Rams News Recap: July 8

wv wrote:

I am not on the Bennie Cunningham bandwagon myself.
On a good team, i think a guy like BC should be the third RB.
And thats what i expect this year. Stacy, Tre, BC.

If the coaching staff agreed that BC was ‘special’ then
they wouldn’t have drafted Tre. Right?
RBs arent that hard to evaluate, so
i would think they know what they are doing.

w
v

You’re talking about this piece, right?

http://www.rams-news.com/rb-benny-cunningham-the-rams-forgotten-man-tst/ RB Benny Cunningham, the Rams’ Forgotten Man –TST
For the second year in a row, Benny Cunningham finds himself lost in the shuffle. Entering the NFL as a knee rehabbing, undrafted free agent, from little MTSU, it was understandable.

The writer makes big claims for how good he is and how we just haven’t seen it yet. I don’t know what that’s based on, though at the same time if BC shows up this summer and shines, that would be fine with me. Maybe he is better after mending his knee…that’s the same injury (patellar) Joseph had, and it can take a while to get back to a former high level of play with that injury.

Conveniently, every draft Mike Franke summarizes what is out there about a draft pick or UDFA. Here he is on Cunningham.

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http://ramview.blogspot.com/2013/07/rookie-free-agent-preview-benny.html

Sources: NFLDraftScout, ESPN.com, Middle Tennessee State University athletics, IndianapolisColts.com, CBS Sports, The Rookie Scouting Portfolio blog, Steeler Fury, YouTube

Injuries:
2012: season-ending injury (torn patellar tendon) in October, missed the final seven games. Had a second procedure in March 2013 (performed by Dr. James Andrews) but was said to be well ahead of schedule on his rehab. Appeared to be participating in full in Rams 2013 OTAs.
2011: missed four games and most of a fifth due to a broken foot.

Pro day results: could only bench press at MTSU’s pro day due to knee injury. Did 26 reps; RBs averaged 20 at the Combine. He held a private workout that was (reportedly) attended only by the Rams and the Titans. College bio says he was timed at 4.39 in high school. NFLDraftCountdown estimates him at 4.60, which was the average 40 time for RBs at the Combine.

Positives: Very physical one-cut runner who gets up to speed quickly and runs with excellent pad level. Instinctive with excellent feet. Attacks the defense and knows how to gain extra yards. Consistently gets his shoulder into defenders and breaks tackles. Strong interior runner, you’re not going to arm-tackle him. Good cutback runner, reads the field well. Operates well in traffic. Does decent job getting small in the hole. Strong leg drive after initial contact. Excellent second gear when he gets into the open field. Excellent to elite acceleration. Can bounce plays outside. Ran a lot out of shotgun, which figures to be a staple in the Ram offense this season. [zn note: ah, the 2013 pre-season idea of what the offense would be] Effective goal line runner for his size. Willing blocker. Never quits on a play. Clean as a whistle off the field.

Negatives: Doesn’t have an elusive running style and doesn’t show a lot of moves. Needs to be more secure with the ball when he does put on a move; exposes himself to fumble trouble. Could be prone to penalties because league is cracking down on RBs leading with their helmets. Needs to improve in blitz protection; misses too many assignments, looks uncertain or disinterested at times. Questionable hands as a receiver. Doesn’t seem to adjust well to poor throws. Looks small, not thick in lower body. Not completely surprising he’s been injured as much as he has.

Compares to: Alfred Morris is also a popular comparison.

Fun Facts: Had Benny played all of 2012 at the statistical pace of his first five games, he would have rushed for 1,440 yards and 26 TD, very favorably comparable with high-drafted running backs Montee Ball (1,822 and 22), Le’Veon Bell (1,793 and 12) and Eddie Lacy (1,322 and 17). Marcus Lattimore had 662 yards and 11 TDs before he got hurt, with 45 carries more than Cunningham.

RamView: Cunningham’s status bears monitoring when training camp opens (yes!) next Thursday. Coming off the patella injury, odds have seemed good that the Rams will “redshirt” him this year. He didn’t have to sit out OTAs, though, and if he is able to go in camp, his quickness and tough running style fit wonderfully into what the Rams have going in the rest of their RB corps.