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.'”
Falcons QB Matt Ryan told @tbm929 & @randymac81 he's impressed with the work ethic from both Hayden Hurst and Todd Gurley. He's worked with both of them this offseason.
Todd Gurley flew to Atlanta and passed his physical with the Falcons.
It seems the Atlanta Falcons don’t have any major concerns about Todd Gurley’s knee. After a lengthy delay of more than two months due to travel restrictions stemming from the coronavirus, Gurley has finally passed his physical with the Falcons after flying out to Atlanta. The report comes from Adam Schefter of ESPN.
In an offseason where several teams have backed out of free-agent contracts, this is a big step for Gurley and the Falcons. Had there been a serious concern about his knee from an MRI or otherwise, the Falcons could’ve pulled their offer and allowed Gurley to hit the market again.
After having an agreement with Atlanta for nearly two months, Todd Gurley finally was able to fly to Atlanta, where he took and passed his Falcons physical Monday, per source. With his physical behind him, Gurley now can focus on his preparation for a bounce-back season.
Additionally, this news likely means the Rams will pay Gurley the money he’s owed. The team may have been waiting until his deal with the Falcons became official, since there’s offset language in his contract where the team gets a discount if he signs a contract worth at least $2.5 million.
The Rams cut Gurley back in March, taking on $20.15 million in dead money. That will be spread out over the next two years, and the team got $5.5 million in cap relief on June 2 when his contract came off the books.
Gurley agreed to a one-year deal worth $5.5 million with the Falcons one day after being cut by the Rams.
Can the Seahawks notch two wins against their hated rival? Here’s why the Seattle Seahawks could finally sweep the Rams in 2020.
During the Pete Carroll/Russell Wilson era, the Seattle Seahawks have been one of the most consistent and successful teams in the NFL. In fact, since 2012, only the New England Patriots have had as many double-digit win seasons as the Seahawks.
However, despite the wins and trips to the playoffs, there has been one constant thorn in Seattle’s side – the division-rival Rams. Even when the Rams were lowly bottom feeders in St. Louis, they still gave the Seahawks and the Legion of Boom a run for their money every time.
Russell Wilson has nine losses to the Rams in his career, with only seven wins to show for it. The Rams are one of only two teams with a winning record over the Seahawks quarterback. The other club is the Chargers, with a 2-0 mark against him.
Even when the Seahawks beat the Rams, it always seems to come by the skin of their teeth. Since 2017, Seattle has only beaten them twice. In 2017 it was thanks to a dropped pass in the end zone from Rams receiver Cooper Kupp to preserve a 16-10 win – a game the Seahawks needed five turnovers to win by only a score. The next came in the 2019 season where Seattle barely escaped with a 30-29 win due to a missed game-winning field goal attempt.
In losses, it usually is a different story as the Rams typically take the Seahawks to the cleaners, such as last season’s 28-12 loss on SNF or 2017’s 42-7 drubbing in Seattle.
The Seahawks have only swept the Rams once since 2012, and it was in 2013. Even then it took yet another goal-line stand to leave St. Louis with a 14-9 victory.
The Rams are in nearly full-rebuild mode. Their once stacked roster has been whittled down due to age, injury and limited depth thanks to the salary cap. Gone are receiver Brandin Cooks, linebacker Clay Matthews, and notorious Seahawks-slayer Todd Gurley. Los Angeles also had limited draft capital to work with to fill some of these holes due to the team going all-in on splashy trades the last three years.
If there was ever a time to make up some lost ground to the Rams, 2020 would seem to be the year.
The Falcons have rarely been short on offensive weapons since GM Thomas Dimitroff took over the team in 2008.
The Falcons have rarely been short on offensive weapons since GM Thomas Dimitroff took over the team in 2008. Quarterback Matt Ryan was Dimitroff’s first pick, and wide receiver Julio Jones came a few seasons later.
A great offensive trio requires a top-level running back, though, and after Atlanta released Devonta Freeman back in March, the team quickly brought in Todd Gurley as a replacement. CBS ranked each offensive trio and the Falcons’ new triplets came in at No. 6.
Jared Dubin wrote the following about Ryan, Jones and Gurley:
Ryan is remarkably durable, remarkably productive, and until last season, consistently above average across the board. He took a step backward last season, falling short of league averages in yards per attempt, touchdown rate, and passer rating, each for the first time since 2013. The Falcons had a chance to upgrade his weaponry in the first round this year, but chose to pass on CeeDee Lamb and take a corner instead. We’ll see if he’s still able to reach his ceiling with only two top-tier wideouts as opposed to three.
Gurley was just cut by the Rams, so even though he was slightly more effective last season than popular consensus would have you believe, we can’t justify giving him too high a grade. Jones is arguably the best wideout in football, more efficient on a per-route basis than just about everybody in the league, just about every year. He’s also now got 14 touchdowns across the past two seasons, so hopefully we can dispel with the silly notion that he simply cannot score.
Gurley is the real question mark of this trio, and while there’s no guarantee he can get back to an All-Pro level, his knee looked pretty healthy in his recent workout video.
The Rams are getting some much-needed salary cap relief.
The Los Angeles Rams aren’t exactly flush with cap space at the moment, sitting on just over $569K as of June 1. But on Tuesday, they’ll get some much-needed relief.
Because the Rams designated Gurley as a post-June 1 release, they’re able to spread his dead cap charge over the next two years instead of taking all of it on in 2020. The drawback was that they didn’t get any relief when they cut Gurley back in March, but the money will come through on Tuesday.
The Rams will gain $5.5 million this week from Gurley’s release, which will put them at more than $6 million in cap space.
Four teams are set to gain cap space tomorrow as a result of post-June 1 cuts earlier this offseason: * Bears: $2.8M (Trey Burton) * Falcons: $10.75M (Desmond Trufant) * Jets: $11M (Trumaine Johnson) * Rams: $5.5M (Todd Gurley)
That will surely be used to sign their rookie draft class at some point, and possibly open the door for some free-agent help at linebacker. It’s unlikely the Rams will go out and sign anyone, but at least now they’ll have the ability to.
When the Rams did cut Gurley, it cost them $20.15 million in dead money, which will be accounted for on the 2020 salary cap, as well as next year’s. It was a lot of money to take on, but it also rid the team of his sizable contract.
Former Georgia football RBs Todd Gurley, Nick Chubb, Sony Michel and D’Andre Swift fantasy football rankings.
With D’Andre Swift being drafted by the Detroit Lions in April, the Georgia Bulldogs now have four running backs in the NFL.
The 2020 NFL season looks like it’s going to take place this fall, which means fantasy football projections are starting to pick up as people begin planning out their teams.
Last season: 298 carries, 1,494 yards, 8 touchdowns. 36 catches on 49 targets, 278 receiving yards, 0 receiving touchdowns.
Latham wrote:
Nick Chubb would be a lot higher on this list if it weren’t for the presence of Kareem Hunt. Last year, both players split the workload, although Chubb was clearly the primary starter. It’s entirely possible that this becomes more of a 50/50 split, which obviously would hurt Chubb’s overall production.
No. 14 – Todd Gurley: RB1 Potential
Last season: 223 carries, 857 yards, 12 touchdowns. 31 catches on 49 targets, 207 receiving yards, 2 receiving touchdowns.
Latham wrote:
He obviously comes with some injury risk, but he should be a great fantasy option as long as he stays on the field.
No. 27 – Sony Michel: RB2 Potential
Last season: 247 carries, 912 yards, 7 touchdowns. 12 catches on 20 targets, 94 receiving yards, 0 receiving touchdowns.
Latham wrote:
There won’t be many scoring opportunities, but Michel should have a decent workload.
No. 36 – D’Andre Swift
Last season, at Georgia: 196 carries, 1,218 yards, 7 touchdowns. 24 catches, 216 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown.
Latham did not provide comments on Swift, but the versatile back should put up numbers, especially in a PPR league. He’s quick, he’s shifty and he can you over. I think 36 is too low for Swift. I’d have him at 25 or so.
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.
Falcons running back Todd Gurley has accomplished a ton since the Rams drafted him back in 2015, especially considering he’s only 25 years old.
Falcons running back Todd Gurley has accomplished a ton since the Rams drafted him back in 2015, especially considering he’s only 25 years old.
In five NFL seasons, the All-Pro back has rushed for over 5,400 yards and 58 touchdowns, with another 2,091 receiving yards and 12 touchdown receptions. After Los Angeles released Gurley, though, many are wondering if he can return to the elite level he played at before.
Atlanta signed him to a one-year, $5.5 million contract, which could be the ultimate bargain if his knees hold up. Based on this impressive leg workout video the team shared on Twitter, it looks like Gurley is ready to go.
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.”
A few notable players who did not make the list include: Matthew Stafford, Todd Gurley, Justin Houston, Roquan Smith, David Andrews
Here are the Dawgs that did make the list:
53. Geno Atkins
At #53 on the list is Georgia great Geno Atkins.
Atkins has been one of the league’s most dominant interior defensive lineman since entering the NFL in 2010. He has played his full career with the Bengals, is an eight-time pro-bowler, a two-time first-team all-pro and a member of the 2010s NFL All-Decade Team.
Prisco’s thoughts on Atkins:
“His sacks numbers were down to 4.5 last season, the fewest he’s had since 2014. He’s still capable of doing more than sacking the quarterback, but is age (32) starting to slow him down?”
63. AJ Green
At #63 on the list is another Cincinnati Bengals star, former Georgia phenom AJ Green.
Green remains one of the league’s best wide receivers despite missing the entirety of the 2019 season. When he’s healthy, he’s one of the best in the league, and some can argue that he is the best.
Let’s see what he can do this year now that he finally has a quarterback in Joe Burrow.
— UGA Football Live (@UGAfootballLive) May 23, 2020
Prisco’s thoughts on Green:
“He sat out the entire 2019 season with an ankle injury, so he’s a tough one to slot. But I still think at the age of 31, he can still be a No. 1 receiver. Health is the key.”
71. Nick Chubb
Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
Nick Chubb is fresh off of his second season in the NFL that saw him come 46 yards shy of leading the league in rushing.
Chubb is the 7th ranked running back on this list, coming in behind Christian McCaffrey, Ezekiel Elliott, Saquon Barkley, Alvin Kamara, Dalvin Cook, and Derrick Henry.
Prisco’s thoughts on Chubb:
“With much of the talk about the Browns passing game coming into the season, it was Chubb who was the best offensive player. He was second in the league in rushing with 1,494 yards and also caught 36 passes. He averaged 5.0 yards per rush.”
