Blake Corum on Sharing the Rams' RB Workload with Kyren Williams

Two running backs, one football, and somehow nobody is complaining. Blake Corum explained to Rich why the Rams' backfield split with Kyren Williams works, and Rich had the history to prove it.

Watching from his couch, Rich noticed what looked like a renewed commitment to handing the ball to Corum and Williams in the Rams' game against the Raiders. Corum confirmed it.

"I think we were definitely trying to establish the run a little more than we did in the previous weeks," Corum said, "and we were able to do that against the Raiders."

He spread the credit around. The offensive line, the tight ends and the receivers "were blocking their tails off all game," Corum said. Getting the run game going opened up play action, and the two backs found a rhythm. "Seeing Kyren doing his thing, myself just doing my thing, getting in that flow. And so it felt great."

The numbers back him up. Rich laid them out: 16 carries for 99 yards for Williams, 17 for 93 for Corum. Both scored, and both had a long run of 17 yards.

That raised the obvious question. Williams had seemed somewhat vocal about wanting touches and being in the flow of the offense. So how do two competitive backs share one job?

"I think we want what's best for each other and what's best for the team," Corum said. "Obviously as a competitor, you want the ball in your hands any chance that you can get, but also just knowing that it's always the team before myself."

He leaned on a phrase from the coaching staff. "It's we before me, as coach always says."

Then Corum described a competition that sounds more like a relay. When Williams is in the game, Corum is cheering. "I hope he breaks a lot of tackles, breaks that long one so now I can go in and try to better that," he said. "And then if I better that, I know he's going to come in and try to better that."

He called it a healthy competitive nature that runs through the whole running back room, starting with what their position coach teaches. "We feed off each other," Corum said, "which helps the team."

Rich had a trivia question waiting. Did Corum know the only other duo in Rams history to each have 75 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in multiple games?

Corum took a stab, remembering someone had mentioned something to him. Marshall Faulk?

Rich's answer was one he said Corum would be familiar with. "Nobody. Nobody's ever done it."

"Nobody, really?" Corum said.

"You and Kyren are setting a standard right now," Rich told him.

"That's impressive, man," Corum said.

For a backfield that some expected to produce friction, it's producing history instead.