IRVINE, Calif. -- If you ever wondered just how important star running back Todd Gurley is to his team, look no further than the third installment of "Hard Knocks," the HBO series that follows the Los Angeles Rams through training camp.

In it, Rams head coach Jeff Fisher gave his defensive coaches some very explicit instructions.

"So everybody understands, defensively, that Gurley doesn't need to f---ing be hit in the 9-on-7 [drill], OK?" Fisher said. "I don't want '30' tackled. We need '30.' So, individual groups, let your guys know, '30' doesn't go to the ground in a team period or a 9-on-7. And I know it's a combination of things [with] guys closing, but we need to treat him like a freaking quarterback. OK?"

Gurley (the 29th-best player in the NFL, according to ESPN's rankings) is the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year and finished third in the league in rushing despite not getting a significant amount of carries until Week 4. Now in his second year, and an extra year removed from a devastating knee injury, Gurley will be the focal point of a Rams offense that seemingly won't offer much in the passing game.

And that's why the Rams will be very, very careful with Gurley before the regular season begins.

Gurley finally got into a game this past Saturday, an eventual 21-20 win over the Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Coliseum. He rushed four times in the Rams' first offensive possession, gaining 20 yards and scoring a touchdown. And as soon as he jogged back toward the sidelines, offensive coordinator Rob Boras spoke into his headset to ask Fisher a question:

"Todd's done, right?"

"Done," Fisher said. "Done, done, done. Done. Yeah, done."

A look at some of the other Rams personnel featured on "Hard Knocks" ...

Jared Goff: Rams quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke, in a meeting attended by general manager Les Snead, on Goff: "We all knew it was going to be a process. I think you've seen flashes of obviously why we took him No. 1, and you also see rookie lapses over the course of each practice. I think those are continuing to be minimized. He's made great strides since OTAs. I love where this kid's at, he's working his ass off, he's asking the right questions. We'll continue to obviously just watch him develop. He's a special one." Weinke and Fisher acknowledged that Goff running a couple of drives with the first-team offense in the upcoming game would be a big opportunity, but Goff didn't end up taking full advantage.

Mike Singletary: The Hall of Fame linebacker and former San Francisco 49ers head coach got on Alec Ogletree, in his first first year as middle linebacker. Singletary pulled Ogletree off to the side and whispered, "You can be on one of the best to ever play the game. You have it in you, in this body, the ability to be an off-the-charts player. But you're not using it. And it pisses me off, man. You're not using it. I want to see you hustle." Ogletree was really upset that the Rams gave up a touchdown on the opening drive for the second straight week.

Eugene Sims: So apparently Sims, a 6-foot-6, 269-pound defensive end, has some really, really good hands. Sims had one of the Rams assistants turn the JUGS machine all the way up, then stood only a few feet in front of it and continually caught passes with only his right hand. "Hard Knocks" cameras showed Sims make nine of them. Tight ends coach John Lilly even wondered aloud if Sims could be a tight end.

William Hayes: The mermaids came up again, of course. Hayes was seen telling teammates in the locker room that man knows more about what is in space than it knows about what is in the ocean. Hayes apparently is also skittish about roller coasters. He went to Disneyland with linebacker Akeem Ayers and begrudgingly rode "California Screamin'." "Help me, Lord," Sims bellowed just before takeoff.

Brandon Fisher: Jeff Fisher told a cool anecdote about his son, Brandon, who coaches the secondary. The story was from the Music City Miracle in 2000, when tight end Frank Wycheck threw a lateral pass across the field to Kevin Dyson during a late kickoff to push Fisher's Tennessee Titans over the Buffalo Bills in a wild-card game. Brandon can be seen cheering Dyson on just beyond the sidelines. "Can you imagine if you would've bumped that official, what would've happened on that play?" Fisher told his son.

Paul McRoberts: The undrafted wide receiver's 18-year-old stepbrother died in a double shooting back home in St. Louis County, Missouri, and McRoberts was forced to find out about it Aug. 1 on Facebook. Fisher brought McRoberts into his office to console him. "It's not an easy time for you, man," Fisher told McRoberts. "But we'll help get you through this."

Eric Kush: The animated backup center loves his tank tops, and he had some made for the entire team. Left tackle Greg Robinson wanted nothing to do with it, though. "Naw, man, I'm allergic to tanks," he said.