NajehHejan
Footballguy
The train rolls on. Woohoo!
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Zac Stacy Hype Train - Rams (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Maven
- Start date
NajehHejan
Footballguy
I really think we have fantasy gold on our hands. Only injury can stop him. You have a coach who loves to pound the rock. Underwhelming guys behind him. Franchise QB out for the year. WR are mediocre at best. Guy just averaged over 5.2 a carry against tough Seattle D. Assuming full health, I'm riding him at RB2 over Spiller, FJax, Mathews. Choo choo!
Why do people do this? People are so defensive in these threads. Anything that could possibly be perceived as negative is met with silly retorts like this. And this one wasn't even negative.
Cheesedawg
Footballguy
Looks like we aren't the only ones who love Stacy:
Stacy pays off for Rams' ground gameBy Joe Lyons jlyons@post-dispatch.com
After being drubbed 35-11 by the San Francisco 49ers on a nationally televised game on Sept. 26, the Rams were 1-3 and looking for answers.
They decided to get back to the basics, to re-emphasize the run game and return to the power football that head coach Jeff Fisher is known for.
“We’re a different team,” said Fisher, whose Rams take on his former NFL team, the Tennessee Titans, Sunday at noon at the Edward Jones Dome. “We were pretty much forced into that, I think because of some situations that happened, but I kind of like where we’re at.”
The Rams finished October with two wins and two losses, but they deserved a better fate in Monday night’s 14-9 loss to visiting Seattle. While the overall play has improved, probably the key to the team’s recent surge has been the hard-nosed running of rookie Zac Stacy.
Stacy, a 5-foot-8, 214-pounder, was third in the NFL and second among rookies with
344 rushing yards in October. Against Seattle, the league’s No. 2-ranked defense, he set personal bests with 26 carries and 134 rushing yards.
Since the Rams arrived in St. Louis in 1995, just six rookie backs have surpassed the 100-yard mark, and only Steven Jackson — with 148 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles in 2004 — has had a bigger rushing game than Stacy.
“It’s a nice milestone, but we lost. Really, the only stat I’m worried about is wins and losses,” said Stacy, 22. “It all starts up front; the guys on the o-line are doing a great job. Even though we lost, we did some good things against Seattle, one of the top teams in the league. Hopefully that gives us something to build on.”
Stacy, who suffered an ankle injury in Monday’s loss, did not practice Wednesday but expects to be ready for Sunday.
“If Zac can’t go, it means there’s something really wrong with him,” running backs coach Ben Sirmans said. “Even as a rookie, he’s learned that playing running back in the NFL means playing through pain. He’s just a tough young man.”
And that’s something his teammates have come to appreciate.
“Zac’s going a great job seeing the holes, making the cuts and then getting yards after contact,” quarterback Kellen Clemens said.
“The rookie Zac, I think he’s continuing to put the team on his shoulders,” tackle Rodger Saffold said. “He’s going to keep on running and keep on running hard. The yards he’s getting after contact is ridiculous.”
Guard Chris Williams agrees: “He’s doing a great job of eliminating those negative runs. Even when there’s nothing there, he’s getting two or three yards, running through tackles and playing tough. But I’m not surprised — he’s a Vandy guy.”
So is Williams.
At Vanderbilt, Stacy set career marks for rushing yards (3,143) and touchdowns (30) and became just the eighth back in SEC history to post consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
The Rams traded up to select Stacy in the fifth round (160th overall) last April. Despite being slowed by minor injuries in camp, he was the team’s second-leading rusher in the preseason.
But second-year backs Daryl Richardson and Isaiah Pead were the team’s primary running threats when the Rams opened the season.
Richardson ran for 63 yards in a season-opening win over Arizona, and Stacy picked up four yards on his lone carry. Stacy was inactive in losses in Atlanta and Dallas. Against the Cowboys, Pead ran for 20 yards and caught a team-high seven passes.
Against San Francisco, Stacy was on the field for just one play.
“Sometimes you wish you would’ve figured out what you had a little earlier,” Sirmans said. “Based off Zac’s success at Vanderbilt in the top conference in college football, we knew he had talent. But he was a little banged up in camp, and we had Daryl and Isaiah getting the bulk of the reps. They were the guys we’d seen, guys who had actually played in the NFL.
“It can be really difficult to get a true indication of what you have in a player until you see him in live situations.”
But the team-oriented Stacy remained patient.
“That’s the business part of the game,” he said. “We have good backs on this team, and we all prepare the same. I just kept working in practice, and now that I’ve been given an opportunity, I’m just trying to do all I can to make the most of it.”
Stacy ran for 78 yards and averaged 5.6 per carry in a win over Jacksonville and followed up with 79 rushing yards in a road win over the Texans in Houston. In a frustrating loss to the Carolina Panthers, he was held to 53 rushing yards but managed to score his first NFL touchdown on a 4-yard pass from Sam Bradford.
In just four starts, Stacy has rushed for 348 yards and averaged 4.6 per carry. He is second in the league among rookie runners (behind Green Bay’s Eddie Lacy) and is 12th overall in NFC rushing.
“I think we’ve found an awfully good tailback in Zac Stacy, and the line’s doing a heck of a job,” Rams offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said. “We started talking about balance and getting back to the running game, and it’s working for us. We’re awfully proud of where we’re at with the run game.
“I think we knew we were getting a good football player, but what (Stacy) has done the last couple of weeks is very impressive.”
Sirmans noted that Stacy’s powerful running style can be contagious.
“When you get that downhill guy who’s taking shots and still gaining yards, it pumps up those big guys on the offensive line and makes them work even harder to open holes and create running room,” the coach said. “As a player, you see a guy like Zac battling the way he does and it gets everyone around him fired up.
“But what I really like about Zac is his approach to the game. He’s very mature and responsible, and by working on the mental aspects of the game, I think he can be an even better player for us down the line.”
Stacy pays off for Rams' ground gameBy Joe Lyons jlyons@post-dispatch.com
After being drubbed 35-11 by the San Francisco 49ers on a nationally televised game on Sept. 26, the Rams were 1-3 and looking for answers.
They decided to get back to the basics, to re-emphasize the run game and return to the power football that head coach Jeff Fisher is known for.
“We’re a different team,” said Fisher, whose Rams take on his former NFL team, the Tennessee Titans, Sunday at noon at the Edward Jones Dome. “We were pretty much forced into that, I think because of some situations that happened, but I kind of like where we’re at.”
The Rams finished October with two wins and two losses, but they deserved a better fate in Monday night’s 14-9 loss to visiting Seattle. While the overall play has improved, probably the key to the team’s recent surge has been the hard-nosed running of rookie Zac Stacy.
Stacy, a 5-foot-8, 214-pounder, was third in the NFL and second among rookies with
344 rushing yards in October. Against Seattle, the league’s No. 2-ranked defense, he set personal bests with 26 carries and 134 rushing yards.
Since the Rams arrived in St. Louis in 1995, just six rookie backs have surpassed the 100-yard mark, and only Steven Jackson — with 148 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles in 2004 — has had a bigger rushing game than Stacy.
“It’s a nice milestone, but we lost. Really, the only stat I’m worried about is wins and losses,” said Stacy, 22. “It all starts up front; the guys on the o-line are doing a great job. Even though we lost, we did some good things against Seattle, one of the top teams in the league. Hopefully that gives us something to build on.”
Stacy, who suffered an ankle injury in Monday’s loss, did not practice Wednesday but expects to be ready for Sunday.
“If Zac can’t go, it means there’s something really wrong with him,” running backs coach Ben Sirmans said. “Even as a rookie, he’s learned that playing running back in the NFL means playing through pain. He’s just a tough young man.”
And that’s something his teammates have come to appreciate.
“Zac’s going a great job seeing the holes, making the cuts and then getting yards after contact,” quarterback Kellen Clemens said.
“The rookie Zac, I think he’s continuing to put the team on his shoulders,” tackle Rodger Saffold said. “He’s going to keep on running and keep on running hard. The yards he’s getting after contact is ridiculous.”
Guard Chris Williams agrees: “He’s doing a great job of eliminating those negative runs. Even when there’s nothing there, he’s getting two or three yards, running through tackles and playing tough. But I’m not surprised — he’s a Vandy guy.”
So is Williams.
At Vanderbilt, Stacy set career marks for rushing yards (3,143) and touchdowns (30) and became just the eighth back in SEC history to post consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
The Rams traded up to select Stacy in the fifth round (160th overall) last April. Despite being slowed by minor injuries in camp, he was the team’s second-leading rusher in the preseason.
But second-year backs Daryl Richardson and Isaiah Pead were the team’s primary running threats when the Rams opened the season.
Richardson ran for 63 yards in a season-opening win over Arizona, and Stacy picked up four yards on his lone carry. Stacy was inactive in losses in Atlanta and Dallas. Against the Cowboys, Pead ran for 20 yards and caught a team-high seven passes.
Against San Francisco, Stacy was on the field for just one play.
“Sometimes you wish you would’ve figured out what you had a little earlier,” Sirmans said. “Based off Zac’s success at Vanderbilt in the top conference in college football, we knew he had talent. But he was a little banged up in camp, and we had Daryl and Isaiah getting the bulk of the reps. They were the guys we’d seen, guys who had actually played in the NFL.
“It can be really difficult to get a true indication of what you have in a player until you see him in live situations.”
But the team-oriented Stacy remained patient.
“That’s the business part of the game,” he said. “We have good backs on this team, and we all prepare the same. I just kept working in practice, and now that I’ve been given an opportunity, I’m just trying to do all I can to make the most of it.”
Stacy ran for 78 yards and averaged 5.6 per carry in a win over Jacksonville and followed up with 79 rushing yards in a road win over the Texans in Houston. In a frustrating loss to the Carolina Panthers, he was held to 53 rushing yards but managed to score his first NFL touchdown on a 4-yard pass from Sam Bradford.
In just four starts, Stacy has rushed for 348 yards and averaged 4.6 per carry. He is second in the league among rookie runners (behind Green Bay’s Eddie Lacy) and is 12th overall in NFC rushing.
“I think we’ve found an awfully good tailback in Zac Stacy, and the line’s doing a heck of a job,” Rams offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said. “We started talking about balance and getting back to the running game, and it’s working for us. We’re awfully proud of where we’re at with the run game.
“I think we knew we were getting a good football player, but what (Stacy) has done the last couple of weeks is very impressive.”
Sirmans noted that Stacy’s powerful running style can be contagious.
“When you get that downhill guy who’s taking shots and still gaining yards, it pumps up those big guys on the offensive line and makes them work even harder to open holes and create running room,” the coach said. “As a player, you see a guy like Zac battling the way he does and it gets everyone around him fired up.
“But what I really like about Zac is his approach to the game. He’s very mature and responsible, and by working on the mental aspects of the game, I think he can be an even better player for us down the line.”
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jackdubl
Footballguy
No kidding. I own Stacy, as have I owned CJ2k(when he was 2k), Chris Brown, and Eddie George. And Fisher DOES like to run his backs into the ground, which makes them great fantasy players. So, basically saying the exact opposite of what you read.
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jackdubl
Footballguy
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unckeyherb
Footballguy
Looking forward to the near future as well as next year, where do you guys see him? DOes he have the ability and situation to be a RB1 next year?
If he stays a 3-down back, then he would be one of the few in the league who hold that distinction.
Any 3-down back will get Top 10 consideration.
Risks:
1. They draft an RB in the Top 200 yet again; seems unlikely
2. Injury and that results in Pead/DRich claiming the top-spot again; also seems unlikely right now
3. If they decide they dont want to over-use and he gets spelled on 3rd down; a distinct possibility
4. They replace him at the GL; also seems unlikely
Unless he finishes the year on quite a tear, he won't get top 10 draft status even if StL does not draft or sign a significant RB. He could theoretically finish in the top 10 if they get a real QB. If they draft a rookie (or stick with Bradford) then I'd expect Stacy to struggle to score TDs yet put up solid RB2 numbers based on sheer number of touches.
If he keeps improving I'm going to have a tough keeper decision next year. I can keep him or Spiller (one more year) and I have a feeling things arent going to change drastically for Spiller's chances this year which will make him a big ? going in to next.
T with T
Footballguy
Been trying to move stacey for ellington/gio... Gio more so. Stacy bothers me that he doesn't catch balls. He may become another alfred morris which is garbage imo. I seem to like backs that catch the ball in ppr. Tend to score more consistently and more overall.. the shonn greens,bjge,ridleys,blounts,beenie wells,mendy,alfredmorris just don't cut it for me.
PinkydaPimp
Footballguy
nysportsfan
Footballguy
This is developing into a pretty good story. Glad I listened to you dopes.
Cheesedawg
Footballguy
Dizzy
Footballguy
. you're welcome lol jk
Godsbrother
Footballguy
Routilla
Footballguy
Well crap. I'm stuck with Donald Brown if Zac can't go. Thanks for the info though.
RBM
Footballguy
I think he plays and he plays well. He was able to practice Thursday and took it light on Friday. A walk-through practice on Saturday will let him heal a little longer.
On Sunday he will get taped up and shot up so he wont feel a thing. We already know that D. Rich can't run well even when healthy, so Stacey will be the man.
I will be surprised if they shut him down.
I remember reading somewhere this week from the Offensive Coordinator that he said you have to learn to play hurt in this league.
On Sunday he will get taped up and shot up so he wont feel a thing. We already know that D. Rich can't run well even when healthy, so Stacey will be the man.
I will be surprised if they shut him down.
I remember reading somewhere this week from the Offensive Coordinator that he said you have to learn to play hurt in this league.
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MCguidance
Footballguy
@AdamSchefter: Rams running back Zac Stacy, listed as questionable with an ankle injury, is expected to start today vs. the Titans.
Cheesedawg
Footballguy
That is what we are looking for. Hope he is effective. With byes, most of us have few alternatives.
NajehHejan
Footballguy
Rams get their first rushing TD today. Stacy goes 23-111-1 with 3-31 receiving to boot.
Team Smokin'
Footballguy
Fisher was extremely high on him this week on the radiio. Said this time of the year everyone is dinged some, he'll play. The kid is getting all kinds of love and the O Line likes blocking for him. I think Stacy keeps it going. Ride the wave. With Moreno on bye I may just start him. Waiting for today's news.
unckeyherb
Footballguy
Trying to decide between him, Vjax and Steve smiff. Thinking ill go with the kid...
MCguidance
Footballguy
Close to starting him over Lacy, is that nuts?
jackdubl
Footballguy
RBM
Footballguy
All tough decisions. A month ago it would have been crazy talk to mention Stacy over any of those guys but now it's a legitimate conundrum.
I'd probably keep vjax in over Stacy regardless of his matchup with Seattle. He's basically the entire TB offense. And he's big enough so that he can high point balls over Sherman. But with the bad matchup it's close. I don't think it's crazy to bench him for Stacy. We know Stacy is going to get a boatload of touches vs a weak run d. Should be gold, jerry.
Vs lacy it's not as clear. I suppose you could let GB coach speak about lightening lacy's load by using Starks more but I still think lacy will get as much work as Stacy would. Flip a coin, really. Or maybe give lacy an edge BC he's on a better offense and will have more chances to punch in a td.
I'd probably keep vjax in over Stacy regardless of his matchup with Seattle. He's basically the entire TB offense. And he's big enough so that he can high point balls over Sherman. But with the bad matchup it's close. I don't think it's crazy to bench him for Stacy. We know Stacy is going to get a boatload of touches vs a weak run d. Should be gold, jerry.
Vs lacy it's not as clear. I suppose you could let GB coach speak about lightening lacy's load by using Starks more but I still think lacy will get as much work as Stacy would. Flip a coin, really. Or maybe give lacy an edge BC he's on a better offense and will have more chances to punch in a td.
4th&inches
Footballguy
In a similar situation: debating Stacy or J. Reed for my flex in a .5 PPR league …
solorca
Footballguy
Yeah, definitely.
Stacy is banged up and has a much higher-than-usual chance of being knocked out of the game. Stacy is very, very start-able, but he should not be started above most any other good RB that is not dinged up.
Grigs Allmoon
Footballguy
