Tag: Todd Gurley

With Robert Woods out, Rams must get RBs involved in passing game

The Rams should utilize Todd Gurley and Darrell Henderson as receivers with Robert Woods out.

The Los Angeles Rams will be without two of their three starting wide receivers on Sunday night against the Bears. Brandin Cooks is out with a concussion, while Robert Woods is inactive and not at the Coliseum as he deals with a personal issue.

That leaves Cooper Kupp as the only starter who is active against Chicago, which complicates things dramatically for the Rams. He’ll start alongside Josh Reynolds, but the Rams utilize three wide receivers on the field at a time more than any other team in the league.

That creates some confusion with the game plan, because the only other receivers who could step up are Mike Thomas, JoJo Natson and the recently promoted Nsimba Webster. It’s hard to imagine any of those three players having a big impact on the game, though.

With Woods out, the Rams must get their running backs involved in the passing game – and that doesn’t just mean Todd Gurley.

Jared Goff has targeted his running backs on just 10% of the Rams’ passing plays, which is the second-lowest total in the NFL. That should change tonight. Sean McVay has to call screens and designed plays to go to the RBs in the passing game, which should help make up for Woods’ absence.

Obviously, the tight ends should be more involved, too, as both Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett are active after battling injuries during the week of practice. However, this should be the game where Gurley and Darrell Henderson break out as receivers.

Gurley’s hands haven’t been reliable, and Henderson has only been targeted six times (four catches), but they have a better chance of impacting this game than Natson, Webster and Thomas.

Behind Enemy Lines: 6 Questions with Rams Wire

The Bears will face the Rams in a rematch of last season’s defensive showdown. So we’re going Behind Enemy Lines to learn about the Rams.

The Chicago Bears (4-5) will face the Los Angeles Rams (5-4) in a prime-time rematch of last season’s defensive showdown.

The Bears broke their four-game losing streak with a divisional victory over the Detroit Lions in Week 10, and they’ll be looking to keep that momentum going against a Rams team that’s struggling on offense.

Before the game, we caught up with managing editor Cameron DaSilva of Rams Wire to get the scoop on the Bears’ Week 11 opponent.

Here are six questions with Rams Wire:

1. The Rams signed QB Jared Goff to a massive extension before the season, but he doesn’t appear to be living up to that contract. He’s had a string of bad performances against good teams. What’s going on with Goff?

A lot of the blame falls on the offensive line. It’s been one of the worst units in the NFL, and Goff is not a quarterback who can overcome poor play up front. He’s not exactly mobile, his pocket awareness is average at best, and he tries to do more with the ball than he should when he’d be better off just taking a sack. Even when he does get time, though, he’s throwing it inaccurately and missing open receivers. He just doesn’t have the confidence he had last season, and much of that is because of the constant pressure he’s been under.

2. Todd Gurley faced a lot of questions this offseason about the status of his left knee, where many wondered if he’d be as effective as he once was. Last week, Gurley had his most efficient game on the ground season the season opener. How have the Rams handled Gurley’s usage this season?

Put simply, not well. They’ve done a poor job managing his workload, as evidenced by him not even getting the ball once in the fourth quarter last week. They keep saying he’s not hurt and he isn’t on a pitch count, but he hasn’t carried the ball more than 18 times in a single game this season. He hasn’t been the player he was the last two years, especially as a receiver, and it’s held the Rams offense back. He needs to be involved more on offense.

3. In the first two years of Sean McVay’s tenure, the offensive line was successful. They were a big part of the Rams’ Super Bowl run. But this season, that hasn’t been the case. They’ve done a poor job of protecting Goff, allowing four sacks last week against the Steelers. What’s wrong with the offensive line?

Injuries and a lack of experience are the primary factors. On Sunday, they’ll have just one player on the offensive line who also started Week 1 (Andrew Whitworth). There will be three players making their first starts of the season at their respective positions, which could lead to a disaster at the Coliseum. This is one of the worst offensive lines in the league, and it’s a big reason for the Rams’ regression.

4. When talking about this defense, the conversation begins and ends with All-Pro DT Aaron Donald. While Donald’s numbers have died off a bit compared to last season — he has six sacks and two forced fumbles in nine games — stats don’t tell the whole story. How have Donald and the Rams’ pass rush looked this season?

Really good. It’s been a bright spot of the defense, as they’ve gotten production out of Clay Matthews and Dante Fowler Jr. at outside linebacker. Donald is as good as he always is, but the fact that other defenders are stepping up certainly helps the defense in a big way. That trio of pass rushers is a handful for any offense.

5. The Rams traded for CB Jalen Ramsey to strengthen their secondary. Has Ramsey been worth the pair of first-round picks the Rams gave up for him? How has the secondary looked since he joined the team?

He’s been somewhat up-and-down so far, but the defense as a whole has been much better since he arrived. He allows them to play more man coverage and blitz more often, which leads to an aggressive style of defense. He’ll match up with Allen Robinson on Sunday night in what should be a good individual battle, and lining him across from No. 1 receivers is why the Rams paid up to acquire him. He was worth the cost, in my opinion.

6. What’s your prediction for the game?

I think the Bears are going to pull off the upset. Their defense has the ability to shut down the Rams, as we saw last season. And while Chicago’s offense is not very good, it’s good enough to win this game. Bears 20, Rams 17

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 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.

Chicago vs. Los Angeles: Which Rams player would you want on the Bears?

The Bears will play the Rams in a primetime matchup, which features a ton of talent. But which Rams player would you want in Chicago?

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The Chicago Bears (4-5) will travel to Los Angeles to take on the Rams (5-4) in a rematch of last season’s defensive showdown.

But make no mistake, these two teams are far from the teams they both were a season ago. The Bears, who were deemed Super Bowl contenders, just broke a four-game losing streak and while they remain “in the hunt,” their chance at the playoffs are slim.

Then there are the Rams, who are coming off a Super Bowl appearance but appear headed in the wrong direction. While their defense continues to be a solid unit — led by reigning Defensive Player of theYear Aaron Donald — it’s their offense that has been struggling of late. The offensive line is a mess, and quarterback Jared Goff has looked as bad, if not worse, than his buddy Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky at times.

But there’s still a ton of talent on the Rams — both on offense but especially defense.

Which begs the question — which Rams player would you want on the Bears?

VOTE!

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Sean McVay admits he should’ve used Todd Gurley more vs. Steelers

Sean McVay tried to explain why Todd Gurley didn’t get in the game in the fourth quarter, saying Malcolm Brown was making plays.

The Los Angeles Rams could do very little offensively against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, picking up only 16 first downs, 306 total yards and scoring zero touchdowns. What they did do well was run the ball with Todd Gurley.

He had 12 carries for 73 yards in what was his most productive game since Week 1 when he had 97 yards on just 14 rushes. Yet, Gurley didn’t touch the ball in the fourth quarter and wasn’t even on the field for the first two drives.

It’s hard to imagine why the Rams abandoned their most effective player on Sunday, and Sean McVay didn’t have a good explanation. On Monday, he did admit that he should’ve done a better job getting him involved more throughout the game, which hardly grants him a pass for that decision.

“Getting a guy like Todd Gurley more involved and more a part of it is definitely something that yesterday benefitted,” he said. “That’s where you say in hindsight, I should have done a better of doing that consistently throughout the game.”

The real reason Gurley was on the bench for most of the fourth quarter has to do with two things: Malcolm Brown and the Rams defense’s inability to get off the field. The former is something McVay can control. The latter is not.

When asked Monday why Gurley wasn’t part of the fourth-quarter game plan, McVay pointed toward Brown’s ability to “make some plays.”

“I think it really just had to do with that we had kind of gone into it and just feeling it out, we feel like he is doing really well, he’s playing at a high level. Malcolm made some tough hard-earned runs too. He’s been a guy that’s demonstrated he can make some plays,” he said. “It’s nothing really other than that. I think like anything else, when you want to be reflective as a coach, you say, ‘Could there have been some things that you wish you had done to maybe keep him in that rhythm?’ I wouldn’t argue with that. I would say, ‘You probably should have done that.’ Those are things that I’ll never claim to make all the right decisions. I think yesterday was something where you probably could have given him an opportunity to continue with that rhythm that he did have going there.”

The second part of the equation was that the Rams didn’t have the ball very much in the fourth quarter. They had it for less than two minutes in each of their first two drives to open the fourth quarter. They gave it up with 10:46 left to play and didn’t get it back until 2:46 – a span of 10 minutes without the ball.

McVay said that obviously played a role in Gurley’s lack of involvement, but there’s little reason to pull him from the game in favor of Brown, who only had 6 yards on two carries entering the fourth quarter.

“(Gurley) did a good job,” McVay said. “You really look at it, the two drives that he did miss, that second drive that Malcolm was in was at 12 and a half minutes left in the game. Then, the next drive starts at two and a half minutes. I think there was a little bit longer time in between drives that typically you usually see. It wasn’t necessarily like that was the true crunch time. Todd had been running really well, but that was the beginning of the fourth quarter in those drives that Malcolm was in there. Then, when you do get the ball back offensively, you’re in two-minute mode, playing down where you’re playing for a touchdown with 2:39 – I want to say – left in the game.”

He continued, admitting he would’ve gotten Gurley the ball if he knew the Rams would go 10 minutes without being back on offense.

“I think there’s always things that you look at as a coach and say, ‘Would you do it differently?’ I think – not to take anything away from Malcolm – but if you knew that that was going to be the last possession you get until two and a half (minutes) left, you probably would say, ‘I would’ve preferred to have Todd get into more of a rhythm and maybe get some touches there.’ There’s nobody to blame there but me,” he said.

Gurley said after the game that he’s “used to” not getting the ball in the fourth quarter. He also said “not really” when asked if he wants it more in crunch time.

McVay said didn’t seem too concerned about Gurley’s answers, saying “anytime that you’re a playmaker like him, you’re going to want that ball and you’re going to want more.”

This situation doesn’t seem to be sorting itself out, but McVay has to find a way to get Gurley more involved – even if it means abandoning the plan to conserve him for the end of the season. The Rams are reaching desperation time and they can’t afford to lose many more games.

Todd Gurley on not getting the ball in 4th quarter: ‘I’m used to it’

Todd Gurley on not getting the ball in the fourth quarter: “I’m used to it.”

Todd Gurley has been a catalyst for the Rams’ offense the last two years. He was a first-team All-Pro in 2017 and 2018, and was named Offensive Player of the Year in Sean McVay’s first season as head coach.

This season has been alarmingly different for Gurley. He’s not getting the ball as much, he’s finding very few running lanes and the Rams are leaning heavily on Jared Goff’s arm. That recipe cooked up by McVay has backfired terribly with the Rams limping to a 5-4 record through nine games.

Gurley seems to have grown frustrated with the offense, specifically with his usage. In Sunday’s loss to the Steelers, Gurley didn’t touch the ball once in the fourth quarter and didn’t even play the first two series to open the final frame.

After the game, he was asked whether he wanted the ball more with the game on the line in the fourth quarter.

“Um, not really. I’m used to it,” he told reporters, via Vincent Bonsignore of The Athletic.

So, you mean to tell me the guy who led the NFL in touches, yards and touchdowns the last two years doesn’t want the ball more in the fourth quarter? That’s hard to imagine, but it says a lot about the current state of the Rams.

In two short sentences, Gurley said more than he has all season. It’s troubling enough that he apparently doesn’t want the ball more with the game on the line, but it might be even worse that he’s “used to it.”

This isn’t to say there’s a rift developing between Gurley and McVay, but it’s clear the running back isn’t happy with his role on offense. As for why Gurley didn’t get the ball in the fourth quarter of a one-score game, McVay said it was “kind of just the rotation.”

“I thought Todd really had some tough, hard-earned runs,” McVay said in his press conference. “We got some drives going, but then at the end of the day, we ended up being in some two-minute situations at the end of the game and it was kind of hard to get back into any sort of flow running the football.”

The part about the Rams getting into two-minute situations late in the game isn’t entirely true. They shouldn’t have felt rushed at any point in the fourth quarter besides their final two drives of the game. Entering the last 15 minutes, the Steelers held just a four-point lead.

And after the Rams’ sack with 12:46 left to play, Pittsburgh was only up two points. What about that situation caused the Rams to panic and completely abandon the run after Gurley racked up 73 yards on 12 carries?

McVay and the coaches have a lot of questions to answer, but none are bigger than their usage of Gurley – and the running back has clearly taken notice of his role on offense.

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