By the way, the table above doesn’t even include Kamara’s highest EPA play of the season: a 106-yard kick return in Week 17 against the Bucs.

It’s not that Gurley didn’t have plays like this, it’s just that, in total, those Kamara plays added so much more. One area that Gurley was weak in, though: third-and-1 runs. He converted only six of 14 attempts on such runs (43 percent) when the league average conversion rate on those rushes was almost 73 percent. Those kinds of misses are costly. (Kamara only attempted two such runs and converted one, for what it’s worth).

One note to keep in mind: Three passes intended for Gurley were intercepted (compared to zero for Kamara), which is likely just a stroke of bad luck for the Rams running back in this sort of study. Nonetheless, even if we only looked at completions — rather than targets — for those two running backs Kamara still leads, and it still isn’t remotely close.

You may have noticed a pattern among the five running backs listed above (Thompson probably gave it away): they are all pass-catching backs. And that’s not a coincidence, but rather a function of the fact that, in general, passing plays are more productive than running plays. On average, running plays have a negative EPA, so that the Rams added 0.00 expected points on Gurley runs this year isn’t really a knock: it’s above average.

On one hand, this shows the value of multi-dimensional running backs. On the other, we are talking about the most valuable running back. And it’s not their fault that running, on average a sub-optimal part of an offense, is part of the position’s job description. So if there was another running back who added more value on the ground than Kamara, that could muddy the waters here. The good news: there isn’t. Kamara led all backs in team EPA on running plays only as well. So he swept the running and passing game categories in 2017, which should just about do it.

Almost.

The last type of measurement we’ll consider here is win probability added. If we’re measuring the value of a running back’s plays by the degree to which they swung a game, then WPA is where we ought to look. Personally, I don’t think either EPA or WPA ought to be a catch-all for MVP. EPA doesn’t include enough context (like garbage time) but WPA relies on situations far too heavily. The truth is in between.

Regardless, WPA is Gurley’s best case for this pretend award. Gurley (cumulative win probability added of 1.93) trails Kamara (1.95) here too, but only just. But maybe, if there’s wiggle room somewhere, Gurley could pull ahead.

And of course there’s wiggle room. Because the dark cloud over this entire analysis is that we’re not measuring each player’s contribution. We’re measuring the team’s productivity on plays when the running back had an attempted touch. Even when Kamara does run or catch the ball, there are 10 other players on his team working for that same EPA result.

If the EPA race were closer, we’d have to consider all of that gray area, and this would be a much more difficult (imaginary) honor to vote for. But it’s not all that close. Even with the razor thin margin in the WPA race, the rookie so handily blew away his competition in terms of sheer production that it’s safe to assume that after dividing credit the result would be the same: Kamara was 2017’s most valuable running back.

Brian Burke and Hank Gargiulo contributed to this story.

For more from ESPN Analytics, visit the ESPN Analytics Index.

“If there are a lot of people that have come back and everyone has bought in, that foundation will go a little quicker,” Marrone said. “The worst thing that can happen is that we say we’re going to go ahead and all of a sudden you find out that there is a crack somewhere in that foundation. The rest of the work doesn’t matter.”

So going 10-6, beating Buffalo and Pittsburgh, reaching the AFC Championship Game and nearly beating the New England Patriots in Gillette Stadium was a wonderful experience. However, it doesn’t automatically mean the Jaguars are now going to be an annual contender to reach the Super Bowl like the Patriots and Steelers.

Jackson knows what the team experienced in 2017 to get there, so he’s 100 percent onboard with starting from the bottom and rebuilding the chemistry, accountability and discipline.

“Bringing the leadership in here with Coach Marrone and Coach Coughlin, and just everybody working together to get this locker room together and letting everybody know that the old Jags from previous years are gone and this is a new team here under new management,” Jackson said. “We acted like it and we played like it and we’ve got to continue to do it.”

He was unable to play in two games while with the Houston Texans for the same reason. Tests were run, but no clear answers were discovered. He concluded that he just had ulcers and tried to deal with the issue on his own. It was only after the Green Bay game that Brooks — with the help of the Eagles’ doctors — got serious about discovering the root of the problem. Several days after the Redskins game, Brooks revealed the findings to a large media gathering at his locker after practice.

“What I mean by anxiety condition, not nervousness or fear of the game,” he explained. “I have like an obsession with the game. It’s an unhealthy obsession right now, and I’m working with team doctors and things to get everything straightened out and getting the help that I needed.”

He began taking proactive measures, including seeing a psychologist once a week. Brooks has not had a repeat episode since missing games last year.

The 2017 season has been the finest of his six-year career. The 28-year-old out of Miami (Ohio) has not yielded a single sack and surrendered only 17 pressures in 16 regular-season games, according to Pro Football Focus, en route to his first Pro Bowl bid.

“I knew the ability he had, I think he knew the ability he had, it was just a matter of him believing in himself and you see what he’s done,” said right tackle Lane Johnson, one of Brooks’ closest friends on the team. “A guy with that natural gift, the size [6-foot-5, 335 pounds] and the speed, there shouldn’t be anybody better than him. And I think he’s starting to believe that now, and that’s why he is where he’s at.”

A mixed reception among teammates

When he went public with his condition, Brooks witnessed a split reaction. On one side, there was a large wave of support from teammates like Johnson, Jason Peters, Chris Maragos, Kenjon Barner and Zach Ertz. With the issue now out in the open, others felt emboldened to step forward and reveal they had battled anxiety as well.

“Well, I had a big anxiety problem coming out of college,” tight end Trey Burton said. “Kind of similar to [Brooks], before games I felt like I would have already played the game physically. Things running through me, I’m anxious, I was cramping before games even started, things like that where my mind was racing and just being extremely, extremely anxious about a ton of stuff.”

Johnson dealt with anxiety while at Oklahoma as well as during his rookie year with the Eagles, feeling the pressure to perform right away as the fourth overall pick.

“We’re all human. We’re not monsters,” Johnson said. “I think I heard it at the combine: 50 percent of guys have dealt with anxiety, depression. It’s not foreign. It’s just something that’s not talked about. It’s a stigma where it’s seen as a weakness. When you bring it to light, a lot of people in this world have it.”

Asked what the NFL is doing to help with this problem, league spokesman Brian McCarthy pointed to the presence of Dwight Hollier, a former player and licensed counselor who, as the NFL’s vice president of wellness and clinical services, works directly with clubs and current and former players on psycho/social-related issues.

“We take a holistic approach to the health and safety of our players,” McCarthy said. “While plenty of attention is paid to the physical well-being of the players, we have programs at both the league and club level for the total wellness of these men. We make available resources to help provide assistance on a variety of issues. The care extends well beyond the playing field.”

It’s Eagles vs. Patriots in the Super Bowl, and ESPN.com has you covered for the 2017 NFL playoffs.

On the other end of the spectrum, Brooks was met by teammates who he said were less than understanding.

“You pull your hamstring, right? And you [treat it] to get it right. Same thing with mental illness,” Brooks said, “but for some people, they don’t view it the same thing as a physical injury. Some people did have my back, and some people didn’t. No hard feelings. You definitely forgive; you never forget, though.”

Added Barner: “Brooks isn’t a young guy. He understands how this game goes. But when you have people that you think are in your corner, but they’re really coming down on you and not really caring about you as a person, that can do some damage to some guys. If you don’t have anybody on the other side of things to build you up, it can really do some damage to you. You can feel like you’re on your own, and that’s a terrible place to be.”

Fortunately for Brooks, he has a large support system, from family to teammates to complete strangers. He has had people come up to him on the street and has received countless letters, cards and messages on social media from people who identify with what he is dealing with and have thanked him for being open about it.

The most meaningful interaction he has had was with a grade-school student during a visit to a school in Delaware. “He just had severe anxiety, sitting in the back of the auditorium. Super-shy, man, and I know what that’s like,” Brooks said. “I just went back there and talked to him and let him know it’s cool, I went through the same thing, no need to feel overwhelmed. I do sometimes as well, but there’s things in place and people in place to help you.”

Super Bowl-ready

Brooks has always stood out because of his size. His mom, Dorothy, remembers taking Brandon to one of his first doctor’s visits. He was already sitting up and the doctor checked his chart, looked down at Brandon and said, “How old is he again?”

He began playing football in grade school and quickly found a passion for the sport.

“He always told me, he said, ‘Dad, I want to be in the NFL, I want to have money, faith,’ ” said Brandon’s father, Robert Parker. “I said, ‘Well, nothing is stopping you if you can keep to your dreams, son.’ I am just so happy for him.”

His parents stressed education above all else, though, and continue to do so, calling the NFL just the icing on the cake. Brooks graduated from Miami with a degree in psychology and a minor in business. He has already started his pursuit of a master’s degree in finance and has found time for internships during the offseason, including for Morgan Stanley and the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Finance and Revenue.

Brooks was drafted in the third round by the Texans in 2012. The anxiety issues did not crop up until he reached the pro level, and they intensified when he inked a five-year, $40 million contract with the Eagles in free agency in 2016. His perfectionist tendencies were heightened in the pursuit of justifying the big-money deal he had just signed.

“He said if he didn’t make a play to perfection, he’d be like (deep sigh) and that would be inside him,” his father said. “He studied like a quarterback. He studied all the time because he wanted to do well, he wanted to help the team win.”

Brooks has since learned to loosen his grip and accept that there will be times when he fails. That shift in mindset has empowered him. He has learned to let go and, in turn, is having fun again.

That’s not to say that he still doesn’t get nerves, it’s just that he’s better equipped to handle them.

“I believe that players are more important than plays,” Vrabel said.

The 2018 offseason will be the most important of Mariota’s career. It should be focused on growth instead of rehab, while eliminating bad habits and learning a new system that will likely be built around his strengths.

That’s where LaFleur comes in. He’s a strong X’s-and-O’s guy who has gotten success from his starting quarterback in nearly every stop of his coaching career. Here’s a look at some of his success stories:

— Jared Goff made a gigantic Year 2 jump, increasing his completion percentage by 7.5 points, more than doubling his touchdown percentage and cutting his interception percentage by more than half from his rookie year. Sean McVay ran the Rams offense, but LaFleur was instrumental in Goff’s development. LaFleur was McVay’s right-hand man, helping with the game plan and being another set of eyes from the booth on game day.

— Matt Ryan had his best season as a pro with LaFleur as his quarterbacks coach in 2016, winning league MVP and making a Super Bowl appearance. Ryan took a step back in 2017 without LaFleur, turning in his lowest completion percentage and yardage total since 2011.

— Kirk Cousins was also a big fan of LaFleur’s when he was Washington’s QB coach during Cousins’ and Robert Griffin III’s first two seasons.

The biggest remaining question mark with LaFleur is how he will command an offensive room and his lack of experience as a play-caller. He’s a more reserved personality than Vrabel. This will be his first play-calling NFL gig, but he did call plays in the second half of two Rams’ preseason contests.

The Titans are expecting LaFleur to grow in those elements of the job as he uses his scheme knowledge to make the 23rd-ranked Titans offense more explosive.

In L.A., the Rams had a lot of success using play action to get Goff open windows to throw. Goff led the NFL with 1,372 yards off play action, more than 125 yards more than second-place Case Keenum. Goff was sixth in the NFL in play-action usage. They also maximized Todd Gurley in the running and receiving game, offsetting pressure sent toward Goff.

Kirk Cousins. Jimmy Garoppolo. Le’Veon Bell. This class could get wild. Here’s everything to know heading into free agency, which begins March 12.

This will likely be a big part of the Titans’ offensive recipe with Mariota under LaFleur.

“We’re not going to run it into eight or nine guys,” Vrabel said. “We’re not going to be silly. I believe in screens. I believe in play-action, things he does well.”

That may not have been a direct shot at the previous regime, but it felt like it was related to it. Mariota was one of the best QBs in the NFL off play-action and led the league with 11.1 yards per attempt off play action. He was 16th in play-action usage.

Play-action Mariota: 68.6-percent completion rate, 11.1 yards per attempt, nine total touchdowns, four interceptions.

Mariota not on play action: 60.1-percent completion rate, 5.98 yards per attempt, nine total touchdowns, 11 interceptions.