Todd Gurley points to apathy as the cause of the Rams’ ‘middle school offense’

If you think it stinks being a Los Angeles Rams fan, imagine how it feels to be Todd Gurley.

The second-year running back looked like a superstar in his rookie season. He was a non-stop highlight reel, finishing the year with 1,106 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging more than 85 yards per game and 4.8 yards per rushing attempt. And he only played in 13 games.

This year, Gurley can’t buy a highlight in an offense that’s terrible even by the low standards the Rams established under Jeff Fisher and his rotating cast of clueless offensive coordinators. Gurley has 740 yards and five touchdowns through 13 games. He’s averaging a replacement-level 3.3 yards per carry and 57 yards per game, as the centerpiece of an offense that’s bottomed out, scoring less than 15 points per week.

“It looked like a middle school offense out there,” a frustrated Gurley said after Sunday’s 42-14 loss to the Falcons.

Fitting. The Rams were described as a “junior high” by sources talking to Albert Breer of the MMQB about the internal dysfunction that’s gripped the team. At least they have the offense to match.

Asked about how to get the offense going, Gurley didn’t have any more answers than the coaching staff. But he pinned the problems squarely on his teammates, without naming any names or even specific units. It was a collective failure in Gurley’s opinion.

“Coaches aren’t out there playing,” he said. “Coaches don’t have nothing to do with it. This is us. We are on the field.”

Gurley implored his teammates to “show up and play.” When asked if that’s what the Rams had been doing, he gave his starkest answer and some damning insight into the Rams’ failings.

“I don’t. I really don’t,” he said. “Just going through the motions, I feel like everyone is just playing to get through.”

If that really is the case, then Gurley’s wrong. That’s a coaching problem.