Tag: Los Angeles Rams

Who’s to blame for Todd Gurley’s terrible season as a receiver?

Todd Gurley is trending toward historically bad numbers as a receiver in 2019.

A lot has gone wrong with the Los Angeles Rams this season, but there may be no bigger storyline than Todd Gurley’s precipitous fall from being one of the most productive running backs in the NFL to one who ranks 72nd in the NFL in yards from scrimmage.

For a player who had 671 more yards than any other player the last two years, that’s a startling development.

Where Gurley has really fallen off is as a receiver. He’s only caught 15 passes on 28 targets for 81 yards and one touchdown in eight games, essentially being phased out as a pass catcher in the Rams’ pass-heavy offense.

Here’s where Gurley ranked among all running backs with at least 30 targets from 2017-18.

  • Targets: 4th (168)
  • Receptions: 5th (123)
  • Receiving yards: 3rd (1,368)
  • TD catches: 2nd (10)
  • Yards per target: 2nd (8.14)

Needless to say, he was extremely productive as a receiver out of the backfield in Sean McVay’s offense – and it’s a big reason the Rams made it as far as they did the last two seasons. Gurley’s numbers as a pass-catcher are alarmingly bad and trending toward some of the worst in recent memory for a running back.

To put it into perspective historically, he’s the only running back since 2009 with a catch rate below 60% and an average of fewer than 6 yards per reception (on at least 28 targets). Only 11 other players since 1992 have matched those numbers, which shows how ineffective he’s been this season. Furthermore, his 2.89 yards per target are the lowest by a running back with at least 28 targets since Ben Tate in 2013.

There’s simply no denying the fact that Gurley has really struggled in the passing game this year. The biggest question is why – and who’s to blame?

Todd Gurley

Some of it certainly falls on Gurley. He’s dropped five of the 28 passes that have come his way, which is a drop rate of 17.9%. That’s the third-highest rate among all players with at least 15 receptions this season. Last year, Gurley only dropped seven passes on 81 targets, a rate of 8.6%.

Outside of his touchdown catch against the Falcons, Gurley’s hands have not been very good this season.

This is a bad throw by Goff on a play that had little chance to turn into anything, but it’s a ball Gurley typically catches.

Jared Goff

His suddenly unreliable hands aren’t the only reason his receiving numbers are as bad as they are. Jared Goff’s accuracy – or lack thereof – absolutely warrants some criticism and blame, too. The passes he’s thrown Gurley’s way have done nothing to help the running back, rarely hitting him in the numbers.

More often than not, Gurley has to reach for passes that are either high, behind him or too low.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Exhibit C:

Sean McVay

The last factor in all of this is Sean McVay’s play calling. When it comes to plays designed to go to Gurley, they’ve either been poorly executed or lacking creativity.

The last two years, the Rams were one of the best teams when it came to screen passes. Their offensive linemen turned into a convoy for Gurley, leading to big plays like this 80-yard touchdown.

How often have you seen a screen pass like this happen in 2019? How often has Gurley caught a pass with blockers in front of him?

There simply haven’t been many plays designed to go to Gurley this year. According to Sharp Football Stats, Rams running backs have only been targeted on 10% of the Rams’ passes thrown this season – the second-lowest rate in the NFL. Last season, it was 17% (18th), and in 2017 it was 20% (18th).

When Gurley is the primary read for Goff, they’re plays that have very little chance of turning into big gains.

Gurley is clearly Goff’s first read, and Jared never looks off him. Carlos Dunlap bats the pass at the line, but even if he doesn’t get a hand on it, the play is going nowhere. It’s a dangerous pass with almost no chance of picking up more than 5 yards.

And another example of a pass that had very little upside.

It’d be nice to see McVay cook up some patterns where Gurley has room to run, rather than simply a short hook route or something toward the flat where a defender is lurking.

This is a designed clear-out route for Gurley from 2018 where the receivers all run patterns to one side of the field and the running back sneaks open underneath. It’s not a pick route, but the goal is the same.

The result is an easy 30-yard touchdown to No. 30.

Here’s another example of that from 2017.

Instead of patterns like those, Gurley’s routes this season have looked more like this. Watch him at the top of the screen. He doesn’t seem interested, knowing the ball isn’t supposed to come his way. It’s almost as if he’s just going through the motions.

Here’s another example of a borderline pointless route run by Gurley. He was merely a checkdown option for Goff, and when he saw the linebacker sitting in the middle of the field, he knew the play was going nowhere.

Thus, a lazy route.

Looking at the numbers and the tape, there are a lot of factors at play here. The offensive line has been terrible, which has resulted in fewer screens. Gurley has dropped a lot of passes, which has likely caused McVay to give him fewer opportunities. And Goff’s inaccuracy isn’t doing Gurley any favors, forcing him to make tough, contested catches.

With all the pressure teams are sending at Goff, it would make sense for McVay to keep them honest with screen passes to negate the blitz. Not a single one has worked yet this season, and it’s caused McVay to lose confidence in running such plays.

It’s hard to fathom how a player of Gurley’s caliber has gone from being so great as a receiver to becoming the Rams’ least efficient starter on offense, but it’s the reality Los Angeles is faced with.

Rams will ‘continuously drill’ Jared Goff on avoiding fumbles

Sean McVay knows the importance of Jared Goff keeping both hands on the ball when pressure arises.

Jared Goff is having a rough year despite ranking among the league leaders in passing yards. He’s regressed in every other notable statistical category, from completion percentage to touchdowns, to turnovers to yards per attempt. His passer rating has dropped significantly, too, going from over 100 in 2017 and 2018 to 82.7 this season.

One of Goff’s biggest flaws is his inability to protect the ball in the pocket. He led the league with 12 fumbles last season and is on pace to shatter that number in 2019. Goff has already fumbled it nine times in nine games, losing five of those fumbles.

Against the Steelers, he had three fumbles (one lost) to go along with two interceptions. That’s not the ball security any coach wants to see from his quarterback, let along one making as much money with as much experience as Goff.

Sean McVay said on Thursday that the Rams’ coaches will continue to emphasize the importance of ball security to Goff – and the rest of the offense, for that matter.

“Anytime you talk about that, everybody has a responsibility – coaches, player. Playing in the timing and rhythm sometimes taking a sack, keeping two hands on the ball is the best thing to be able to do there. I think it’s a collaboration of everybody, but that is certainly something that is a point of emphasis, you try to drill it,” he said. “It’s always hard to truly mimic and emulate that when you don’t get tackled and you don’t have the ability for guys really swiping at that hand, but he understands the importance of it. It’s something that we’re going to continuously drill and make a big point of emphasis and just keep drilling and keep working at it. We trust that, the things that we are talking about and I know how conscientious he is as well. That’s where you will start to see, hopefully some tangible results. It is a credit to those guys, but that’s definitely something that’s a point of emphasis for us as an offense, not exclusive to Jared.”

Goff’s nine interceptions are certainly a cause for concern, but so are his nine fumbles. His careless nature in the pocket when it comes to protecting the ball has become a troubling trend for the young quarterback, and the Rams are fortunate only five of his nine fumbles have been lost.

You can bet the Bears’ defensive front has recognized Goff’s carelessness in the pocket and will attack the ball when getting close to the quarterback. He fumbled it once in the Rams’ loss to Chicago last season, also throwing four interceptions.

[vertical-gallery id=625408]

Bears RB David Montgomery’s status for Week 11 in jeopardy

The Bears might be without starting RB David Montgomery against the Rams, as Montgomery nurses a rolled ankle injury.

As the Chicago Bears, who are clinging to their playoff lives, prepare for a do-or-die primetime matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, they might have to play without their starting running back.

Rookie David Montgomery was held out of Thursday’s practice after “lightly” rolling his ankle Wednesday.

Bears coach Matt Nagy remained mum on Montgomery’s status other than they’re going to take it day-by-day and make sure he’s good to go, should he play Sunday.

“I can’t say either way,” Nagy said, via the Sun-Times. “We’ll just kind of keep an eye on it as it goes here and see how it is [Thursday]. We’re working through [Thursday], and see how he goes.”

If Montgomery can’t go, Ryan Nall, who made his first career start last week against the Detroit Lions, would likely take over Montgomery’s role and get a bulk of the offensive load, along with Tarik Cohen. Nall played on special teams against the Lions, but he didn’t play a single offensive snap.

Chicago could also employ receiver Cordarrelle Patterson in the run game, as he’s been used as a power back at times this season.

Mike Davis would’ve been next in-line to replace Montgomery, but the Bears released Davis last week in order to better their odds at securing a fourth-round compensatory pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

[lawrence-related id=430862,430850,430838,430810]

Bears injury report: David Montgomery misses Thursday’s practice with ankle injury

The Bears released their Thursday injury report ahead of a matchup against the Rams, and RB David Montgomery’s ankle injury is a concern.

As the Chicago Bears prepare for a pivotal NFC showdown against the Los Angeles Rams, there’s some concern about whether their starting running back will be ready for primetime.

Rookie David Montgomery popped up on the injury report Wednesday, where he was limited with an ankle injury. The fact that Montgomery missed Thursday’s practice is definitely concerning heading into a game where the offense really needs to establish the run game.

Coach Matt Nagy said Montgomery rolled his ankle during Wednesday’s practice.

Four other Bears players missed Thursday’s practice, including tight end Trey Burton (calf), linebacker Isaiah Irving (quad), linebacker Danny Trevathan (elbow) and newcomer to the injury report tight end Adam Shaheen (foot).

With Burton and Shaheen on the injury report, the Bears are thin at tight end, where Ben Braunecker and J.P. Holtz are currently the only healthy tight ends on the roster. Braunecker had success last week against the Detroit Lions, where he caught his first-career touchdown — a touchdown that jumpstarted three straight scoring drives.

Irving hasn’t practiced since before a Week 8 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, as he’s dealt with a quad injury sustained in that same game. His status will likely prompt linebacker James Vaughter’s promotion from the practice squad sometime this week.

There hasn’t been an update on Trevathan’s gruesome injury, and it’s no surprise that he didn’t participate in practice Thursday. Nick Kwiatkoski stepped in for Trevathan against the Lions, and the Bears will be looking for continued production from him.

[lawrence-related id=430850,430838,430810,430795,430787]

Tyler Higbee, Gerald Everett expected to play vs. Bears on Sunday

The Rams are expected to have both of their safeties on Sunday night against Chicago.

There were two surprise additions to the Rams’ injury report on Wednesday as they began their week of practice. Tyler Higbee was a non-participant with a knee injury, and Gerald Everett was limited with a wrist issue.

Sean McVay clarified on Thursday during his press conference that both players are expected to be OK and their injuries aren’t significant. If everything goes according to plan, they’ll be available against the Bears on Sunday night.

“They were just sore from the game. So Tyler has a knee and Gerald with the wrist. But really being more smart than anything with those guys, so Tyler today again will be – he was just out there in a limited fashion with the walk-thru. He’s going to miss practice,” McVay said. “And then we’ll have Gerald just be smart about that as well. Both of those guys, if things go the way we want, we’re expecting them to be able to play. We just want to be smart with them throughout the week.”

Higbee and Everett have once again shared the workload at tight end this season with Everett being the leading player at that spot. He’s caught 34 passes for 365 yards and two touchdowns this season, playing 64.5% of the snaps compared to 43.8% for Higbee.

The Rams do know a few players they’ll be without on Sunday, though. Brandin Cooks, Rob Havenstein and Darious Williams have all been ruled out already.

[vertical-gallery id=625408]

Rams’ predictability out of shotgun is becoming a huge flaw

The Rams throw the ball 96% of the time when they’re in shotgun, and teams are picking up on that glaringly obvious trend.

For two years, Sean McVay was one of the toughest coaches to figure out. His offense was dynamic and difficult to stop, helping elevate the play of everyone from Todd Gurley to Robert Woods to Jared Goff.

The basis of his offense is utilizing 11 personnel, pre-snap motion and play-action passes to deceive the defense. After all, common says having the same 11 players on the field for nearly every play makes it difficult to predict whether it’s a pass or run coming.

For two years, his scheme worked to perfection. This season has not been so kind to McVay with many suggesting he’s been exposed by opposing defenses. To an extent, that assessment isn’t necessarily wrong. But at the same time, the offensive line is decimated and Goff has regressed as a result.

But if there’s one thing McVay can control, it’s tendencies and tells. One in particular sticks out like a sore thumb when you watch the Rams play – and it’s probably something you’ve noticed yourself.

The Rams never run the ball out of shotgun formations.

According to Inside Edge, running backs have only gotten 12 carries out of the gun this year, picking up 45 yards on such plays. Both numbers are the lowest in the NFL by a wide margin. When the Rams go into shotgun formations, they throw the ball 96% of the time, according to Sharp Football Stats. Of course, that’s the widest differential in the league, with the next-closest team being the Buccaneers (91% pass).

When under center, the Rams are more balanced. They throw the ball 35% of the time (8th-highest) and run it 65% (25th). That’s why they’re able to run play-action fakes when the running back is lined up behind Goff, because there’s actually a threat to run the ball.

Sharp Football Stats

Out of the gun, the Rams don’t even bother trying with ball fakes. You almost never see Goff fake the handoff to Gurley when the two are lined up side by side. That’s because Gurley has only carried it eight times out of the shotgun for a measly 17 yards. Where’s the threat defenses have to account for?

Against the Steelers on Sunday afternoon, this tendency was on full display in the fourth quarter. On their last two drives, the Rams were in shotgun on every single play. Even with all three timeouts and nearly three minutes on the clock during their first drive, there was never a threat to run the ball by Los Angeles. No fake handoffs, no under-center plays, no play action. This tendency is so glaringly obvious that the Steelers almost certainly picked up on it coming into the game and knew that when the Rams were in shotgun, there was almost no chance they were going to run the ball.

As a result, they pinned their ears back and rushed Goff every time he was in the gun. This might seem obvious late in the game, and it is. Down five points, most teams are going to be airing the ball out. The Rams didn’t have to with three timeouts, but that’s the strategy they opted for.

This is the play just before the two-minute warning – a situation where running the ball is absolutely an option. Look how quickly the Steelers’ edge rushers get up the field, knowing there’s no chance the Rams are going to hand it off.

Clearly, gaining 3.8 yards per carry on rush attempts out of the gun doesn’t inspire much confidence. However, the fact that they’re not even trying to run it out of that formation is allowing defenses to know what’s coming. This wasn’t as big of a deal last season when teams were still trying to figure out McVay’s offense, but the Rams rarely ran it out of shotgun then, either.

They threw it 96% of the time out of the gun and ran it just 4% of the time. In 2017, the gap was closer: 87% run, 13% pass. With a full year of tape from last season to watch, and that tendency standing out so clearly, defenses have likely figured out what’s coming when Goff is in the gun – and McVay has yet to adjust.

It doesn’t help that the Rams have been in the shotgun more often this year than they were last year. In 2018, they used shotgun 38% of the time compared to 46% of the time this season. The more they use shotgun formations, the more predictable the offense gets.

Goff came from an Air Raid offense in college and lived in the shotgun at Cal. McVay has catered the offense to his skill set the last three years, giving him far more pass attempts out of the gun than under center since 2017. It also fits with what Gurley does best, running it from traditional singleback formations.

As bad as Gurley has been out of the gun in his career, the Rams do have a guy with a skill set that can have some success in those situations: Darrell Henderson. With Gurley seeing his workload limited, the Rams should take advantage of Henderson and hand him the ball out of the gun. At least that will keep the defense on its toes, rather than allowing edge rushers to pin their ears back and get after the QB.

Or what about a run-pass option (RPO)? The Eagles used that heavily on their march to the Super Bowl a few years ago. It’s an easy way to limit the effectiveness of a team’s pass rush, causing the defensive linemen to freeze for a second to read the play. Running RPOs with Goff and Henderson could be a nice wrinkle to the offense.

No matter what the solution is, McVay has to at least bring some unpredictability into the equation when the Rams line up in the gun. With no threat to run the ball, defenses are hardly ever fooled and pass rushers are teeing off on Goff. With a makeshift offensive line, that’s a disastrous combination.

[vertical-gallery id=625408]

Bears WR Allen Robinson ready to face former teammate CB Jalen Ramsey in Week 11

Bears WR Allen Robinson has a tall task in front of him in Week 11: Facing former Jaguars teammate CB Jalen Ramsey.

When the Chicago Bears head to Los Angeles to face the Rams, receiver Allen Robinson will find himself locked in a battle with former Jacksonville Jaguars teammate cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

It’s safe to assume that Ramsey will cover Robinson exclusively, looking to take away quarterback Mitchell Trubisky’s top target. A challenge that Robinson welcomes.

‘‘It’s gonna be physical, it’s gonna be competitive, it’s gonna be fun,’’ Robinson said, via the Sun-Times. ‘‘I’m definitely looking forward to it. . . . I talk, he talks, so it’ll be fun.’’

In a season where the Bears offense has struggled immensely, Robinson has been the gear that has made the offense go. Robinson’s production this season — with 53 catches for 618 yards and three touchdowns — is already nearing his production from 2018. And there’s still seven games remaining.

Given Robinson’s success, it’s no wonder why nearly 27% of Chicago’s passes go Robinson’s way. In fact, no other wide receivers have neared 300 yards receiving or half his receptions.

Trubisky and the Bears’ offense will need to be aware of Ramsey’s presence, as he’s always a threat to make a play. While Robinson typically is Trubisky’s security blanket, it’s going to be much more difficult to get him the ball.

‘‘We expect him to match A-Rob,’’ Trubisky said of Ramsey. ‘‘Obviously, he’s in a new scheme, so I think he’s still getting used to that. But most of the time he’s matching, and he’s just gonna cover his guy and try and shut that down.’’

Robinson knows Ramsey well, and he expects nothing short of a physical battle.

‘‘At some of the catch points, he tries to be a little more physical,’’ Robinson said. ‘‘If you catch the ball on the sideline, you know he’s gonna be physical. There’s a lot you can expect in this game.’’

[lawrence-related id=430769,430747,430714,430670,430651]

Eric Weddle nominated by Rams for Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award

Eric Weddle is the Rams’ nominee for the prestigious award.

Eric Weddle is one of the most well-respected players in the NFL and it was evident right away after he signed with the Rams. He was quickly voted a captain and called a “genius” by his teammates, emerging as a leader right out of the gates.

On Thursday, he was honored by the Rams as their nominee for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award. The award recognizes players who best exemplify sportsmanship on the field, which Weddle certainly does.

Last year, the Rams nominated Todd Gurley, though Drew Brees went on to win the award.

The winner will be announced before the Super Bowl at the NFL Honors show and will be determined by a vote from current players. Eight finalists will be selected in December.

Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky knows offense still has long way to go

Chicago’s win over the Lions was a step in the right direction, but QB Mitchell Trubisky knows that the offense still has a long way to go.

Last Sunday’s game against the Lions might’ve been exactly what Bears third-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky needed to get on track after a season spent spiraling off it.

Trubisky was able to overcome a slow start against the Lions, something he wasn’t able to do in previous games against the Packers, Saints, Chargers and Eagles. He attributed that to staying calm and communicating on the sideline, where they were able to correct mistakes and go out and make plays.

While the Bears’ Week 10 win over the Lions was certainly a step in the right direction, Trubisky knows that the offense still has a long way to go before they’re where they want to be.

“We’re not exactly where we want to be yet, but a win definitely gives you confidence moving forward because at the end of the day, no matter what you did you came away with the result you wanted and that’s a win,” Trubisky said, via ChicagoBears.com. “We’ve still got to find ways to pull together, continue to work harder and get better and try to go 1-0 this week. That’s the focus and we’ve just got to continue to stick to that.”

It won’t be easy against a dominant Rams defense that held the Bears to just 15 points last season in Chicago — a game where Trubisky tossed three interceptions coming off a shoulder injury.

As Chicago prepares for a rematch against the Rams, Trubisky says the offense is focused on converting redzone opportunities into touchdowns, something they only managed to do once against the Rams in 2018.

But Trubisky and co. will have to do it against a defense led by defensive tackle Aaron Donald and cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

“They’ve got obviously really talented players in Donald and they do a lot of stuff up front with twists and getting pressure,” Trubisky said. “Last year they kind of zoned us out and tried to keep everything in front and kind of take away our big plays, so for us it’s just going to be being good on first and second down, trying to establish drives, stay on the field, and we’ve got to find ways to score points.”

“They did a good job of keeping us out of the end zone and made us settle for some field goals last year, so we’d like to find ways to punch it in and when we get into the red zone, finish drives. That’s going to be the focus. But we know we’re going against a talented defense and they’ve played a lot of tough games this year, as have we, so we’ve just got to find ways to make it happen and on game day execute better than they do.”

 

Rams Wire discussion forum: How should LA use Todd Gurley in final 7 games?

Should the Rams use Todd Gurley more in the final 7 games? Or does he not deserve more touches?

The Rams have been reluctant to let Todd Gurley loose this season, giving him fewer than 20 carries in each game so far. It hasn’t worked as the offense has sputtered, but is it time for the coaches to use him as a workhorse with only seven games remaining?

How do you think the Rams should use him moving forward? Share your thoughts and join the conversation on the Rams Wire Forum.