Todd Gurley named October’s top offensive rookie

Josh Alper

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/10/29/todd-gurley-named-octobers-top-offensive-rookie/

When the Rams took Todd Gurley in the first round of the draft this year, he became the first player at the position to go in the first round since 2012.

Gurley has snapped another drought for running backs. The NFL named Gurley the league’s top offensive rookie for October, marking the first time that a running back has taken monthly honors since Eddie Lacy in 2013.

Gurley sat out the first two games of the season to make sure all was well after rehabbing a torn ACL and made his debut with nine yards on six carries in the third week of the season. That was not a sign of things to come as Gurley took off when the calendar flipped to October. He had 68 carries, 433 yards and two touchdowns in three games for the Rams this month, which leaves him 12th in the league in rushing and tied with Lamar Miller for second in yards per attempt.

The Rams won two of their three games in October, leaving them with a 3-3 record as they prepare to kick off November with a home game against the 49ers. It’s safe to assume that Gurley will get plenty of work in that game and in the nine to follow for a Rams team that already counts him as their primary offensive weapon.

Credit the Rams’ O-Line for Gelling in Gurley’s Big Game

Anthony Stalter

http://www.101sports.com/2015/10/06/credit-the-rams-o-line-for-gelling-in-gurleys-big-game/

The Rams’ offensive line has been a lighting rod for criticism since the start of the preseason. Last week in the team’s loss to Pittsburgh, the O-line did its part to suffocate the offense by failing to open up holes in the running game and taking pressure off quarterback Nick Foles.

Some argued that the line held up fine in pass protection, but when defenses shut down a running game they can sit back in coverage in third-and-long and force quarterbacks to make difficult throws in clogged passing windows. Unless we’re talking about the truly elite, QBs can only do so much with no running game and no passing game playmakers.

But something clicked in the desert last Sunday. Suddenly a much maligned offensive line started executing and when you have a back like Gurley, who is capable of breaking tackles and gaining yards after contact, a 5-yard run turns into a 10-yard run.

Or a 52-yard run.

Take that play early in the fourth quarter as example. Out of an Off-set I, the Rams ran a stretch play to their left. At the snap, the offensive line stepped to their left in unison, which is a staple of the new zone-blocking scheme put in place by offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti this spring.

Left guard Jamon Brown and center Tim Barnes executed a perfect double team on Calais Campbell, who winds up being pancaked by Brown. Barnes then slipped off the double team and worked to the second level (another staple of the zone-blocking scheme), where he walled off safety Tony Jefferson (who had lined up in the box for run support).

Also play-side was left tackle Greg Robinson, who put Josh Mauro on skates and wiped him out of the play. Backside, Rodger Saffold blocked down and tossed Ed Stinson like a rag doll, which, along with the work that Barnes, Brown and Robinson put in, created a massive running lane for Gurley.

Gurley did the rest, bursting up field while slipping a tackle and out-running Rashad Johnson before Tyrann Mathieu finally pushed him out of bounds 52 yards later.

Some fans were enraged when the Rams selected Gurley with the 10th overall pick back in April. They asked why, after Zac Stacy showed promise as a rookie, would the Rams draft Gurley when, “they already had running backs on the roster?”

That’s why. That same run may have only netted 12 yards instead of 52 had it been Stacy. Gurley’s combination of size and speed make him special – a playmaker. A difference maker.

But the Rams didn’t receive that type of blocking in the first three games. Even in the win over Seattle, the initial double-team that Brown and Barnes executed was non-existent. Running backs were being met in gaps because the Rams’ O-line wasn’t getting to the second level of the defense. And even when linemen did, they were whiffing on blocks.

That wasn’t Gurley’s only explosive run and that wasn’t the only time the Rams’ offensive linemen executed in the second half. You don’t gain 7.7 yards per carry as a back if you don’t have multiple explosive runs created by your own talents and the ability of your offensive line to create running lanes.

The Arizona game is how teams draw it up. It’s how the Rams envisioned their running game would look back in April.

Now, as with anything else as it pertains to the Rams, we need to see consistency out of the O-line moving forward. It’s time for that group to build off it’s performance in the second half so that the Rams can stay in contention all season.

As of right now, PFF ranks 6 Rams DL in the top echelons.

4/3 DEs: out of 46

Quinn, 6th
Hayes, 13th
Long, 15th

DTs/NTs: out of 71

Donald, 2nd
Fairley, 10th
Brockers, 16th

They rank the Rams defense overall 2nd, with run defense 1st, pass defense 10th, and pass rush 5th.

QB? Foles ranks 28th out of 36.

They rank the Rams offense 28th, with passing game ranked 26th and the run game ranked 8th.

Relive It: Browns at Rams

Relive the best highlights from Sunday’s 24-6 victory over the Cleveland Browns.

http://www.stlouisrams.com/videos/videos/Relive_It_Browns_at_Rams/c7b9622a-a48e-49a5-bd5a-456dbb16f2c3

from off the net

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LMU93

FootBallOutsiders: Rams up to 16th overall, defense 5th

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/dvoa-ratings/2015/week-7-dvoa-ratings

Notes:

– Offense 30th, defense 5th, special teams 12th

– Rams have only three games remaining against teams rated higher (@CIN, ARZ, @SEA- all in the top 6); 6 of their other 7 remaining opponents rank 27th or
lower (including Minnesota, who they talk about in the intro above the rankings).

– They rank the Rams’ offensive line 27th in run blocking efficiency, 17th in pass blocking

– Defensive line is rated 3rd in run defense, 2nd in pass rushing

– Current playoff odds are 39.7%

This week’s opponent, San Francisco, is rated 32nd overall… (31st on offense, 32nd on defense, and 23rd on special teams)

zn wrote:

zn wrote:

from Oct 27

YAHOO

11. St. Louis Rams (3-3, LW: 15)

Are there 10 players in the NFL who are more exciting to watch right now than Gurley? He’s becoming like a young Adrian Peterson, where everything should stop whenever he gets handed the ball.

The AP Pro32

http://pro32.ap.org/poll

After falling one spot during their bye week, the St. Louis Rams moved up to 13th in this week’s Associated Press Pro32 poll, which was released Tuesday afternoon.

PFF

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2015/10/27/pff-nfl-power-rankings-for-week-8/

19. St. Louis Rams

Of the six rookie offensive tackles with at least 100 pass blocks, Rob Havenstein is the only one to not allow a sack this season.

Practice Report 10/27: Gurley, Offense Looking for Faster Start

Myles Simmons

http://www.stlouisrams.com/news-and-events/article-practicereport/Practice-Report-1027-Gurley-Offense-Looking-for-Faster-Start/2a339e86-9fbc-4f7a-a3c6-1803dc0f5416

As the accolades and nominations for Todd Gurley keep rolling in — he’s once again nominated to be the Pepsi Rookie of the Week — the running back said the focus this week is to get the offense in a rhythm earlier in games.

“The biggest thing is to get rolling faster,” Gurley said after Tuesday’s practice. “If we can get things picking up a lot faster from the first play, we’d love that. But things don’t always work out as planned.”

From a schematic standpoint, Gurley said many of the early issues stem from the Rams not executing properly. It’s not necessarily that the opposition has been showing something different than what the club expects.

“Every team is going to kind of play their game or their scheme against us,” Gurley said. “They’re going to ‘do them’ regardless.”

What is encouraging, though, is that the Rams have been able to make offensive adjustments in the second half. They’ve outscored their opponents 38-16 in the third quarter, and Gurley leads all running backs with 213 yards rushing in the fourth quarter.

“That’s definitely a big thing,” Gurley said. “When we come in at halftime and make those adjustments, it’s all about execution. It’s not like the stuff we’re calling in the first half isn’t working, we just have to execute. We have to go out there and run the plays correctly like coach called them.”

Gurley also said he can see that part of the Rams’ second-half strength comes from wearing down the defense over the course of the game.

“That’s a part of football,” Gurley said. “Guys going hard on play 1 and a guy isn’t going to be going as fast on play 60. It’s just a part of the game and that mental toughness. With us, we want to keep pounding the rock or going at them with tempo and finish them.”

“[We’re] trying to wear teams down and hopefully we will keep doing that throughout the year,” Gurley added. “It’s all about mental toughness in the fourth quarter.”

And it’s certainly noticeable when a defense starts to wear down. On Gurley’s second touchdown run late in Sunday’s victory, the running back broke through the arms of three Cleveland defenders on his way to the end zone.

“No running back wants to go down or get tackled by one guy — even though it’s the NFL and guys on the field are as good as you,” Gurley said. “But what’s the point of being a running back if you can’t break a tackle, you know?”

ROSTER MOVES

The Rams made a few roster moves between Monday and Tuesday, one of which was placing linebacker Alec Ogletree on injured reserve with a designation to return.

“We feel like he’s got a shot, so we wanted to protect him,” head coach Jeff Fisher said. “We waited a few weeks, just to protect the rest of the guys in the event that something went down. At this point, it’s important for us to do it from a timing standpoint.”

With the designation to return, Ogletree is eligible to practice six weeks from the date he was placed in IR. According to Fisher, that date was Oct. 26, which means he would be eligible to return to practice Dec. 7. Ogletree is then eligible to be placed back on the active roster two weeks from that date on Dec. 21. And so, in theory, the earliest Ogletree can return is the Week 16 contest against the Seahawks.

“We’re going to take a shot with him,” Fisher said. “It’s good for Alec, too, because it gives him hope and encouragement to come back.”

The Rams re-signed safety Christian Bryant, who had been waived on Oct. 23, and promoted defensive tackle Doug Worthington to the active roster.

Worthington has been with the club since mid-December last year, and is now receiving a chance to show what he can do on the active roster.

“My career has been that way with little ups and downs, but it’s the Rams organization who gave me a chance last year, which was awesome because I didn’t expect it,” Worthington said Tuesday. “This is the best defensive line in the NFL so I am very humbled and happy to be here.”

“Doug’s a big man. He can play the run. He’s stout. He’s smart,” Fisher said. “November, people start running the football. You look at our schedule down the road here starting with this week’s opponent, they’re going to run the ball. Doug’s a run-stopper. He’s a load inside and he’s smart.”

To make room on the 53-man roster, the Rams released linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar.

zn wrote:

from Oct 27

YAHOO

11. St. Louis Rams (3-3, LW: 15)

Are there 10 players in the NFL who are more exciting to watch right now than Gurley? He’s becoming like a young Adrian Peterson, where everything should stop whenever he gets handed the ball.

The AP Pro32

http://pro32.ap.org/poll

After falling one spot during their bye week, the St. Louis Rams moved up to 13th in this week’s Associated Press Pro32 poll, which was released Tuesday afternoon.

Ten Takeaways from the Rams’ 24-6 Win Over the Browns

Posted by: Randy Karraker

http://www.101sports.com/2015/10/26/ten-takeaways-from-the-rams-24-6-win-over-the-browns/

For the first time since Sam Bradford’s last start for the Rams, the team is at 3-3, with a chance to move up in the standings AND a chance to go 3-0 in the division next weekend. A 24-6 win over Cleveland showed the stingy nature of the defense again, but the offensive identity continued to come into focus. With that, 10 takeaways from Sunday…

1) The first four Ram drives netted a total of sixteen net yards. At one point, the Browns had outgained the Rams 98-21. The offense looked bad. But in their final two quarters the Rams gained 200 yards and scored two touchdowns. They kept probing and found the holes in the Browns defense.

2) Rookie Todd Gurley ran nine times for 45 yards in the first half, 10-83 in the second. He’s the classic example of a back that just needs the ball. Some backs need to get involved and have a big run early. Gurley is one of those that you simply need to keep feeding the ball to. In his first three carries, he had minus-2 yards, then had a fourteen yard jaunt.

Then he had another minus-three yarder before ripping off runs of six, three, fifteen and twelve yards to end the first half. Then Gurley took off in the second half, scoring his first two NFL touchdowns. He’s a big play back who happens to be a pounder, too.

3) The defense forced four fumbles. That’s ten takeaways in the last three games for the Rams, and a plus-5 ratio. Teams that finish plus-3 in the turnover battle have a .933 winning percentage over the last seven seasons, and teams in plus territory win almost 79% of the time. Gregg Williams’ unit is doing their part, and with San Francisco up next at the Dome, we should see more takeaways.

4) The Rams solidly closed this one. In one of our returns in the Rams pregame show, we hear Jeff Fisher yell to his team “finish, finish, finish.” On Sunday, the Rams finished. In the last 17:20 the Rams outscored Cleveland 14-0 and the defense held the Browns to a punt, two fumbles, and a turnover on downs in their last four possessions. On both sides of the ball, the Rams finished.

5) Mark Barron is versatile. We wondered here how the Rams would use Mark Barron in trying to fill the shoes of the injured Alec Ogletree. Barron has stepped up like a seventh pick in the draft should. He finished with sixteen tackles, according to press box stats. He was all over the place. Once again, we see how Williams’ creativity benefits the overall defense, this time in moving a safety to full-time linebacker. This is perhaps the most versatile group of defensive players on one team in the NFL, and Barron is as versatile as any Ram defender.

6) The defense didn’t let Chris Long’s absence get them down. Long is the heart and soul of the defense, but he’s out with a knee injury. William Hayes, filling in for Long, had two sacks. And, to their credit, the defense played with grit and determination. Only allowing two field goals to the Browns, the way they’ve been moving the ball, is a major achievement. There were plenty of chances to let down emotionally, but they didn’t.

7) Kenny Britt had one catch for 41 yards, 25% of the passing yards Nick Foles had. And it was a big one late in the third quarter that set up Gurley’s first NFL touchdown.

The Rams threw the ball only 23 times, and wide receivers were targeted eleven times…with Tavon Austin getting seven of those targets. Britt was thrown to twice, Stedman Bailey and Brian Quick once each.

Obviously, Fisher’s offense is based on throwing the ball to tight ends and running backs. If you have a Rams wide receiver other than Austin in a fantasy league, you need not have him on your roster.

8) Jared Cook already had the dropsies, and his second quarter fumble blew a chance for a score. If Cook isn’t going to block and is going to drop as many balls as he does, it’s imperative that his ball security be pristine. He has not delivered on his massive contract so far. When Isaiah Pead fumbled, Fisher said if he put him in the game and he fumbled again, it would be on the coach. The same should apply to Cook. If his play continues this way, the Rams need to look for someone else to do the job.

9) The attendance was announced at 51,523. There were probably 35,000 in the house. If the league DOES care about attendance, then Sunday was not a good showing for St. Louis. Like the Rams, the Raiders attendance has been announced at around 55,000 for their three home games, while San Diego has had crowds of 66,000, 63,000 and two of 67,000-plus.

10) The last time the Rams got to 4-3 was 2006, Scott Linehan’s first year as head coach. They have a chance to get there next Sunday when the struggling San Francisco 49ers visit. It’s important for the Rams to put back-to-back wins together if they’re ever going to ascend to the league’s elite. There’s no reason for the Rams to lose to the 49ers. I’m a Missouri guy. Next week is an opportunity for them to show me.

NFL Network: Gurley is One of the NFL’s Top RBs

The NFL Network’s Fantasy Live crew takes a closer look at rookie Todd Gurley and compares him to some of the NFL’s top running backs.

http://www.stlouisrams.com/videos/videos/NFL_Network_Gurley_is_One_of_the_NFLs_Top_RBs/8c4e75f9-dcf4-426b-8d00-54877e0b9939

nittany ram wrote:

Yeah, but wouldn’t how long he holds the ball be partially out of his control? If his first read is open he can throw quickly. But if his first read fails to get separation, then he has to move through his other reads until he finds someone who is open which means he has to hold the ball longer.

So we just can’t say “Foles should just throw quicker”, because when he throws isn’t entirely up to him.

That’s his problem. He struggles with reads after his first. One way out of this is to tell in advance, from pre-snap reads, who is likely to be free when the ball is snapped. That was Warner;s thing. BUT that’s not even the simplest solution. The simplest is a lot of 3 step drops and bang, quick passes.

Gordon: Rams’ offense needs to put pieces together

Jeff Gordon

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/jeff-gordon/gordon-rams-offense-needs-to-put-pieces-together/article_5b3c4993-6948-5bec-9d11-b916f4db3892.html

The Rams’ offense didn’t need to get busy until the second half Sunday. The Jeff Fisher-Gregg Williams defense had things covered until then.

Safety Rodney McLeod gave the Rams a quick 7-0 lead with his fumble recovery return. Soon thereafter, defensive end William Hayes clubbed another fumble loose, setting up a a field goal.

At that point the Rams had a 10-0 lead despite traveling just 3 yards on six offensive plays. Their struggle continued through the first half as they netted just 108 yards and went 0 for five on third downs against an ordinary Browns defense.

They reached the red zone once in the first half — and tight end Jared Cook immediately coughed up the ball at the Cleveland 17 after catching a pass from quarterback Nick Foles.

The Rams finally sustained some offensive possessions in the second half en route to their 24-6 victory. But still …

“We’ve got to start getting better,” Fisher said during his postgame media briefing. “We’ve got to hang on to balls and protect the football. The same thing that plagued us in recent weeks — and most of the year — is we have to get going earlier and get those first downs under our belt during the first half.”

That is atop the team’s to-do list as the Rams prepare to face the reeling San Francisco 49ers Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome. At 3-3, the Rams have an opportunity to push over .500 and gain traction in the playoff race.

Fisher’s defense is ready for that challenge. So is running back Todd Gurley, who is as dangerous as any ball-carrier in the NFL these days.

But to bid for the NFC West title or emerge from the pack of wild card hopefuls, the Rams must build a better-balanced and more efficient offense.

That must start with offensive line improvement. Garrett Reynolds isn’t a terrible replacement for injured guard Rodger Saffold, but the other four linemen are still developing on the fly.

Second-year left tackle Greg Robinson remains as a work in process, as does rookie right tackle Rob Havenstein. Rookie guard Jamon Brown is coming along nicely and center Tim Barnes is surviving his first full tour as a starter.

Foles offered his typically polite assessment of the unit after Sunday’s game.

“They’ve been playing hard,” he said. “They have been working hard. They opened up some seams on the run game. We got some stuff going on the pass game, we were able to get some completions when we needed them.”

All that is technically true, but the line still struggled to deliver a consistent push in the run game. It held up better than it did at Green Bay, but it still suffered some untimely breakdowns in pass protection.

A prime example came in the third quarter. The Rams came flying at the Browns with an up-tempo, no-huddle attack, highlighted by Gurley’s 48-yard sprint. They rolled down to the Cleveland 8 before Browns defensive end Randy Starks sacked Foles for a 9-yard loss.

That created a third-and-goal situation back at the 17. The Rams didn’t convert, then Greg Zuerlein missed a 35-yard field goal try to leave them clinging to a 10-6 lead about midway through the quarter.

Against a better team, that offensive failure could have turned the game.

But at least the Rams found something with that shift to a no-huddle attack. “It’s just a way to try to show them something different,” Foles said. “Just try to go fast and put some pressure on the defense and get some rhythm going.”

They stayed up-tempo on their next drive and Foles hit Kenny Britt on a 41-yard bomb to the Cleveland 1. Finally the offense scored a touchdown, on Gurley’s subsequent conversion. Finally the offense had something to build on.

Foles endorses the further use of this no-huddle attack during the rest of the games.

“I love it, I love it. I have a big history of it,” Foles said. “It’s what I did in college, high school, even in Philly. So I love the offense we’re playing. I think it’s great to be able to do that. I think it really helps open things up and create some rhythm. So it’s fun to go out there and do that.”

Of course, the Rams will need more than a brisk tempo to finally arrive offensively. They need much more production from their tight ends, who should benefit greatly from Gurley’s emergence.

A serious run threat makes the play-action passing game more dangerous. It creates the potential of freezing linebackers and safeties for a tick or two, creating room for Cook and (when healthy) Lance Kendricks to operate.

Of course, these guys have to actually CATCH THE BALL and HANG ON TO THE BALL when it comes their way.

The Rams got Tavon Austin more involved in the second half against the Browns, but Foles still needs to make more downfield plays to him. The same goes for Stedman Bailey, a fine runner of routes.

Then there is the still untapped potential of rangy receivers Britt and Brian Quick. Britt won the battle for a deep ball along the right sideline Sunday. Quick, still coming back from a nasty shoulder injury, tried to use his size to do the same.

Couldn’t we see that every weekend? Is it possible, in our lifetime, to see Foles get in sync with all four receivers at the same game?

Rams fans are dreaming of that day. We’re guessing Foles is as well.

This team has lots of pieces, but the offense is a half-finished puzzle. Maybe, just maybe, this favorable shift in the schedule will give the Rams a chance to finally put it all together.

from BEST PLAYERS AT EVERY POSITION FOR WEEK 7

Running back: Todd Gurley, Rams (+4.2)

This might not be the last time we see Gurley on this team. He was incredible in forcing 11 missed tackles, looking like the kind of weapon the Rams have desperately needed.

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TODD GURLEY LOOKS LIKE HE’S GOING TO BE A STAR

Rams rookie RB Todd Gurley was PFF’s top-graded running back this week.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2015/10/26/todd-gurley-looks-like-hes-going-to-be-a-star/

Welcome to the Todd Gurley Show. The St Louis Rams selected Gurley with the No. 10 overall pick in the draft despite a significant knee injury he suffered at Georgia that they knew would likely leave him still recovering by opening day. In Week 3 the Rams unleashed Gurley on the league, and since that game they have been intent on seeing a return on their investment.

In three starts he has carried the ball 68 times and gained 435 yards, notching his first two touchdowns this week against the Browns.

His production has been consistently impressive, but the percentage of that production Gurley alone is responsible for has been on the rise each week. Against the Cardinals and Packers Gurley gained between 43 and 48 percent of his yards after contact, but against the Browns a ridiculous 86.7 percent of his yardage came after contact with Cleveland defenders.

In his first two starts combined he broke seven tackles – two against Arizona and then five against Green Bay – but he broke 11 against Cleveland on just 19 carries.

He already leads all rookies in rushing yards and yards after contact and is just four behind San Diego’s Melvin Gordon – the No. 15 overall pick — when it comes to broken tackles.

His 6.0 yards per carry average also leads all rookies (and is tied for second among all running backs), and the 3.5 yards per carry he is averaging after first contact is again the best among rookies, and trailing only Lamar Miller and Le’Veon Bell among all running backs.

The Rams wanted a work-horse running back that they could load up and ride to glory the way Jeff Fisher did to Eddie George back in the day with the Oilers/Titans. Gurley already looks uniquely qualified from this draft class to excel with that kind of responsibility and workload, and we are beginning to see why some saw him as head and shoulders above any other runner in this rookie class.

He was the highest-graded running back in the league this week, and his score was the third-highest figure of the season among running backs.

Gurley is clearly a special talent and the scary thing is, so soon into his comeback, there may be plenty more to come from him.

..

from off the net

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Marshall’s Faulk28HOF

SIDELINE REPORT (zn note: MF28HOF has done these before. He works with the guys who supply oxygen on the sideline)

yes I consider myself lucky. As a fan its pretty freakin awsome. I get 2-3 games a year. This is game #2… I worked the Colts preseason game. I’m hoping to get at-least one more. Its interesting because its not all the TV shine, the NFL network stuff etc. its the real gritty part of the sport of football. Whenever you go to the games. Look for the people on the sidelines right behind the bench in bright bright red shirts. Thats my crew. Can’t miss us…the shirts are really bright red so the players and trainers can see us…I will say we assist the medical staff and leave it at that…its nothing top secret but I just don’t want to get into it on the internet. …if you look for us, we are easy to spot and you would see how close we are to everything…we really are lucky. If I never get a chance to do it again, I have got some life long memories….I’m lucky for sure. NFL films wont tell or show alot of this part. Like I said earlier even reporters and photographers, former players etc. are banned from that part of the sidelines.

Its a world in a world. You would be shocked how short half time is…on TV it feels like a half hour, in real time its like 10-15 min tops.
Here’s another funny tid bit…at half time our equipment room is next to the locker room. We’re all in there eating hot dogs together, players, staff, doctors etc. lol. Its so surreal!

I want to start with two things.One, I actually spoke to Demoff back by the locker rooms. I walked up to him and point blank asked him… good afternoon Kevin, will the Rams be here next year and he said with a smile “I sure hope so,” he smiled and then he winked…I have absolutely no idea what that meant”. The guy that was working with me goes “what does that mean”? It was the weirdest thing…but I think most of them have no idea. In talking to guys in the organization some say, yeah we are out of here, the next guy says no one really knows…so take that for what its worth…but they are all on guard when the question is brought up.

Secondly, most of this will be about Gurley and the offense because that’s what I chose to focus on…. I was not concerned about watching the game because I had it recorded at home. And its always hard to see between everything in front of you…These guys are taught not to really watch the game when they come off the field because you have be coached up, so they want you focused on your position coach. So that’s why its actually interesting on the bench because most of us armchair coaches really have no idea what we are talking about most days lol.

Todd Gurley: He is huge. You don’t get a sense of the size of some of these guys until you actually stand next to them in uniform. Tv does it no justice. He is big. Not as big as SJ39 but you quickly see why you have too bring your hardhat for 4 quarters when you play the Rams now.

We all saw what he did on the field so I’m not going to get into that..but I will tell you this kid gets it. He is the least cocky rookie superstar in the making I can think of in recent memory. He is cool with the fans, he’s cool with media and he cool with vets.

In the first half when things weren’t going well, in the 2nd quarter they had come off the field, I think it was a 3 and out. He (the rookie) pulled the entire offense in a huddle, O-linemen, WRs and TEs and Foles and said, ” We are fine. We just gotta keep pushing. We are close to pushing through, I got ya’lls back. And I know you got mine. We gonna keep pushing”.

Its amazing to see guys responding to this kid. I was really shocked because he seems sort of quiet and reserved. He is not on the field. He accepts coaching well, asks alot of questions and was constantly asking Tre Mason what he was seeing out there…Benny Cunningham is a pros pro…He is constantly in Todd’s ear on what he’s seeing as well..

Todd got tackled for a loss on a play when they came off the field and back to the bench he went straight to offensive line. Went to each lineman, looked each one in the face and told them we’re almost there…He said that was my fault I saw the crease too late. He is constantly telling guys you are doing great. Kept pumping them up, constantly being encouraging to them…I mean you talk about leadership. I am telling you as the season goes on you will start to hear more and more about his leadership. Its really remarkable and then he is going on the field and backing it all up.

Who was the first person to calm Cook down after the fumble? You guessed it…Gurley. He sat down next to him and said, Bro, its all good. Don’t worry we will get it back. We need you with us bro. He calmed Cook down who was clearly pissed at himself.

I’m telling you this kid is fast becoming a team leader. I was on the defensive side of the bench when Gurley did the hurdle play. Robert Quinn was simply speechless. He looked at Hayes and just shook his head in amazement.

I think we all are seeing what the hype is about…you have to remember we all, including his teammates are seeing him for the first time. Remember no training camp no preseason. We are all witnessing it together. You really don’t know who’s who until they get in the games.

They were giving him a little chit,(in a friendly way) when everyone was chanting his name. It was really cool.

The kid gets it and he seems humble. Really humble. He knows hes a rookie and does well to try to stay in his place as his star continue to grows. It really was impressive to watch. Its interesting to say the least.

I like Foles’ presence as well…He may be game manager on this offense but he is also a leader. After Gurley stopped talking to Cook after the fumble Foles went over to him got down on one knee, got in his face and said, look I need you… I’m going to continue to come to you…stay with me bro..it was impressive.

The offensive line: Boudreau was going nuts after the penalty on G-Rob. He laid into G-Rob like nobodies business. He said very loudly that is some real “female body part” chit out there..! G-Rob just looked dumbfounded…Garrett seems to be the calming force. Boudreau was constantly talking to Barnes. Obviously there was a couple of communication issues in the run game. They got it corrected in the second half. Fun game to be at..finally came home last night and got a chance to watch the full game. I always find it funny that these players are using the bathroom on the sidelines and no one ever knows it.

If Gurley can stay healthy and they put a few more pieces around him like human beings that can get open catch the ball he could be even more dangerous. AP is just now getting some real offensive talent around him on the backend of his career. Rams have to do that now not 10 years from now

…the running backs typically sit next to the TEs. Mason was totally into it. He didn’t look upset or not like he wasn’t paying attention. But if you are injured you’re sort of an after thought…after the fumble you can clearly tell Cook’s confidence is at an all time low. I think that’s why Foles went and got in his face and told him he was going to keep throwing to him…he was really quiet and to himself after the fumble. Good thing they won, because that’s all anyone would’ve been talking about..Cook is suffering from a confidence issue at this point. This offense was supposed to feature him in the passing game and now he can’t be counted on…we all see it.

This team really seems to like each other. multiple team leaders. I don’t think there are any real knuckleheads on this team. Part of the reason Givens was a bit easier to get rid of…Jenks is the closest you have to that and he really has been a model citizen off the field.

Tru is becoming another intimidation factor on this defense.Teams are throwing his way and he is making WRs pay when the catch the ball. Greg Williams came over to Tru after a tackle and told him ‘Thats what I’m talking about, make them feel you when they want to throw your way”!