cutting is very subtle like you say.

but he also has the power and lower body strength to shed tacklers when he needs to. his stiff arm is already very effective. i’ve seen him shed defensive linemen. and he’s already forcing defenses to gang tackle him. constantly churning his legs and gaining yards that aren’t even there.

he really is quickly becoming one of my favorite players of all time. he’s got it all. speed. quickness. brute strength. but also a graceful, elegant, and even subtle running style. he’s got immense power. preternatural vision. he’s smart. he’s also got this knack for making plays when the offense needs him to.

i always end up comparing him to the last two rams running backs of note. faulk and jackson. he’s got the strength and speed of jackson. but more importantly he’s got the vision and intelligence of marshall faulk.

but then yeah. there’s another element to him that i just can’t really pinpoint. he’s a special guy.

• This reply was modified 9 years ago by InvaderRam.