Tag: todd gurley knee

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.

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.”

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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Los Angeles Rams release RB Todd Gurley

The Los Angeles Rams are releasing former Georgia Bulldog running back Todd Gurley. L.A. sought trades for Gurley, but couldn’t find one.

Todd Gurley is one the best running backs in the National Football League when healthy. Unfortunately for the Georgia Bulldog great, that pesky knee of Gurley’s has caused him issues, hindering his production and limiting his workload. In 2019, Gurley had career-lows in rushing yards (857) and attempts (223).

Now, the Los Angeles Rams are releasing Todd Gurley, their former first round pick. The official Rams Twitter account and ESPN’s Adam Schefter announced the news:

L.A. will save $10.5 million against the cap. The Rams failed to find a trade destination and now Gurley will be a free agent for the first time in his NFL career.

Gurley was two years into a contract with the Los Angeles Rams that included a $21 million signing bonus and $45 million in guarantees. With reduced production and a substantial contract, it is not shocking that the Rams looked to trade RB Todd Gurley according to Michael Silver:

A year after making the Super Bowl, Los Angeles foundered to a 9-7 record. Head coach Sean McVay and the Rams are looking to improve, but they had to get creative since they have limited draft capital and cap room.

According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, Gurley, since he’s been cut, will count for $20.15 million in dead money. The Rams are hampered for the future and were banking on Gurley. Hopefully, Gurley can return to form in time for the 2020 season.

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Report: Rams discussing trading RB Todd Gurley

Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley may be on the trade block this off-season. Will the former Georgia Bulldog be traded?

Todd Gurley is one the best running backs in the National Football League when he’s 100% healthy. Unfortunately for the Georgia Bulldog great, that pesky knee of Gurley’s has caused him issues, hindering his production and limiting his workload. In 2019, Gurley had career-lows in rushing yards (857) and attempts (223).

Gurley is two years into a contract with the Los Angeles Rams that included a $21 million signing bonus and $45 million in guarantees. With reduced production and a substantial contract, it is not shocking that Todd Gurley is frequently brought up in NFL trade talks according to Michael Silver:

A year after making the Super Bowl, Los Angeles floundered to a 9-7 record. Head coach Sean McVay and the Rams are looking to improve, but they must get creative since they have limited draft capital and around $20 million dollars in cap room.

According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, Gurley, if cut right now, would count $20.15 million in dead money. So that’s no an option for L.A..

Los Angeles may have trouble finding a destination for Gurley. Stranger things have happened. Just ask Texans fans. Anything can happen in the NFL off-season (evidence below):

Running backs are still worth something to Houston coach/general manager Bill O’Brien.

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Report: Rams to meet with former Georgia football RB Todd Gurley to discuss future

The LA Rams are reportedly set to meet with Georgia football great Todd Gurley to discuss the UGA product’s future.

Todd Gurley, when healthy, may be the best running back in the National Football League. Unfortunately, that knee of Gurley’s have caused him problems over the last year, hindering his production and touches greatly. Last season, Gurley had career-lows in rushing yards (857) and attempts (223).

Currently, Gurley is two years into a contract that that included a $21 million signing bonus and $45 million in guarantees.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, before the next set of contract guarantees lock in for Gurley, the Rams want to meet with the former Georgia running back to discuss the future.

“From what I am told, what the Rams want to do—and what coach Sean McVay specifically wants to do—is sit down with Gurley before any decision was made,” Rapoport said Thursday on “NFL NOW.” “So that’s probably going to happen before they decide how are they going to proceed with someone who at times has been the best running back in the NFL.

Obviously this is not a simple decision. Cutting him just to save cash would be something that, while theoretically possible, cap-wise would be extremely difficult, more than $10M in a salary-cap hit just for releasing him and if they did it before June 1 it would be astronomical.”

According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, Gurley, if cut outright right now, would count $20.15 million in dead money.

Then there’s the idea of a trade, which NFL.com outlined here:

Perhaps they could find a trade partner with excess cap space willing to take a flier on a great player who has dealt with injury issues (and the Rams would probably have to pay a pick to unload the deal). But, as Pelissero pointed out, any trade would likely need to be made before the March roster bonus kicks in.

What will likely happen is the Rams will hold onto their superstar running back. It’s on them to figure out how to use him better.