Todd Gurley's late-season health issues reportedly due to 'wear and tear' on knee
Todd Gurley is just 24 years old. That’s young, even for an NFL running back.
Yet, the Los Angeles Rams have used him a lot already. And when it comes to Gurley’s mysterious injury late in the season that affected his usage late in the playoffs, apparently the miles on his legs are piling up a bit already.
Gurley split time with C.J. Anderson in the NFC championship game and Super Bowl, a situation we’ll talk about for a long time. NFL Network’s Steve Wyche shared what he knew about that and Gurley’s health in general.
It wasn’t necessarily an injury affecting Gurley late in the season, Wyche said, but “wear and tear.” Which is a little scary considering Gurley’s age.
Todd Gurley had ‘no specific injury’
Wyche said he spoke to someone “close to the situation” who explained Gurley’s injury situation. Or, more specifically, that there was no injury. The 1,229 touches through four seasons just seemed to take a toll on him late last season, though Wyche’s comments still leave it a bit unclear how much that had to do with Anderson splitting time in the final two playoff games.
Here was Wyche’s comments on NFL Network, via Turf Show Times:
“There was no specific injury,” Wyche said on NFL Network. “Remember Week 12 against the Kansas City Chiefs, he aggravated the knee, OK? There was an aggravation right there. Something inflamed. They sat him out those final two games right there, but then he came back in the playoffs and he looked just fine.
“So they said as the season wore on, that knee became a little bit worn down. Remember, that’s the knee he injured in college. So again, there was no specific injury. He was sore. He was feeling something right there, but when it came to the usage, it was not injury-related. This was more coaching decision-based in terms of the usage or lack thereof of Todd Gurley in those final two playoff games.”
Wyche went on to say Anderson surprised the staff with how well he played, and that was a factor in his continued playing time too. According to Wyche, the Rams felt they could “rest Todd Gurley a little bit and kind of save him in spots, because C.J. Anderson can play.”
It’s still mysterious, and a bit concerning, but it provides some context.
Gurley’s workload to be monitored?
As far as Gurley moving forward, Wyche said his source told him there’s no need to worry.
“They are not saying he is damaged goods,” Wyche said. “They fully expect after the offseason for him to come back into training camp fresh and to do the things that he has done.”
Wyche said the Rams staff will have to manage Gurley’s touches a bit more after a sizable workload already in his career.
It’s OK to be skeptical about the Rams’ claim, through Wyche, that they clearly know Gurley isn’t “damaged goods.” He had a torn ACL from college and had to miss time last season due to wear and tear. That’s unusual, especially given Gurley’s age. Anderson already said this offseason Gurley was hurt a little more than the Rams thought. It’s possible Gurley is fresh and as good as new next season, but it’s something worth monitoring. It will be for the rest of his career.
It will always be a little weird that the Rams decided to feature an All-Pro running back less in their two biggest games of last season, but at least we know a little more about Gurley’s situation in general. And that will lead to another set of questions going into next season.
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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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