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December 4, 2015 at 8:44 pm #35107
znModeratorRams’ Todd Gurley frustrated by losing, not recent lack of production
Nick Wagoner
EARTH CITY, Mo. — In the aftermath of last week’s 31-7 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, the frustration was written all over St. Louis Rams running back Todd Gurley’ face. Gurley had carried just nine times for 19 yards, his worst individual performance since his first NFL game back in Week 3.
But Gurley’s emotion had nothing to do with his numbers and everything to do with the additional tally that was going into his team’s loss column.
“It’s frustrating,” Gurley said after the game. “I’m just not used to really losing and stuff like that. Just trying to deal with that stuff. But at the end of the day, things could be a lot worse. We have just got to stay positive and just keep focused.”
At the University of Georgia, the Bulldogs lost a total of 10 games in Gurley’s three years. The Rams have already lost seven this year and appear to be on their way to more with five games remaining.
Of course, one way to reverse the team’s recent losing trend — they’ve lost four in a row — is to find ways to get Gurley going again. Through little fault of his own, Gurley’s production has dropped precipitously over the past four weeks.
In Gurley’s first five starts, he averaged 141.5 rushing yards per game, 6.4 yards per carry and 4 yards before contact per rush. In the past four weeks, with defenses keyed on him, no passing game to help and an already struggling offensive line in shambles from injury, Gurley has averaged 54.8 yards per game, 3.1 yards per carry and 1.6 yards before contact per rush.
Asked Thursday if he felt like he’d hit a rookie wall, Gurley laughed at the notion.
“What wall?” Gurley said. “I’m good.”
No, Gurley’s lesser numbers of late have little to do with him. He’s barely had a chance to get going as the Rams have fallen behind big in losses to Chicago and Cincinnati while Minnesota and Baltimore made it a point to force the Rams to beat them elsewhere.
“He’s not frustrated,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “He’s a team guy. He’s having fun, wants to help us win. He knows he’s a big part of this team. His production on the field not only helps offense, it helps defense, it helps everything. He’s in good shape.”
The hope for Gurley and the Rams this week is that seeing a familiar opponent might allow him to get rolling again. It was in the first meeting against Arizona that Gurley announced his presence to the NFL world with a dynamic second half that led the Rams to an upset victory.
In that game, Gurley averaged a season-high 7.7 yards per rush and ran for 146 yards, the most the Cardinals have allowed to a player in the past three seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Information. He also clinched the game with a late burst that ended when he fell down in bounds to ensure the victory.
“We had a slow first half against the Cardinals, then we had a big second half,” Fisher said. “We’ve looked hard at it. We just have to continue to give him opportunities. So, we’ll get creative in the run game and got to get hats on hats and let him go.”
Throughout the past month, the humble Gurley has mostly demurred when asked about opponents loading the box to stop him or teams doing everything they can to slow him down. In his mind, the struggles in the run game have little to do with what defenses are doing and a lot to do with what the Rams aren’t doing.
“It’s execution, doing what we’ve got to do,” Gurley said. “Taking the right steps, taking the right track. Whether it’s getting a double block or a triple, single. Just basically execution.”
More execution should lead to far less frustration.
December 5, 2015 at 12:14 am #35117
InvaderRamModeratorhis oline is decimated. and the passing game is in shambles.
December 5, 2015 at 12:20 am #35119znModeratorGurley grounded — Rams’ running game hits the wall
Jim Thomas
Few rookies regardless of position have opened their NFL careers with the impact Todd Gurley did for the Rams this season. The numbers and the milestones are familiar to most.
First rookie in league history with 125 yards-plus rushing in his first four starts.
More yards rushing in his first four starts than any NFL player in the Super Bowl era.
Gurley was the NFL’s offensive rookie of the month for October. He got that Jolly Ranchers endorsement. He was heralded by analysts and media members across the land.
In short, he was the next big thing. Just like that.
But after that amazing start, the yardage and highlight-reel runs have dried up.
In his first four starts, Gurley averaged 142 yards per game and 6.4 yards per carry. That period encompassed starts against Arizona, Green Bay, Cleveland and San Francisco, with the Rams going 3-1 in those contests.
But in Gurley’s next four starts, his production has been more than cut in half. Namely, 55 yards per game and 3.1 yards per carry. The Rams are 0-4 in those games against Minnesota, Chicago, Baltimore and Cincinnati.
Thanks in part to the work of wide receiver Tavon Austin on end-arounds and jet sweeps, the Rams still rank seventh in the league in rushing offense entering Sunday’s rematch with Arizona.
But for the most part, the bottom has fallen out of the running game as teams load the box with extra defenders to swarm Gurley, and the Rams’ injury-plagued offensive line goes through one combination after another.
“He’s not frustrated,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “He’s a team guy. He’s having fun. Wants to help us win. He knows he’s a big part of this team. His production on the field not only helps offense, it helps defense, it helps everything.”
A decline in explosive plays has coincided with the decline in production for Gurley. The Rams define an explosive run as a carry gaining 10 yards or more. In his first four starts Gurley had 15 such explosive runs, including gains of 30, 48, 54, 55 and 71 yards.
In his next four starts, Gurley has had only two such runs — on gains of 13 and 16 yards Nov. 8 at Minnesota. He hasn’t had a run longer than nine yards in the three games since then.
“It’s execution,” Gurley said. “Doing what we’ve got to do. Taking the right steps, taking the right track, whether it’s getting a double block or a triple, (or) single. Just basically execution.”
Obviously, the line injuries haven’t helped. Beginning with the first game in the current losing streak — Minnesota — Gurley has failed to reach 100 yards. Beginning with that contest, the Rams have featured a different starting combination up front for four consecutive weeks.
Starting right guard Jamon Brown was lost for the season Nov. 15 against Chicago. Starting right tackle Rob Havenstein has missed three of the past four games with what has been described as ankle and calf injuries. Even one of the replacements on the line, Andrew Donnal, is out with a knee injury.
“It’s just staying on our blocks and giving Todd a chance,” said Havenstein, who could return to the lineup this week. “Because he’s gonna do special things. He’s just that type of player, that type of back.”
The Rams tweaked the running game to a degree against Cincinnati. Among the new wrinkles was the Wildcat formation in which Gurley lined up in the shotgun formation behind center with quarterback Nick Foles split out like a wide receiver.
In two plays out of the Wildcat, the Rams got 60 yards on a Gurley handoff to Austin, and later got a modest three yards on a Gurley keeper. Gimmick plays can help to a degree, but only for a few plays.
They can’t solve deeper problems, such as not opening enough holes with a greener-than-green offensive line. Or not showing enough prowess in the passing game to keep defenses honest and get them to back off the line of scrimmage.
“We’ve looked hard at it,” Fisher said. “We just gotta continue to give him opportunities. So we’ll get creative in the run game, and gonna get hats on hats and let him go.”
“It takes all 11,” offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti said Thursday. “One, we’ve got to get him at-bats, get him carries. Through four quarters of it, we impose our will. Hopefully like last time, you continue to get better throughout the game.”
That was a reference to Gurley’s first NFL start, Oct. 4 at Arizona. As a team, the Rams had only nine yards rushing on nine carries in the first half — a half in which Arizona had a 2-to-1 edge in time of possession.
Things started out slowly in the third quarter on the ground, but the Rams stayed with the running game and suddenly things started clicking. Gurley had runs of 23 and 12 yards on a third quarter touchdown drive; then had runs of 12 and 52 yards on a fourth-quarter TD march. When all was said and done, he finished with 19 carries for 146 yards in a 24-22 upset victory.
Gurley had only nine carries (for 19 yards) in last week’s 31-7 blowout loss in Cincinnati, a game where the Rams fell behind by such a big margin they had to basically junk the running game for much of the second half.
This is normally the time of the long NFL season when all rookies, much less those coming off surgery like Gurley, can hit the wall. But Gurley would have none of it.
“What wall?” he said. “I’m good.”
The only wall he’ll face will be the one the Big Red plan to throw at him in his first rematch game against a division opponent. And that could be a formidable one.
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