Practice Report 11/11: Attacking a Strong Run Defense; Britt's HomecomingBy Myles Simmons
As a team, Los Angeles ranks No. 29 in rushing through nine weeks of the 2016 season. To say that’s unexpected would be an understatement, particularly given how the club finished No. 7 in the same category last year and features a healthy Todd Gurley in his second NFL season.
That’s why getting Gurley going is an important factor for the Rams’ second half of the season.
“We’re looking [for] overall improvement. We want to see the arrow go up with respect to the whole football team — and that includes Todd, and that includes his touches, and that includes his production,” head coach Jeff Fisher said. “But that’s an offensive team-oriented challenge that we have to face and we have to meet.”
“Just make sure I’m doing the things to help me out as far as helping out [blockers] as well,” Gurley said of his objectives heading into the final eight games.
The 2015 offensive rookie of the year currently has 451 yards rushing with three touchdowns. But over the Rams’ last three games, Gurley has averaged just 14 carries while the Rams have averaged about 44 passing attempts. Last week against Carolina, Gurley had just two carries in the game’s second half.
That’s not the ideal distribution for Los Angeles’ offense, and Fisher said this week Gurley’s reduction in carries has been in part because the club has been behind and faced so many passing situations. But it’s an issue L.A. has been working hard to correct this week.
“He’s feeling good,” Fisher said. “The are down for a lot of different reasons, but we’d like to see the numbers increase — out of the backfield as well as the carries.”
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