A Closer Look at the Running Game: Rams (Helu, Hightower and Torain)

[darrelgreenie]

Prior to the Seahawks game roughly 25% of all of our carries went for no gain or a loss. I have contended since last season that our inability to get consistent short yardage in the running game is why we've leaned so heavily towards the pass and that execution (not playcalling) is the primary culprit. If Kyle has a major flaw as a playcaller it is less a matter of being too pass happy than it is occasionally out-thinking himself.

A certain percentage of any teams carries will be for a loss.

Right now 23% of our carries are 'stuffed' by football outsiders http://footballoutsiders.com/stats/ol which makes us 20th.

There teams that have a higher percentage of stuffed runs that run the ball more often and far more effectively then we do (Atlanta @ 25% and Chicago @ 26%).

Stuffed runs are par for the course when it comes to the running game.

But a stuffed runs is the worst possible outcome except for the rare fumbled handoff.

The worst outcomes for a failed pass are worse then the occasional stuffed run.

I think our lack of commitment and lack of diversity in the running game are the reason why we don't run the ball well.

Oddly enough the running game against the Seahawks was more diverse then normal.

IIRC our first run was a toss/pitch which we ran a few times out a various formations (to include Helu TD out of shotgun).

For some reason people seem reluctant to accept that under Kyle's direction we're not a running team and likely never will be.

I don't think the above statement is a value judgement; I think its an objective observation.

I'm not saying Kyle is a bad playcaller or OC.

Only that he's pass happy.

I think Kyle has a tendency to have a low efficiency gameplan.

Being heavily pass focused/imbalanced while not being especially good at passing contributes heavily to this problem imo.

The Seahawks gameplan was a pleasant departure imo.

It was a high efficiency gameplan it opened with screen passes, slant (a seldom used route in our passing game) and dump offs and yes! runs (although not enough imho).

Shanahan has been consistently very slow to work in most of his rookies. That would tend to suggest that it's just part of his process when it comes to breaking in some of these players. Only our first round picks have started right away and each of them were drafted to fill positions where there simply were no other options.

Oh, I don't disagree.

I just feel like its the coach in him that prevents the GM in him from allowing a youth movement to take place.