RADIO
The St. Louis Rams did not have a good start to the 2015 season. It appears that is most definitely in the past. While the San Francisco 49ers aren’t exactly the perfect measuring stick to calculate your own talent against, the Rams have come out firing lately on the heels of a very strong defense, the resurgence of Tavon Austin, and the emergence of Todd Gurley.
Nick Foles is not going to light the world on fire as a quarterback, and in most cases you’re going to see him be more game manager than actual quarterback for St. Louis. For a while there, it was the inconsistent Jared Cook that was his number one target, which does not bode well for success. Tre Mason was beat up early in the year, and Benny Cunningham was forced into the starting position at running back. While both of them ended up performing admirably (Cunningham much more so), they were clearly just keeping the seat warm for Todd Gurley’s arrival.
Gurley had torn his ACL during his junior year at Georgia and declared for the draft. The Rams took him knowing that he would not be ready for the start of the season. They just hoped that he would be able to hit the ground running with relative ease, and be able to be a superstar for them someday. I don’t think anyone envisioned such swift success from Gurley. He has started four games for the Rams now, and his worst rushing total was 128 yards (he happened to score two touchdowns that game). Gurley is on a warpath through opposing defenses. Arizona and Green Bay have both shown that they aren’t easy to run on, and yet those were his first two matchups. He has since been gifted with softer ones against Cleveland and San Francisco. He has dominated them all.
Tavon Austin cannot be forgotten either, not today at least. Viewed as more of a gadget player, one who was said could not really digest an entire playbook, Austin has also had a good string of four games alongside Gurley. In this week’s dominant victory over the 49ers, Austin had three rushes for 21 yards and a touchdown, as well as four catches for 98 yards and another touchdown. It appears this Rams’ offense is starting to find an identity as it becomes whole thanks to a rising star at running back. The Vikings bring a tough test for them next week, but they appear up to the task.
