Jeff Fisher Needs to Break His Mold, Stick with Tre Mason at Running Back
St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fisher can be confusing with his actions, and his words. His hard rockin’ and deep woods hunting/car chasing is also confusing, but that’s a conversation for another time.
The target of Fisher’s general oddness has been his offensive backfield, a place where a direction seems to exist before it doesn’t. Fisher has assured us that despite all appearances a three-headed monstrosity may still win the day on any given week. Which is a problem, because taking the ball from the hands of your best weapon at a core offensive position is always a problem.
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Rams running back Tre Mason has emerged as that weapon. The diminutive (5’8”) third-round pick from last spring was inactive for the Rams’ first four games. Then he finally played his first meaningful NFL snaps in Week 6, and Mason quickly added another layer of confusion to the Fisher mystique.
The question was automatic: Why did it take so long for the Rams’ most talented running back to receive even a single snap?
And now a few weeks later a similar question is still an impulsive reaction as palms hit faces. Why is there even any discussion whatsoever about having a lead running back who isn’t named Tre Mason?
Fisher told Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that a running back-by-committee approach and riding the hot hand will continue in Week 10.
“We’re going to go with the same thing,” he said. “I can’t tell you who’s starting this week.”
Fisher still remained deep in that state of confusion and self-denial, even after Mason was given 19 carries during a win over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 9 (the most for any Rams running back this season).
We can only hope what Fisher is saying publicly regarding the carry distribution between his running backs is some gamesmanship with the Arizona Cardinals, the Rams' upcoming opponent. Because it’s not difficult to see why Mason deserves to have (and keep) the largest slice of this backfield pie when his production is compared to fellow running backs Zac Stacy and Benny Cunningham.
| Rushing Yards | |
| Tre Mason | 222 |
| Benny Cunningham | 108 |
| Zac Stacy | 81 |
Mason has averaged over 4.5 yards per carry in three of his four games, while Cunningham has been at or below 3.0 three times during the same stretch.
Putting the ball in Mason’s hands far more often seems like the most rudimentary coaching decision, especially with the Rams offense suddenly thirsting for playmakers with wide receiver Brian Quick gone for the year.
Yet Fisher is still speaking those odd, confusing committee words. Worse, this was sandwiched between two high-volume carry games for Mason…
That’s from a Week 8 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs when the 16 carries for Rams running backs were divided up into near-equal portions (seven for Mason, five for Stacy and four for Cunningham). Wide receiver Tavon Austin muddied the waters even further with two carries.
Both common sense and the gradual decay of running backs as they advance closer to the age of 30 tell us every team needs to have backs share the workload to some extent. But the goal is typically to sprinkle a secondary runner in for a half-dozen or so carries, keeping the primary runner fresh.
The Rams don’t need to look far to see how that’s done. Elsewhere in the NFC West, the 49ers have given Frank Gore 70 percent of their carries, while rookie Carlos Hyde has absorbed some of the abuse by taking on most of the rest of workload. Looking at the league’s current top 10 rushing teams, only the New Orleans Saints have what can be considered a true three-headed backfield.
There’s something to be said for rhythm and getting into the flow of a game. A workhorse running back can gradually get a read on the nuances of the opposing defense, banking valuable pieces of information to be used during a crucial fourth-quarter drive. That rhythm and reading is either minimized or erased entirely when a head coach spins the running back carousel.
It gets even more difficult to understand why continuing with a committee would be discussed when Mason is given the standard eyeball test. That’s all you should need, because watching him is hard when he goes into full blur mode.
In his first game Mason was called on for a meager six touches. He turned that into 52 yards, 24 coming on his first NFL carry.
Then in a Week 7 win over the Seattle Seahawks he was rewarded with 18 carries, finishing with 85 yards at a pace of 4.7 per carry. The quick, evasive runner scored his first career touchdown and also chugged toward another chunk gain, this time a 28-yard run.
The best way to show just how much quickly Mason goes from the backfield to somewhere else far away past many whiffing defenders is through a simple comparison to his peers. Note that in one column Mason is either tied or only slightly behind, but in the other (his workload thus far) he’s not even close.
| Total carries | +20 yard runs | |
| Andre Ellington | 149 | 4 |
| Alfred Morris | 152 | 4 |
| Marshawn Lynch | 135 | 3 |
| LeSean McCoy | 161 | 3 |
| Tre Mason | 49 | 3 |
There are currently 19 running backs with at least three 20-plus yard runs. The average carry total among that group is 107, more than doubling Mason’s opportunities.
For Mason, hitting those home runs is more than just sheer speed (though yes, that helps). He uses his acceleration to play a game of angles, taking the best possible one himself while eliminating angles for opposing linebackers.
We saw that on his 28-yard gain against the Seahawks, the longest run this season by any Rams running back. An off-tackle run to the left side was executed from the I formation, with Mason following behind tight end Cory Harkey (used as a fullback here) and left tackle Jake Long.
It was blocked well, with a wide hole opening up. But two linebackers—one unblocked, and one only partially blocked—still lurked at the second level. Both Malcolm Smith and K.J. Wright had a chance to fill that hole, or at worst do some damage control and hold Mason to a more moderate gain.
The play then turned into a race to the sideline, with Mason needing to get there and the two linebackers trying to prevent that outcome.
When Mason was entering the hole he saw a flash of color. It was Smith, and the former Auburn running back reacted quickly by planting his right foot and shifting further to his left.
The result of Mason’s sudden deviation and wider path was more space for the runner, and some turf eating for the linebacker.
A successful rushing attack requires winning that game of angles and the running back using them to create missed tackles, gaining yards long after a play should have ended. The most well-executed and designed running plays still often leave at least one defender for the running back to beat on his own.
Even with his light dusting of carries Mason has still forced nine missed tackles, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Three came against the 49ers, one when linebacker Michael Wilhoite thought he had a hole sufficiently plugged.
Mason had other ideas after shifting abruptly and pivoting away on his right foot. Wilhoite was on the ground, and Mason didn’t fall until after a 21-yard gain.
When you have a running back who hits a hole that hard, he has to be used consistently. When you have a running back who can shift that quickly and generate yards on his own, he has to be used consistently. And when you have a running back who's that fast and can make cuts at full stride, he has to be used consistently.
Mind games are good fun, Jeff Fisher, unless they involve elaborate life-ruining plans. But if Mason doesn’t keep getting the bulk of the Rams’ backfield work this week and beyond, logic has lost.
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