Post by Harold of Whoa on Oct 29, 2018 1:43:40 GMT
www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap3000000979834/Todd-Gurley-stops-short-of-end-zone-to-ice-the-game
Sorry that this is link to the NFL's gludgy, slow, rapacious, awful website because I can't find it on YouTube, yet.
LA Rams running back Todd Gurley, in today's game vs. the Green Bay Packers, gets the ball on a third-and-long play near the Red Zone with less than a minute to play and a 2 point lead. He makes the first down and has an easy, easy run for touchdown ahead of him, but he just pulls up short, stays in bounds and goes down deliberately. This gives the Rams a first down and the ability to run out the clock and win the game without letting the Packers touch the ball again.
This is a player who has a very real shot at the single-season touchdown record and a place in the history books, but yielded a chunk of personal glory (which would still have made it highly unlikely the other team could win) for icing a certain victory without the additional score.
Also, as it turns out, this move was hugely impactful in the gambling world, because by foregoing the score, he ensured that the Rams would not cover the point spread, so gamblers everywhere were either made ecstatic or furious by a player obviously holding back from scoring.
I should note that Coach Sean McVay was obviously overjoyed, and almost certainly the offense had been instructed to get the first down if possible, stay in bounds if possible, and don't go in the end zone if you don't have to.
My topic is, do you consider Gurley's actions here to be 1) a well-coached and disciplined player just following orders, 2) a selfless class act denying himself glory for the good of the team, 3) a weak Uncle Tom letting himself be held down by The Man, or 4) probably a corrupt point shaver on the take from Vegas gamblers?