Anyone else get this sense about Gurley?

I just can’t tell yet. I dunno about the new Gurley. Sometimes i get the impression he’s lost a bit of explosiveness. But I cant really tell for sure.

Given the fact he doesnt get as many touches, its gotta be harder for him to ‘find a rhythm’. And then there’s the new OLine issues. And teams have adjusted to McVay more. So them three things make it hard for me to figure out what part of it is Gurley and what part of it is other factors. I dunno.

Its great having Wade and McVay on my team though. And Snead. I just dont worry about the future/big-picture with those three making the decisions. Its just a pleasure to have those three brains on the Rams.

I didnt like some of them other brains. These new brains are better than those old brains.

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As Todd Gurley gets fewer touches, Rams try more explanations
Is Gurley a cause of some of Rams’ inconsistencies on offense, or a symptom of them?

link: https://www.ocregister.com/2019/09/25/as-todd-gurley-gets-fewer-touches-rams-try-more-explanations/

THOUSAND OAKS — Todd Gurley’s lighter workload has been explained in various ways by Rams coach Sean McVay this season: It’s a function of game situations. It’s a result of wanting backup ballcarrier Malcolm Brown more involved. It’s the fault of play calling, for which McVay always is quick to shoulder blame.

It’s definitely not, McVay insisted earlier this week, “load management” for a hard-ridden and gimpy-kneed star, even though the Rams acknowledge holding him out of practice one day a week to save wear and tear.

Wednesday, McVay offered an explanation that hadn’t been heard in 2019: Gurley’s reduced role and lower production so far this season is a symptom of the Rams’ general offensive slump — as opposed to, as some might assume, a cause of said slump.

“I think the big, underlying theme is let’s just be more efficient offensively, and I think everybody will end up benefiting from that,” McVay said.

If the explanations can be head-spinning, at least the numbers tell a consistent story about Gurley:

• He’s carrying the ball or being targeted with passes on about 25% of the Rams’ plays this season. That’s way down from more than 35% of plays in the games Gurley played in the 2018 regular season (and down even from slightly over 30% during his late-season slide). And down sharply from nearly 40% of plays during his NFL Offensive Player of the Year run in 2017.

• It’s not that the Rams are running less and having Jared Goff pass more. Running backs Gurley, Brown and Darrell Henderson Jr. are carrying on 44% of plays, about the same as 2018 (43%) and 2017 (45%). Gurley’s share of rushing plays is 51%, down from more than 65% the past two years.

• After three games — all Rams wins — Gurley is 12th in the NFL in rushing yards per game (67.7) and 20th per attempt (4.6), after ranking second in the per-game category and eighth and 11th in the per-carry column in his first two years in McVay’s offense.

Gurley’s game in Cleveland on Sunday (43 yards on 14 carries, 0 receptions) was his worst since the Rams’ loss to the Chicago Bears last December.

Between the lines of McVay’s explanations is this implication: Gurley, at age 25, is not a superstar who takes over a game but a player who is subject to its whims and circumstances.

If Gurley is limited in some way, everybody involved is even more limited in what they can say about it. McVay can’t let other teams know his plans for using No. 30, or the extent of his knee problem. Rams coaches and players would never say if one problem is the offensive line, with three young players in its interior in Joe Noteboom, Brian Allen and Jamil Demby (filling in for injured Austin Blythe). Nor would they get specific about what defenses are doing differently, which might include stifling passes to Gurley on the outside.

At Gurley’s regular Thursday appearances in the press room, he has promised he’s “fine” and refers questions about his usage to coaches.

Opposing coaches say they prepare to face peak Gurley.

Bruce Arians, who brings the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-2) to the Coliseum on Sunday, was asked about Gurley in a conference call with L.A. reporters on Wednesday.

“I think Todd is one of those guys that can break out for 200 (yards) at any point in time,” Arians said. “I’m sure Sean is using him wisely, and they’ve got a couple young backs (Brown and Henderson) they like, so they’re keeping him fresh.”

McVay was asked if he can see Gurley carrying 25 times in a game this year, the way he has done six times in his 65 regular-season and playoff games.

“That’s the hope,” McVay said, and he harkened back to the Rams’ victory at Denver nearly a year ago, when Gurley ran 28 times for a career-high 208 yards against the Broncos’ 21st-ranked rushing defense.

“We love Todd. Todd’s been extremely important. He still is, and he’s going to be as the season progresses,” McVay said.

Gurley has been most productive in the second half in the first three games. Not coincidentally, the Rams’ offense has been most fluid in the second half, scoring seven of its eight touchdowns.

Cause or effect? The question lingers.

To see how TG is being productive, look just at his stats after the 1st quarter. In the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quarters combined, he has 34 carries for 181 yards which is just over 5.3 yards per carry.

The problem is that as VB says none of the defenses they face are doing what was expected and the offense has to adjust to how they’re being defended. Once they do that, even with all the other visible little problems they have that are keeping them from being optimal on offense, they are still productive enough to win.

Brown btw has no carries in the 1st quarter. In quarters 2-4 he has 20 carries for 97 yards for 4.85 YPC.

Combined that’s a running game after the 1st quarter that has gotten 278 yards for 5.15 YPC. Taken in itself, 5.15 would rank 6th in the NFL.