Rams' Todd Gurley offers 'good' update on knee issue
Running back Todd Gurley has been a boon to the Los Angeles Rams and fantasy owners alike, but the way Gurley’s 2018 season ended along with his inactivity this offseason have led to some real questions about his health and availability going forward.
On Tuesday, Gurley offered a little bit of hope.
‘It’s good, man. It’s good.’
Speaking with NFL Network’s Omar Ruiz at the Gatorade Player of the Year ceremony honoring some of the country’s best high school athletes, Gurley sounded a positive tone when asked about his knee.
“It’s good, man. It’s good,” he said. “I'm just like, ‘Hey, we're going to find out in training camp, you know?’ Once training camp comes, you've got the preseason, but you don't have a lot in preseason.”
Gurley did sit out much of the Rams’ on-field work during OTAs this spring, though coach Sean McVay repeatedly downplayed any concerns.
No plans to change style
The 10th overall pick in 2015, Gurley was named to the Pro Bowl in three of his first four seasons and was voted first-team All-Pro each of the last two years.
He doesn’t want to change his style to try to get through the season.
"No. For me, I've been doing this my whole life, so it would be so hard for me to even try to change my style of play,” Gurley said. “That's not even me. I don't even know how to describe my game. I'm just going to keep doing what I can do until I can't do it no more. That's why we play this sport.
“But I've been feeling good. I'm definitely not going to change anything. I'm going to come with that same mindset like third-and-1, fourth-and-1, I'm gonna try to go get it. So I'm just excited. I know it's always been a lot of talk going on this whole offseason, so it's just like, hey, it's the offseason. That's what everything is supposed to be about: speculation and reporting. Once the season comes, you gonna see what happens.”
He had 343 and 315 touches in 2017 and ‘18, respectively, which averaged out to around 23 per game (he played 15 regular games in ‘17 and 14 last year) so Gurley could see a reduction there going forward, especially after Los Angeles used a third-round pick this year on Darrell Henderson.
‘Arthritic component’
Last month, Gurley’s trainer Travelle Gaines, affirmed that Gurley has an “arthritic component” to his left knee; he tore the ACL in that knee while in college at Georgia in 2014.
Gaines said, however, that it’s possible with any major joint surgery — knee, ankle, shoulder — and that managing Gurley in the offseason is part of the plan to keep him fresh and healthy for games in December.
Gaines added that the decision for Gurley to lose a little weight this offseason — he was to lose six pounds and play at 218, mostly by getting his body fat down to 7 percent — was done collectively with the team, with an eye on helping him maintain his speed.
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