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laram
So how do you explain Steven Jackson ending his career as the Rams all-time leading rusher having faced 8-9 in the box his entire career?
And who were the qb's and downfield threats he had again?
No RFL it's not that simple. It's much more nuisance than you portend
I don't think things like this are ever simple. For example, I would acknowledge that Gurley does not appear to be the warrior that SJ was. There are different types of RBs. SJ was the kind who would hammer into the brick wall all day and emerge with 78 yards of tough sledding.
And yet, I am not sure that this example really disproves my point. SJ battled on for years in lousy offenses. He rarely broke out the way he would have done playing with a good passing game. He ground out tough yards under the weight of a moribund offense. Imagine him in his prime running behind a really good passing game.
I don't think Gurley is the sort of RB that SJ was. He doesn't appear to be as tough-nosed or as relentlessly patient. So why did he thrive in '15 but not '16?
Well, remember that he came in a few weeks into the season. Teams were not focused on him yet. He had success, and then teams shifted their focus. By the end of the year, the brick wall was descending on him as teams assessed the threat he posed and the lack of passing threat.
No, it's not simple. It never is. But complex systems can revolve around an organic core, like a spider's web radiating from one small creature. What I am saying is that the lack of a passing game has undercut everything the team has done for, what, 15 years?
Think about it. Our defense has flirted with excellence. Our STs have flourished at times. Our running game has looked good. In all of those areas, we have competed effectively, at least at times.
But we have not thrown the ball competitively in all that time. The lack of passing game competence has undercut everything we've tried to do. The dry rot of that unit has robbed us of opponents' respect, encouraged them to ignore our downfield threat, and sapped the resolve of our other units. For more than a decade, two constants have persisted: a lousy passing game and team failure. Everything else has risen and fallen but those constants have remained.
Some of it was bad fortune. Fisher came in and Sam had some success before getting injured repeatedly. Still, what was every Ram fan pleading for, year after year, WRs who could actually run routes, catch the ball, and move the chains. Fisher was never a passing guru, but he understood that you need to pass. He made efforts to address the problem, and all failed for various reasons. And the team's competitiveness eroded year after year. Last year, when even the rookie stud couldn't help a dysfunctional passing game, the whole team collapsed in disgust and despair.
Again, I AGREE with assessments that cite an array of things. I just feel that they all circle around that organic core: passing ineptitude. Scratch the surface of any Ram dysfunction, and I think you quickly touch the dry rot of a team that has not been able to pass the ball at NFL lkevel for a long, long time.
Well, whatever. History is only important insofar as it bears on the future. We will soon see if this OL and Gurley will find ways to run the ball again. I personally think it will depend on the passing game. But we will see.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/08/2017 09:04AM by RFL.
