LA Rams: 3 tweaks to improve ‘sloppy’ rushing attack vs. Raiders

‘Sloppy’

The LA Rams head coach Sean McVay didn’t think so. He didn’t pull any punches on the commentary after practice. Mcvay called it ‘sloppy’, ‘not good,’ ‘not clean.’  To be honest, it was exactly what I expected to hear from McVay after that game. The effort put on the field was not synchronized, not choreographed. There were lapses enough that placed the entire rushing offense into a deep hole from the optics.

But there were some good blocks and great plays as well. Throughout the effort in the evening, those positives were overshadowed by missed blocks, bad angles, miscommunication, and even visible signs that some guys were quicker out of their stances than others.

By the time offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell got to the podium, he was also pretty open. In fact, he pretty much admitted to many of the observations we had made in our post-game assessment of the offense.  Running backs didn’t get enough touches. Offensive drives stalled. O’Connell admitted that it’s too early to tell if the Rams have all of the running backs they need (at the 16:35 mark). That is a huge admission that does suggest that the Rams will indeed by shopping the waiver wire. Part of the contributing matter is the number of carries Darrell Henderson can handle week in and week out.

The Rams starting offensive line will suit up for the Chicago Bears. The Rams’ true offense shows up then. But that is not what this is about. You see, the Rams need to find depth in the running back room. That can’t be done. Some commentors believe that I am overreacting to a bad game. But then, in the same breath, are urging the team to grab one, two, or three new running backs. Really?

Isn’t that a lot like throwing money after bad money? Who will these fresh-legged veteran rushers run behind? If you believe that a different running back could have gained 100 yards against the Chargers, you weren’t watching the same game that I was watching. But the Rams can improve their ability to run in three simple tweaks. Here’s how: