Tweet
St. Louis Rams' offense is a perfect fit for Steven Jackson
By BILL COATS
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
09/09/2009
There certainly were question marks. But Pat Shurmur knew when he accepted Steve Spagnuolo's invitation to become the Rams' new offensive coordinator that the key elements for the scheme he wanted to run already were in place.
Sure, Shurmur would have to reconstruct a much-abused offensive line, and assemble a cache of sure-handed wide receivers and tight ends. But he felt that quarterback Marc Bulger and running back Steven Jackson provided a solid foundation around which to build.
"Marc is very precise, an extremely accurate quarterback — attributes that are very fundamental to being successful," Shurmur said.
And Jackson, Shurmur added, "is such a magnificent player, it's silly not to give him the football."
Jackson, who will be happy to take it, said, "It's a fun offense, and it's a proven winner. As we see time and time again, teams that run this kind of offense are among the tops in the NFL when it comes to offensive statistics."
So, just what is "this kind of offense?" Opinions vary.
Backup quarterback Kyle Boller calls it "the true West Coast." Other observers see it as a hybrid incorporating West Coast principles. Still others say it only marginally resembles the original West Coast offense that Bill Walsh helped cultivate in the 1970s.
Spagnuolo pleads that the West Coast label not be applied at all.
"I know everybody's putting that tag on it because Pat came from Philadelphia and their quote, unquote West Coast," he said. "I think this offensive coach and this team will develop their own kind of offense. Will there be elements of the West Coast? Yeah. Will there be elements of some other things? Yeah.
"It's going to be a mixture. I think it's unfair to tag it anything."
Unlike Walsh's prototype, a pass-first, run-second approach, Shurmur seeks the kind of parity that was displayed in the four preseason games, when the Rams rushed 122 times and passed 123 times.
"What you hope to be is balanced enough where people can't get a bead on you one way or another, creative enough where you take advantage of some things that they give you, and sound enough that when you get in those situations where you've just got to have something — whether it's a long throw or whether it's just 2 yards on a running play — that you're able to do that," Spagnuolo explained. "When you get to that point, you can be pretty good."
The Rams aren't near that point yet. They averaged 271 yards in the four outings, the second-lowest norm among the league's 32 teams.
Bulger asks for patience.
Shurmur, who had been a defensive assistant with the Eagles since 2002, "is really deliberate, and he's confident," Bulger said. "He's been in this system for so long, he knows it in and out."
PRECISION PASSING
Precision in the passing game is vital, Shurmur stressed, "in terms of throwing a high percentage of completions. And an accurate ball allows the receiver to run after the catch. That allows you to make a high-percentage-type throw with big-play capabilities."
Or as Boller put it, "You don't have to always throw the ball 30 yards to get a 30-yard gain. You can throw it 5 yards and get 30 yards."
The more receivers that are targeted, the better to stretch the field and keep defenders honest, Shurmur added — and 18 different Rams caught at least one pass in the preseason games.
"That means the quarterback's normally doing the right thing," he said. "You expect the defense to do something, and you call a play to attack it. If you get something different, the quarterback's got to see it and execute it."
The goal is basic: quickly get the ball into the hands of the various playmakers and let them do their thing. "The passing game is timing, and the running game is pretty much one cut and go north," Jackson said. "That's as simple as it gets."
ACTION JACKSON
In 2006, the 6-foot-2, 231-pound Jackson led the NFL in yards from scrimmage, with 2,334 — 1,528 rushing and 806 receiving. For the Rams' new attack to prosper, he'll have to come much closer to those numbers than the ones he amassed in 2007 and '08, when he missed a total of eight games because of injuries.
Simply put, the Rams' offense — no matter what you call it — won't function without a major, and diverse, contribution from the running back. "But we also need a quarterback that orchestrates it properly, we need receivers that'll catch the ball, we need offensive linemen that'll come off the ball and block," Spagnuolo emphasized. "It'll never be about one guy; Steven and I have talked about that. But certainly he's an important part of it."
Jackson will be deployed much the same way the Eagles use Brian Westbrook, as a dual-threat rusher-receiver. That would seem to be a good fit for Jackson, who in some sets lines up in the slot or even splits out as a wide receiver.
"A guy like Steven who's versatile inside and outside, that's what we're going to take advantage of," Boller said. "If we can get a mismatch with him on linebackers and safeties ... good night."
An effective ground game will provide more space for the multiple receivers to slip into, as well as lure the defensive backs nearer the line of scrimmage, thus providing chances to air it out vertically.
Conversely, a proficient, multi-proponent passing game will keep the defense from clogging the box between the tackles to combat the run.
"In different offenses, some guys are decoys, just to open up different coverages. In this one, everyone has a good chance of getting the ball on any play," Jackson pointed out.
Rest assured, Jackson will get the ball on many plays.
"I'm going to do my best to be an incredible threat on the field each and every Sunday," he promised, "and trust in my teammates that they're going to do the same."
Write a letter to the editors | Subscribe to a newsletter | Subscribe to the newspaper
Read the latest sports stories | View all P-D stories from the last 7 days
By BILL COATS
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
09/09/2009
There certainly were question marks. But Pat Shurmur knew when he accepted Steve Spagnuolo's invitation to become the Rams' new offensive coordinator that the key elements for the scheme he wanted to run already were in place.
Sure, Shurmur would have to reconstruct a much-abused offensive line, and assemble a cache of sure-handed wide receivers and tight ends. But he felt that quarterback Marc Bulger and running back Steven Jackson provided a solid foundation around which to build.
"Marc is very precise, an extremely accurate quarterback — attributes that are very fundamental to being successful," Shurmur said.
And Jackson, Shurmur added, "is such a magnificent player, it's silly not to give him the football."
Jackson, who will be happy to take it, said, "It's a fun offense, and it's a proven winner. As we see time and time again, teams that run this kind of offense are among the tops in the NFL when it comes to offensive statistics."
So, just what is "this kind of offense?" Opinions vary.
Backup quarterback Kyle Boller calls it "the true West Coast." Other observers see it as a hybrid incorporating West Coast principles. Still others say it only marginally resembles the original West Coast offense that Bill Walsh helped cultivate in the 1970s.
Spagnuolo pleads that the West Coast label not be applied at all.
"I know everybody's putting that tag on it because Pat came from Philadelphia and their quote, unquote West Coast," he said. "I think this offensive coach and this team will develop their own kind of offense. Will there be elements of the West Coast? Yeah. Will there be elements of some other things? Yeah.
"It's going to be a mixture. I think it's unfair to tag it anything."
Unlike Walsh's prototype, a pass-first, run-second approach, Shurmur seeks the kind of parity that was displayed in the four preseason games, when the Rams rushed 122 times and passed 123 times.
"What you hope to be is balanced enough where people can't get a bead on you one way or another, creative enough where you take advantage of some things that they give you, and sound enough that when you get in those situations where you've just got to have something — whether it's a long throw or whether it's just 2 yards on a running play — that you're able to do that," Spagnuolo explained. "When you get to that point, you can be pretty good."
The Rams aren't near that point yet. They averaged 271 yards in the four outings, the second-lowest norm among the league's 32 teams.
Bulger asks for patience.
Shurmur, who had been a defensive assistant with the Eagles since 2002, "is really deliberate, and he's confident," Bulger said. "He's been in this system for so long, he knows it in and out."
PRECISION PASSING
Precision in the passing game is vital, Shurmur stressed, "in terms of throwing a high percentage of completions. And an accurate ball allows the receiver to run after the catch. That allows you to make a high-percentage-type throw with big-play capabilities."
Or as Boller put it, "You don't have to always throw the ball 30 yards to get a 30-yard gain. You can throw it 5 yards and get 30 yards."
The more receivers that are targeted, the better to stretch the field and keep defenders honest, Shurmur added — and 18 different Rams caught at least one pass in the preseason games.
"That means the quarterback's normally doing the right thing," he said. "You expect the defense to do something, and you call a play to attack it. If you get something different, the quarterback's got to see it and execute it."
The goal is basic: quickly get the ball into the hands of the various playmakers and let them do their thing. "The passing game is timing, and the running game is pretty much one cut and go north," Jackson said. "That's as simple as it gets."
ACTION JACKSON
In 2006, the 6-foot-2, 231-pound Jackson led the NFL in yards from scrimmage, with 2,334 — 1,528 rushing and 806 receiving. For the Rams' new attack to prosper, he'll have to come much closer to those numbers than the ones he amassed in 2007 and '08, when he missed a total of eight games because of injuries.
Simply put, the Rams' offense — no matter what you call it — won't function without a major, and diverse, contribution from the running back. "But we also need a quarterback that orchestrates it properly, we need receivers that'll catch the ball, we need offensive linemen that'll come off the ball and block," Spagnuolo emphasized. "It'll never be about one guy; Steven and I have talked about that. But certainly he's an important part of it."
Jackson will be deployed much the same way the Eagles use Brian Westbrook, as a dual-threat rusher-receiver. That would seem to be a good fit for Jackson, who in some sets lines up in the slot or even splits out as a wide receiver.
"A guy like Steven who's versatile inside and outside, that's what we're going to take advantage of," Boller said. "If we can get a mismatch with him on linebackers and safeties ... good night."
An effective ground game will provide more space for the multiple receivers to slip into, as well as lure the defensive backs nearer the line of scrimmage, thus providing chances to air it out vertically.
Conversely, a proficient, multi-proponent passing game will keep the defense from clogging the box between the tackles to combat the run.
"In different offenses, some guys are decoys, just to open up different coverages. In this one, everyone has a good chance of getting the ball on any play," Jackson pointed out.
Rest assured, Jackson will get the ball on many plays.
"I'm going to do my best to be an incredible threat on the field each and every Sunday," he promised, "and trust in my teammates that they're going to do the same."
Write a letter to the editors | Subscribe to a newsletter | Subscribe to the newspaper
Read the latest sports stories | View all P-D stories from the last 7 days
Comment