[dieterbrock]

And he was.

zn wasn’t saying anything to dispute that.

You obviously don’t think Gurley carried an overly heavy workload before he got hurt again against the Chiefs. Fine. That’s your opinion.

I’m sure you expect the same workload for him this year since he wasn’t overworked last year, right?

Stay on track here sport.
I know it’s hard, but focus.
Zn posted info about that stretch, was he “overworked” there too?
Because he had only 19 touches per game during that stretch
So now are we to assume that 19 touches a game is “overworked” too??
Boy, how did Marshall Faulk ever survive?
This regurgitated rhetoric is tiring. Just because McVay wants to add another dimension, a “change of pace” back and spread out the carries doesn’t mean he was “overworked”.
He likes his weapons and the more the merrier.

[/zn/]

Why is this a conflict? Some people think his load will be reduced, some don't. If it is reduced no one really knows by how much. Different views. There's valid reasoning on both sides. And. Time will tell. Shrug.

..

[max]

Why is this a conflict? Some people think his load will be reduced, some don't. If it is reduced no one really knows by how much. Different views. There's valid reasoning on both sides. And. Time will tell. Shrug.

..

There isn’t valid reasoning to say he didn’t have a heavy workload in the first half of last year. If that’s what you’re saying you’re wrong.

[aeneas1]

did gurley have a "heavy worklaod" through the first half of the 2018 season? i guess it could be described as that, or it could be described as gurley having a workload of a top featured back.

so what's the difference between a "heavy workload" and a workload that's not "heavy"?

last year elliott averaged 2.8 fewer touches per game than gurley through the first 8, did elliott also have a "heavy workload"? in 2017 bell average 28.6 touches per game through the first 8 compared to gurley's 2018 average of 25.0, i.e. bell averaged 3.6 more touches per game than gurley - so did both gurley and bell have "heavy workloads"?

anyway, what will gurley's 2019 workload actually look like? if his 2018 touches were 20% fewer he would have still ranked around the top 5 in rb touches on the year - had they been a whopping 30% fewer he would have still ranked top 10.

[max]

did gurley have a "heavy worklaod" through the first half of the 2018 season? i guess it could be described as that, or it could be described as gurley having a workload of a top featured back.

so what's the difference between a "heavy workload" and a workload that's not "heavy"?

last year elliott averaged 2.8 fewer touches per game than gurley through the first 8, did elliott also have a "heavy workload"? in 2017 bell average 28.6 touches per game through the first 8 compared to gurley's 2018 average of 25.0, i.e. bell averaged 3.6 more touches per game than gurley - so did both gurley and bell have "heavy workloads"?

anyway, what will gurley's 2019 workload actually look like? if his 2018 touches were 20% fewer he would have still ranked around the top 5 in rb touches on the year - had they been a whopping 30% fewer he would have still ranked top 10.


VirtualBox_2019-08-21_03-02-14.png

Yes. I saw all those numbers when I put my chart together. I would describe Gurley's workload in the first half of last year as the heaviest he's ever had in his 4 years with the Rams, because it was.

And those touches are right in line with the other bell cow backs over the years, so what is so different for Gurley? As I've said, Gurley banged up his bad knee in the opener and got no rest, instead he carried the load more than he ever had. My bet is that he just gutted it out and never complained even though he was still hurting. And this happened until he wore down and finally got shut down.

So what has happened now? Obviously, they are planning to cut Gurley's workload by playing Brown more, and getting Henderson involved as a change of pace back.

It is foolish to believe that Gurley will be getting 25 touches per game during the regular season. I highly doubt he gets 20.

[/zn/]

There isn’t valid reasoning to say he didn’t have a heavy workload in the first half of last year. If that’s what you’re saying you’re wrong.

My comment was only about predictions for 2019. It was "Some people think his load will be reduced, some don't"

I think it will be though I don't predict by how much. They're going to carry 4 backs, because if you carry 3 and give snaps to all 3 you're in a position where one ding means you're running 2.

The Rams have made it abundantly apparent that their goal is to have Gurley stronger and fresher late in the season and in the post-season.

So that's my vote in the big controversy.

...

[max]

My comment was only about predictions for 2019. It was "Some people think his load will be reduced, some don't"...

I didn't see a post where anyone said his workload won't be reduced, where did you see that?

[aeneas1]

So what has happened now? Obviously, they are planning to cut Gurley's workload by playing Brown more, and getting Henderson involved as a change of pace back.

well sure, mcvay has made it clear that the rams will manage gurley's load, and it's already started.. but in terms of "workload" i'm not sure there's much of a difference between gurley playing 8 offensive series vs 10, touching the ball 20 times vs 25, both strike me as focal point usage, featured back usage, top 5 usage, altho it seems that you think one represents a "heavy load" while the other doesn't?

i mean using your first 8 games yardstick, had gurley booked 137 touches as did howard instead of 200, he would have still ranked in the top 6 percentile in touches among running backs who played in the first half of the 2018 season - wouldn't being among the top 6 percentile qualify as a "heavy workload"?

[max]

well sure, mcvay has made it clear that the rams will manage gurley's load, and it's already started.. but in terms of "workload" i'm not sure there's much of a difference between gurley playing 8 offensive series vs 10, touching the ball 20 times vs 25, both strike me as focal point usage, featured back usage, top 5 usage, altho it seems that you think one represents a "heavy load" while the other doesn't?

i mean using your first 8 games yardstick, had gurley booked 137 touches as did howard instead of 200, he would have still ranked in the top 6 percentile in touches among running backs who played in the first half of the 2018 season - wouldn't being among the top 6 percentile qualify as a "heavy workload"?

The point of all this is that Gurley did indeed get a ton of work after hurting his bad knee in Oakland. It was the most he's ever gotten in his career. I've seen enough of the numbers to know that. That wasn't good for his knee. We saw the results; they weren't pretty.

And that wont happen again.

I don't think that you're buying into the claim that his workload had little to do with his knee situation, at least I hope not. But some here apparently are.

[AvengerRam]

The term "workload" can be defined in several ways.

Touches (runs + receptions) is one (Gurley had 315 or 22.5/game last year).
"Opportunities" (runs + targets) is another (Gurley had 337 or 24.1/game last year).
Snap count is a third (Gurley was in on 825 offensive plays, or 58.9/game last year).

So which would be reduced to create a lighter "workload"?

I'd submit that snap count is the most important. If Gurley plays fewer snaps, without a proportional reduction in touches/opportunities, he'd have a reduced burden of blocking and running routes as a non-primary target. Brown and Henderson can assist in those roles.

Typically, the counterpoint to this is that if Gurley's touches stay the same but his snaps are reduced, the Rams' offense might become more predictable. I don't think that is too big a concern. Gurley was handed the ball or targeted in 41% of his snaps last year. If Gurley played 10 fewer snaps, but had the same number of opportunities, that percentage would go to 49.1%, meaning defenses would still be guessing when Gurley is in whether he's the primary option of the play.