Rams coach Jeff Fisher says running back split will continue/Wagoner

Rams coach Jeff Fisher says running back split will continue
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/12085/fisher-says-running-back-split-will-continue

EARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams’ running game had a solid outing last week against the Dallas Cowboys.

The Rams posted 121 yards on 30 carries, an average of 4.03 yards per carry. By no means is that up to the level the Rams want or need moving forward, but it at least represents major progress from what they did in Week 1 and a similar showing to what they did in Week 2.

What was more interesting about those rushing yards is how the Rams were divvying up the workload. Though Zac Stacy remained the leader amongst the team’s backs in touches, he actually had an even split with Benny Cunningham when it comes to snaps. Stacy and Cunningham each played 34 snaps against the Cowboys, and undrafted rookie Trey Watts made his debut in the offense, appearing on seven plays.

Stacy looked more like his old self against the Cowboys, moving the pile consistently and spinning ahead for extra yards on his way to a 12-carry, 67-yard performance. He also had five catches for 54 yards.

Cunningham was less effective, adding nine carries for 29 yards and a catch for 5 more yards. Watts had five carries for 24 yards, getting a touch on nearly all of his snaps.

Clearly, Stacy is still getting the ball the most of the running backs, but given his success against the Cowboys, it’s fair to wonder why he wasn’t getting more work.

Asked about the playing time split amongst his backs Wednesday, Rams coach Jeff Fisher indicated it will continue.

“We’ll continue with that,” Fisher said. “It’s even, but Zac gets going, gets on a roll he gets five or six straight carries or something like that, then you are going to flip them. We’ve always done that.”

One would think that a back who gets on a roll would get a few more opportunities, especially in a game that remains close. That goes back to the idea of riding with the hot hand.

Moving forward, it would be good for the Rams to establish more of a rhythm, and if a back like Stacy or Cunningham or whoever seems to be rolling as Stacy was against the Cowboys, the workload should increase accordingly.