The Ruination of Todd Gurley Continues

[bleacherreport.com]


This past week Todd Gurley rushed for 57 yards. It was the ninth consecutive week he failed to reach 100 yards. Nine. Straight. Weeks.

Remember when Gurley was going to wreck this league? Remember when he was compared to Eric Dickerson? Remember when Gurley was going to rush for 2,000 yards? Remember?

I warned in the spring that the Rams would ruin Gurley, a unique talent, one of the most unique we've seen in the past four or five years. But now we are seeing it in action.

It's rare for us to see—firsthand—bad coaching ruin a potential Hall of Famer. But that is what we are witnessing. Gurley doesn't stand a chance with the Rams. He never did.

Things could change for Gurley in the future if Jared Goff starts. At some point. This century. But we still don't know how good Goff is. Or will be.

He may be talented enough to open up the offense and take pressure off Gurley. But if he was that good, wouldn't he already be starting?

Maybe Goff needs time, but if the Rams have to wait three or four seasons, Gurley will have a lot more wear on him.

Even if Goff is a quality quarterback, can we trust the offensively challenged Jeff Fisher to tutor him? There's been talk of a Fisher extension for weeks now, but it hasn't come. It probably will happen, but who knows?

I asked several assistant coaches around the league to tell me what was hampering Gurley. Their answers weren't surprising but rang true to anyone who has watched him play: Gurley consistently faces eight- and nine-man fronts. The Rams' quarterback play has been awful, so defenses focus most of their resources on Gurley.

Norm Hall/Getty Images
A great runner facing eight-man fronts is nothing new. Adrian Peterson faced them every game last season and still ran for 1,485 yards. The key is devising blocking and offensive schemes that make defenses pay, even if the quarterback is terrible.

Fisher won't adapt to modern football. His offensive philosophy remains archaic. One assistant coach said his team noticed that one of the biggest problems for Gurley was that he gets the football in far too many obvious running situations.

The talent around him stinks. This is obvious. Fisher simply hasn't put good players on the roster.

It's also been pointed out to me that some of Gurley's struggles are on Gurley himself, particularly his running style. He isn't shifty like Barry Sanders; he isn't going to break a lot of tackles. When he was prospering, Gurley had clearer running lanes.

Those days when Gurley destroyed defenses are over (for now). The NFL, as it always does, has adapted. When that happens, it's up to teams to adapt back. The Rams simply aren't capable of doing that, and Gurley is suffering.

It's important to take note of what's going on in L.A. because there's a potentially great football career being subverted by the decisions of those with the most influence over that career. We don't usually see great players get run into the ground, bit by bit, like a diamond drill taking on ablative armor.

And the ruination of Todd Gurley continues.

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RIP Bucky - 7/25/1943 - 1/19/2013