Rams' Todd Gurley: Has confidence of new head coach

New head coach Sean McVay suggested Gurley largely was a victim of circumstance last season, ESPN.com's Alden Gonzalez reports.

Analysis:

McVay seems to agree with the general consensus that Gurley was set up for failure, often facing eight-man fronts while running behind a poor line in an offense that couldn't pass the ball. Of course, the 22-year-old running back thrived under similar conditions as a rookie, piling up 1,106 rushing yards at a clip of 4.8 yards per carry in only 13 games. He fell off a cliff in his sophomore campaign, running for only 885 yards (3.2 YPC) despite starting all 16 games. The Rams still don't have the makings of a strong passing attack that can keep safeties out of the box, but they at least signed left tackle Andrew Whitworth, center John Sullivan and wide receiver Robert Woods, the latter of whom owns a reputation as one of the league's best run blockers at his position. The team also acquired a new offensive line coach in Aaron Kromer, who spent the last two years serving in the same position for a Buffalo team with a dominant run game. McVay has a sketchier track record in that department, as the Redskins never ranked better than 19th in rushing yards or ninth in yards per carry during his three-year tenure coordinating the offense.