Could RB Cam Akers become the Shohei Ohtani of the LA Rams?

Cam the Ram

Rams’ running back Cam Akers would be my No. 1 bet for an Ohtani-like performance, simply because he played quarterback in high school. Led his team to a Mississippi State High School championship his senior season, too. Didn’t play QB in college at Florida State, but he can sling it. It’s just another arrow in his quiver. The dual-threat option.

And ya’ know, to pull an arrow from a back quiver, you must reach over your shoulder and “feel” for it. It takes a little practice. (to re-load quickly)  So McVay’s gotta get a “feel” for it , too, by finding just the right time to deploy Akers in that dual-threat mode.

McVay has even talked about the versatility element Akers brings to the squad.  “There’s not anything he can’t do, that’s why we liked him so much,” McVay said. “I mean the versatility, the overall athleticism, the toughness. He can really run any scheme. He can take a hand off from the off-set gun or if he’s in the dot. So, that’s what you just liked about him, was the body of work and the versatility, the ability to create plays on his own.”

Off-set gun, or in the dot. Man, that’s some football chalk talk we love to hear. Such is the gruel upon which we mere football mortals sustain ourselves. Gimme’ sum o’ dat.

After all, Matthew Stafford’s not exactly the most mobile or nimble of QBs, certainly not anymore after 13 years on the gridiron before coming to the Rams. Why not throw Akers in the mix every now and then? Let him sling a few outta’ the backfield, or direct snaps from center. Keep the defense guessing. If nothing else, it’s more for the other guys to game-plan for. Or, use him as a decoy. The mind reels.

And speaking of reels, show it early in the season, so defensive coordinators have that much more to think about when they watch game tape of the Rams and have to devise their own counters. Make their side work a bit.