Rams need to step up running game
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-need-to-step-up-running-game/article_ed089177-a0e0-5860-90f7-d03f2f44a47f.html
There was improvement in the Rams’ running game from Week 1 to Week 2. The Rams gained nearly 50 more yards on the ground against Tampa Bay than in the opener against Minnesota, and averaged nearly a yard more per carry.
But there is still plenty of room for improvement as the Rams prepare to host Dallas in a noon kickoff Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome.
“Yeah, absolutely,” offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said Thursday. “We know we’ll get heavy boxes, and people trying to stop the run.”
More often than not the Buccaneers and Vikings stationed extra defenders near the line of scrimmage to stuff the run, basically daring the Rams to throw the football without quarterback Sam Bradford in the lineup.
More of the same is expected from the Cowboys. Whether it’s Austin Davis or Shaun Hill — and it will most likely be Davis again because of Hill’s thigh injury — the message will be the same: Let’s see if your quarterback can beat us.
“It’s a process,” Schottenheimer said. “I hope we’ll be better this week. Need to be better this week. It certainly takes the pressure off of us by getting into second down-and-manageable, and third down-and-manageable.
“But we get well when we’re balanced, when we can run the football. When teams take that away from us, we tend to struggle a little bit. Like always, we’ll try to get the running game going and generate a few more explosive plays.”
The Rams’ define “explosive plays” on the ground as gains of 10 yards or more. They had zero such runs in the opener against Minnesota; their longest gain that day was seven yards.
Things went better against Tampa Bay with four explosive runs. Even so, their longest run of the season is a modest 18 yards on an end-around by Tavon Austin. Wide receiver Kenny Britt had a 12-yard gain on an end-around.
So Rams running backs have produced only two explosive runs this season: a 12-yard run by Zac Stacy and an 11-yard gain by Benny Cunningham.
“We need to get (running backs) in the secondary, create seams,” Schottenheimer said. “We’ve got to be able to take advantage of that.”
That task will be that much tougher against the Cowboys, who enter the game ranked 14th in run defense, if Rams fullback/tight end Cory Harkey can’t play. Harkey, an underrated lead blocker, did not practice Wednesday and Thursday after suffering a strained knee against Tampa Bay.
The Rams don’t have a true fullback on the roster. But if Harkey can’t play, tight end Lance Kendricks has shown in the past that he can be an effective blocker out of the backfield. But Harkey is one of the toughest Rams, and it will be hard for the team’s medical staff and coaches to keep him off the field against Dallas.
Stacy and Cunningham are the only running backs to carry the ball so far this season. Both are more power runners than breakaway threats. Even factoring that in, they need to be better than their current yard-per-carry averages of 3.8 (Stacy) and 3.3 (Cunningham).
At that rate, the Rams have to huff and puff their way down the field with a minimum of mistakes and efficient passing. That’s a tough way to reach the end zone, as evidenced by the fact that the Rams have scored only one touchdown in two games.
The Rams currently rank 23rd in the NFL in rushing offense (95.5 yards per game), and 24th in yards per carry (3.7 yards). Not nearly good enough for a team whose offensive philosophy is predicated on a strong running game.
Given the success that Dallas has had running the football, it’s even more important to establish a strong running game this week. The Cowboys rank second in the league in rushing offense, and have the league’s leading ground gainer in Rams killer DeMarco Murray (285 yards, 5.6 yards per carry).
Murray’s two-game rushing total is nearly 100 yards better than the Rams’ entire team total, and it’s the main reason why the Cowboys lead the NFL in time of possession at 36 minutes 18 seconds.
Obviously, the best way to keep Murray from doing his thing is for the Rams to control the clock themselves.
INJURY REPORT
Hill was a little more involved in practice Thursday including some work in 7-on-7 drills, but was listed as limited for the second day in a row. Davis continues to get the vast majority of work with the first-team offense.
Besides Harkey, others not practicing Thursday were: Austin (knee), CB Brandon McGee (foot), and LG Rodger Saffold (illness). Saffold is expected to be back at practice today.
CB Trumaine Johnson (knee) and C/G Barrett Jones (back) continue to be sidelined with their injuries, and aren’t expected back for a few weeks. After sitting out practice Wednesday with what amounted to a veteran’s day off, C Scott Wells was full-go Thursday.
For Dallas, QB Tony Romo (back) was full participation after sitting out Wednesday; WR Dez Bryant (shoulder) was limited after sitting out Wednesday; and leading tackler LB Rolando McClain (groin) missed his second straight day.
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