Maybe he needs something to settle him down and help him focus. Ritalin, or whatever they accused Sherman of?
I still believe he's a damn good running back, but it's painfully obvious that he's struggling to focus and follow directions, or his blockers. Rawls is a wound up dude, it's what made him so good before. And I'm sure that if he were to get a real chance, some real playing time, that he would excel again.
I've heard a couple of people mention "Cable runs the outside zone," and I wonder if maybe he should adapt to more of a straight up blocking scheme?
Remember it even took Marshawn a while to adjust to Cable's style.
Others have mentioned that players like Lacy and AC "looked hesitant line of scrimage, which tells me that they're thinking too much .
And I've heard, (usually on 710), that the blocking scheme is complicated.
It all seems to come down to this blocking and running style is way too complicated for running backs unfamiliar with it, and especially for running backs who never get a chance to adjust. I've never seen a team that rotates multiple backs in and out have success running the ball.