Rams seek recommitment to running game, Todd Gurley

Rams seek recommitment to running game, Todd Gurley

Alden Gonzalez

http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angeles-rams/post/_/id/31510/rams-seek-recommitment-to-running-game-todd-gurley

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — The last time the Los Angeles Rams played — seemingly forever ago, but actually Oct. 23 — they attempted 53 passes, a total they hadn’t exceeded in more than three years.

It is not ideal.

“I was as surprised as anybody when I saw the stat sheet at the end,” said offensive coordinator Rob Boras, alluding to the fact that the Rams threw on 15 of their 20 first-down conversions during their 17-10 loss to the New York Giants from London. “… That’s not the way it was designed to play. Obviously, we want to run the ball.”

It might not be by design, but the Rams have gone away from Todd Gurley over their past two games.

Gurley averaged 3.97 yards per carry against the Detroit Lions and Giants, a subpar rate that was nonetheless better than the 2.74 yards he averaged through the first five weeks. In those two most recent matchups, though, Gurley only carried the ball a combined 29 times, with just 13 of those carries coming in the second half, even though they were basically one-possession games throughout.

The Rams need to — and want to — get Gurley more involved, because relying on him for offense is typically a much better option than having Case Keenum try to beat opposing defenses down the field, regardless of Gurley’s struggles on the ground in 2016.

For the season, Gurley ranks second-to-last in the NFL yards per carry (3.01) and dead last in average rushing yards before first contact (1.34). To counter, the Rams have looked to Gurley more frequently in the passing game. He has already been targeted as a receiver 26 times, only one fewer than his targets through 13 games as a rookie last season. His 21 catches tie his mark from 2015.

“I think not being able to get things going in the running game, I improved a lot in the passing game,” Gurley said on a conference call with Panthers reporters ahead of Sunday’s visit from Carolina. “… Just staying patient and trusting the process. You’ve got to keep working hard even though something’s not going. Hard work doesn’t always pay off at the right time, but you still have to trust the process and keep going.”

Gurley has now failed to reach 100 rushing yards in 14 of his past 15 games, a stunning stretch for such a gifted runner. The Panthers have given up the third-most passing yards per game but feature a talented front seven that has allowed only 3.26 rushing yards per carry, the lowest mark in the NFL. And like everybody else, they’ll be fixated on Gurley.

“He’s still a dynamic player,” Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly said. “He’s big, he’s powerful, he’s explosive. I think he’s a very unique running back that is a challenge for you. He can kind of do a little bit of everything. He’s not just a fast guy, he’s not just a strong guy, he’s not just a guy that can catch the ball out of the backfield. He’s able to do all three.”

The Rams haven’t been able to display that man just yet. Getting there hinges on a trio of factors. It’s Keenum keeping defenses honest through the air, it’s Gurley having the patience to let holes materialize and, most important, it’s the offensive line improving. Rams guard Jamon Brown, who returned to practice seven days after undergoing minor surgery on his left hand, believes his unit has to “amp it up a little bit.”

“We have to pay more attention to detail,” Brown said. “Just do more. Obviously we knew that everybody was going to have a plan for Todd, try to contain him. As an offensive line, we know that it takes work; it’s a grind. It’s not going to be perfect, but we just have to continue to put our bodies on other bodies and Todd will eventually do his thing.”