This season has been a roller coaster for former UGA star and current Rams tailback Todd Gurley. After 2017 and 2018 campaigns in which he was a legitimate MVP candidate and unarguably the best running back in the NFL, Gurley experienced knee issues towards the end of last season that have evidently carried on to the current campaign.
On Sunday, Gurley ran just five times during the Rams’ stunning loss to the Tampa Bay Bucaneers, and after the game, head coach Sean McVay didn’t offer much in the way of an explanation.
“There’s a lot of different things,” he said when asked about Gurley’s severely limited usage. “Ultimately, it’s our job to figure out what we think is the best way to move the football and score points. That’s what we decided on, that’s what I decided on today.”
Although McVay may be telling the truth, which we are skeptical of, it seems odd that he would deem only giving Gurley the ball five times an optimal strategy to win if Gurley is in good health as he claims.
McVay was asked if the reason for limiting Gurley’s usage early in games – he did not get a cary until midway through the second quarter – was to keep him fresh for the second half.
“No, there’s none of that,” he said. “We’re doing what we can to try to find a way to win games. It’s not about conversing, We’ve got to win right now and that’s the most important thing. There’s nothing like that.”
