Todd Gurley’s Productivity Affected by Rams Move To Los Angeles?

A new theory about what affected Todd Gurley’s productivity in 2016 made its way onto a MMQB podcast.

MMQB’s 10 Things podcast with hosts Andy Benoit and Gary Gramling (h/t Turf Show Times) talked about the struggles the second-year Rams running back had last season. Gurley, the 2015 Associated Press NFC Offensive Rookie of the Year, had an awful 2016, rushing for 885 yards and six touchdowns in 16 games. He played in three fewer games and had four fewer starts in 2015 but rushed for 1,106 yards with 10 TDs.

Gurley averaged a whopping 1.5 fewer yards per carry during his sophomore season in the NFL.

While the hosts talked about the offensive line’s struggles, Benoit threw out another theory in passing as the conversation was winding down:

The other thing you wonder about, and some people you hear whispers about this around the league a little bit, is Gurley was in St. Louis as a rookie, and he was in Los Angeles as a sophomore. He was almost a superstar status when he…went to Los Angeles. And did that factor in? What kind of, did the Hollywood lifestyle appear on to the equation?

It’s worth noting that Benoit and Gramling spent considerable time breaking down how the Rams line couldn’t perform a simple double-team block on an inside zone play and how Gurley’s mentality may have been affected—as he became a bigger part of the rushing woes as the season went on because he wasn’t hitting the holes that were open.

The two spent zero time on the speculation about Gurley’s extra-curricular habits.

The part of that theory that doesn’t add up is the fact that no one accused Gurley of missing holes or running differently to start the season. If the L.A. nightlife had been a factor, surely Gurley’s productivity would’ve been an issue sooner because pundits would’ve noticed that he wasn’t the same from the 2016 get-go.

A previous Rams HQ article already surmised that it was Gurley’s productivity—not that of quarterback Jared Goff—that was the key to improvement in Los Angeles in 2017. If Gurley struggles out of the gate next season, those “whispers” about Gurley off the field may only grow louder.