Rams need rookie Todd Gurley to keep carrying load

ST. LOUIS -- Todd Gurley seemed a bit of a draft day luxury for the St. Louis Rams, given they'd gotten a strong rookie year out of Tre Mason.

Gurley's first two starts back from knee surgery demonstrate he's a cut above and was well worth expending the 10th overall pick.

Sure, the Rams (2-3) had pressing needs on the offensive line. The two rookies they've plugged in, second-rounder Rob Havenstein and third-rounder Jamon Brown, need work on pass protection. But they look just fine in the run game, and the 6-foot-1, 222-pound Gurley has shown a knack for making his own holes, too. He can bowl over tacklers for extra yardage and he's adept at the stiff-arm.

"I try to use it every now and then, bring it out," Gurley said. "The key to the stiff-arm is you can't show it too early, because then the defender will know what you're doing."

The Cardinals were impressed after giving up 146 yards on 19 carries plus two receptions for 15 yards in a home loss to St. Louis two weeks ago.

"He definitely looked healthy," cornerback Jerraud Powers said.

The Packers surrendered 159 yards on a whopping 30 carries by a player supposedly getting eased into the mix coming off knee surgery that cut short his final season at Georgia.

"He's a great young player," Packers linebacker Julius Peppers said. "He grinded, he did a great job."

Coach Jeff Fisher couldn't help riding the hot hand, limiting backup Mason's involvement to seven snaps. Fisher admitted 30 is probably too many touches, and Gurley was on the list of players who got some rest during the bye week.

But he jokingly added, "150 yards over the last two weeks is the sweet spot for me."

Coming back from the bye next week at home against the Browns, and in the 11 games that follow, the Rams will no doubt be leaning on Gurley again as they try to end a string of 11 seasons without a winning record.

"He's a big back and I don't think there's really many backs like him," left tackle Greg Robinson said. "He can really move, too."

Gurley impressed teammates with diligent rehab after getting drafted. He showed his football IQ at Arizona when he gave up yardage to make certain on two breakaway runs that he stayed in bounds and kept the clock running.

"He works as hard on days when nobody's watching as he does on game days when everybody's watching," Brown said. "Hopefully we're together for a long time. That's the plan."

Some of Fisher's best years in Tennessee came when he had a big back, Eddie George, to move the chains. Steven Jackson was that type of back with the Rams, but by the time Fisher arrived in 2012, Jackson's best days were behind him.

In 2013 and '14, the Rams got plenty of mileage out of rookies from the Southeastern Conference, too. Zac Stacy (Vanderbilt) had 973 yards after being picked in the fifth round, and Mason (Auburn) had 775 last year after being selected in the third round -- and not making his first start until the sixth week.

Gurley is just as fast, or faster, than both of them, and has been a lot tougher to bring down.

"He has a tremendous impact on this team," wide receiver Tavon Austin said. "It all starts with the run game."

More runs like the last two weeks should open up the passing game for Nick Foles, who has been under duress and was intercepted four times last week. Two of the picks came inside the Green Bay 10.

Austin has already benefited, catching two touchdown passes against the Cardinals and another on a quick flip from Foles last week, plus has 42 yards on five carries the last two weeks.

Gurley is hungry for more. He was disappointed not to go the distance on a 55-yard jaunt last week, and the offense scoring just 10 points didn't sit well with him, either.

"These guys believe in me," Gurley said. "We are doing a great job, but we need to put stuff together and finish."

That would help a defense plugging holes after injuries to end Chris Long (knee) and outside linebacker Alec Ogletree (broken leg) the last two weeks. Long could miss a few weeks, and Ogletree will be out much longer.