Tag: Atlanta Falcons news

Falcons’ Jacob Tuioti-Mariner named NFC Defensive Player of the Week

One performance that warranted some praise was that of DT Jacob Tuioti-Mariner, who finished Sunday’s contest with six tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.

The Atlanta Falcons thoroughly outplayed the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 12, winning by 37 points and forcing five turnovers. Following the game, there was plenty for interim head coach Raheem Morris to like.

One performance that warranted some praise was that of DT Jacob Tuioti-Mariner, who finished Sunday’s contest with six tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. Tuioti-Mariner has been NFC Defensive Player of the Week.

The 24-year-old is in his third season as an undrafted free agent out of UCLA and provided some much-needed pass rush against the Raiders. Tuioti-Mariner happened to be mic’d up for his Week 12 performance. Watch below, as shared by the team’s Twitter account.

The Falcons host the New Orleans Saints in Week 13, looking to avenge their loss from two weeks ago and stay in the playoff hunt.

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Georgia great, Falcons RB Todd Gurley stars in new Gatorade commercial

Former UGA RB Todd Gurley, now with the Atlanta Falcons, was recently featured in Gatorade’s new  “Ready To Play Anything” campaign.

Former Georgia running back Todd Gurley, now with the Atlanta Falcons, was recently featured in Gatorade’s new  “Ready To Play Anything” campaign.

In a 30 second ad, Gurley was featured alongside Zion Williamson, Elena Delle Donne, Sydney McLaughlin and Bryce Harper, showing the athletes playing a variety of sports.

Gurley discussed his participation in the commercial:

“There’s nothing better than sports, and athletes can’t wait to get back to get back to doing what they love with their teams. Gatorade is inspiring the next generations of athletes by showing how the pros are down to play any sport, at any time, just because we love to play,” said Gurley.

Former Georgia RB Todd Gurley makes ESPN’s NFC West All-Decade Team

Former Georgia football RB Todd Gurley makes ESPN’s NFC West All-Decade Team from his time with the Los Angeles Rams.

ESPN recently compiled an all-decade team for each division in the NFL.

For its NFC West team, one former Georgia Bulldog made the squad, and that was Todd Gurley, who spent five years with the Los Angeles Rams, the team that drafted him 10th overall in 2010.

Gurley is one of two running backs on the team, with the other being Seattle Seahawks legend Marshawn Lynch.

From 2015-19, Gurley tallied 7,423 total yards and scored 70 total touchdowns.

Gurley’s accolades include:

  • 3x Pro Bowler
  • 2x First Team All-Pro
  • Second Team All-Pro
  • NFL Offensive Player of the Year
  • 2x NFL Rushing TD Leader
  • NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
  • PFWA All-Rookie Team

Gurley was released by the Los Angeles Rams this offseason and is now with the Atlanta Falcons.

Falcons QB Matt Ryan on first impression of Todd Gurley

Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan on first impression of Georgia football great Todd Gurley.

Atlanta acquired Todd Gurley in free agency this offseason, and though Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has not been allowed to visit the team facility due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he’s still been able to build a connection with the former Georgia running back.

Ryan joined Andy and Randy on 92.9 The Game to discuss his first impression of Gurley, who he’s played against but never with.

“I’ve played against Todd a number of times. I’ve seen him just dominate the NFL. To see him on the field is impressive…but the thing that has impressed me more than anything is just how smart he is, how sharp he is in terms of retaining information.”

“I can’t tell you how many things I told him on the first day we worked together and then the next day he had them all down. And I was like ‘man, this is rare for guys to be able to have the ability to retain information like that.'”

 

Atlanta Falcons RB Todd Gurley’s knee looking fine in these workout videos

Former Georgia football and Atlanta Falcons RB Todd Gurley is looking healthy in these latest workout videos.

The Atlanta Falcons signed 25 year old Todd Gurley to a one-year, $5.5 million contract this offseason after the Los Angeles Rams released the former NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

There have been plenty of concerns over Gurley’s knee, but nobody can really get to the bottom of just how severe the injury is. If there’s one thing that is certain, though, it’s that when healthy, Gurley is a top-three running back in the NFL.

If Gurley can prove that his knee injury is a thing of the past, the Falcons may be able to say they pulled off the ultimate NFL free agency steal this offseason.

In five NFL seasons, the former Georgia Bulldog superstar has amassed over 5,400 rushing yards and 58 touchdowns, adding another 2,091 receiving yards and 12 touchdown receptions.

The Atlanta Falcons posted two videos of their all-pro back working out his leg, and by the looks of it, he’s looking good to go.

 

Atlanta Falcons FB Keith Smith can’t wait to start blocking for Todd Gurley

Atlanta Falcons FB Keith Smith is excited to start blocking for UGA football great Todd Gurley this back in Georgia.

The Atlanta Falcons made a lot of people happy when they brought former UGA running back Todd Gurley back to Georgia this offseason.

The former NFL Offensive Player of the Year, Gurley is hoping for a fresh start in Atlanta following an incredible run in Los Angeles that was eventually halted by his hurt knee.

If Gurley is able to turn back the clock and play like he did just two seasons ago, the sky is the limit for the Falcons offense.

Playing for L.A., the Rams did not utilize a fullback in their offense, so how Gurley performs with a lead blocker in front of him in Atlanta will be interesting to see this season.

Falcons fullback Keith Smith, however, cannot wait to begin moving bodies out of Gurley’s way this year.

“I’m just excited for what he’s going to bring, because I know he’s got a ton of game left in him,” Smith told Ian Rapoport on his podcast “Rapsheet + Friends.”

“He’s smooth, man. If you watch Todd, he’s got great vision and he hits the hole and he goes. I just love that about him. I don’t think he had a fullback in Los Angeles, so it’s going to be dope to open up holes for him and see that part of his game open up for him.

“He’s not an easy guy to tackle, and you always love guys like that. You love blocking for a guy like that, because you know he’s going to make the first guy miss. Just knowing the type of player that he is, he’s going to help our team a lot and I’m excited about that, man.”

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Falcons OC says only question mark for Todd Gurley is durability

Atlanta Falcons OC Dirk Koetter talks about the concerns with former Georgia football star, new Falcons running back Todd Gurley.

Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter was pretty straight forward with the media about new running back Todd Gurley and his health concerns.

The 25-year-old sixth year pro is reportedly dealing with arthritis in his surgically repaired left knee.

Per ESPN‘s Vaughn McClure:

“He can still do it. It’s just a matter of how often can he do it,” Koetter said.

After being released by the L.A. Rams, Gurley returned to Georgia to sign a one-year $5.5 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons this offseason. The former Georgia football star was drafted by the Rams in 2015 NFL Draft and in his five seasons Gurley made three Pro Bowls while being named to the All-Pro team twice, in addition to winning NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2017.

However, in 2019, Gurley’s knee issues surfaced and the Rams questioned his durability – ultimately leading to his release just two years after signing a four-year extension worth $45 million guaranteed.

“This guy, when he’s at his best, he’s got speed, he’s got power, he can break tackles, he’s elusive, he can catch the ball out of the backfield,” Koetter continued. “We’ve all seen what he can do. His accolades speak for themselves. We just have to see how healthy he is and how consistently he can do it.”

Gurley’s deal with the Falcons is still awaiting a physical and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Falcons staff hasn’t been able to evaluate him just yet.

“I know from talking to Todd that he’s fired up to be coming back to Georgia. He can do everything. He’s an excellent runner. He’s good in the pass game. He can protect. The main question that no one seems to know is, ‘What’s his health status? What’s his workload?’ He averaged about 17 touches a game last year, which is a little bit lower than he had been when he was All-Pro. We’re just going to have to find that out once we get here and get him working, get him up and running.”

Former Georgia RB Todd Gurley reacts to LA Rams new uniforms

Georgia football great Todd Gurley, now on the Atlanta Falcons, responded to a tweet discussing the new LA Rams uniforms.

On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Rams revealed their rebranded uniforms that  the franchise will wear this season.

From ESPN, describing the new look:

The new look includes a blue jersey featuring yellow gradient numbering, with interchangeable blue or yellow pants. There is also an off-white jersey and pant combination. The Rams’ new helmet is a metallic chrome blue, with a gradient yellow horn and blue face mask.

Former Georgia running back Todd Gurley, a first round pick by the Rams in the 2015 draft, will not get a chance to wear LA’s new unis.

The Rams released Gurley back in March and he has since signed with the Atlanta Falcons.

And though Gurley did not express his thoughts on the new uniforms, which have received some mixed reviews, he did reply to a tweet that said he “dodged a bullet” by being cut.

His response was not much, just a few laughing emojis. But either way, Gurley looks best in red and black, which he’ll don again this year in Atlanta.

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Falcons’ Todd Gurley hopes to mentor LA Rams rookie RB Cam Akers

Georgia football great Todd Gurley, now of the Atlanta Falcons, hopes to mentor to Los Angeles Rams rookie RB Cam Akers out of FSU.

The Los Angeles Rams turned to the NFL Draft to find their replacement for former NFL Offensive Player of the Year Todd Gurley, who now plays for the Atlanta Falcons.

The Rams, who released Gurley in March, selected Florida State running back Cam Akers with the 52nd overall pick.

The Rams and Gurley might not on the best terms right now due to Los Angeles still owing the former superstar a multi-million dollar payment, but Gurley said that he hopes to be able to mentor Akers as he begins his NFL career.

“Just because whatever I have going on with the Rams, (that) don’t make me upset or want to bash or downplay another man,” Gurley said on Friday’s episode of the UNINTERRUPTED: We Run This Station podcast.

“He’s making his dream come true, just like I made my dream come true in 2015. And they went and got this kid in the second round, so I just want to be able to just tell him or show him early too, just as far as like the way to move. And then everything that comes with LA is so much opportunity out here. It’s like even though I’m going to be playing in Atlanta, I’m going to still be out here during the offseason because I know the amount of opportunities and the relationships that I had and grew out here. So I want to be able to do the same thing for him, man.”

Coming out of high school, Akers was rated as the nation’s No. 3 overall prospect, playing for Clinton High School in his hometown of Clinton, Mississippi. Similar to Gurley, both came from a small-town and both played at a high level in college. Additionally, both had to learn how to adjust to playing in Los Angeles, one of America’s biggest markets, at a young age.

“He’s going to be a running back in the LA market. He’s going to be scoring touchdowns. He’s going to be making plays. So I want him to be able to be on the same type of thing I was on, but even more and at an earlier stage. So it’s just like everyone’s always talking a big game and saying they’re going to do this, they’re going to do that. It’s just about helping the youth. Whether they made it or not, just like when people go back in the communities and do community work, how about reach out to the young guy that’s coming up, that’s getting drafted or the young guy that don’t know anything and tell him.”

Gurley was taken with the 10th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. For four years, he was one of the best running backs in the NFL, if not the best. But after his knee began to bother him more and more, Gurley’s touches declined and the Rams would not say why. Gurley was criticized immensely, but never complained. He tuned out the noise and continued doing his thing. In five seasons, Gurley racked up 7, 494 total yards and 70 total touchdowns. His 5,404 rushing yards ranks sixth all-time in Rams history.

“He just made his dream come true, so why not make this guy even better? And obviously, he’s got to focus on the field and stuff like that,” Gurley said, still speaking of Akers. “And that’s going to take care of itself. He’s going to be with a great offense. He’s going to be making plays. He got (quarterback Jared Goff). He got (wide receiver) Robert Woods. He got (wide receiver) Cooper Kupp. He got the opportunity right there in front of him. So I just want to maximize it and take off.”

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Falcons RB Todd Gurley not planning on filing grievance against Rams

Atlanta Falcons RB Todd Gurley, previously of the LA Rams & Georgia football, doesn’t plan on filling grievance against Rams for money owed.

Outside linebacker Clay Matthews is filing a grievance against the Rams over $2 million in guaranteed money that he’s apparently owed.

Former Georgia running back Todd Gurley, who has spent his entire career with the Rams before recently signing with the Falcons, does not have the same intentions as his former teammate, per ESPN’s Vaughn McClure.

Both Matthews and Gurley have been public with their frustration over the Rams and their non-payments, but Gurley has signed with a team while Matthews still has not. Both were released by the Rams on March 19th.

 

From RamsWire: 

Both players had offset language in their contracts with the Rams, which has likely caused the discrepancy between them and the team. However, unlike Matthews, Gurley has already signed with another team.

Because of that, the Rams owe him $2.5 million less than the $7.55 million he was originally scheduled to receive, because his contract with Atlanta is worth at least $2.5 million. As McClure points out, though, Gurley’s contract is still pending a physical even though he’s already signed on the dotted line.

“They’re definitely owed money. That money is guaranteed. We’re going to pay them,” Rams general manager Les Snead told NFL Network before the NFL draft. “There’s some language in the contract of exactly when you pay them, and that’s what we’re adhering by. What I do know is both Clay and Todd earned that money, and they’re going to get that money.”