Todd Gurley in Atlanta Falcons introductory press conference: ‘I know I’m still that guy’
Todd Gurley II officially re-introduced himself to the metro Atlanta sports media on Friday.
For the greater part of 20 minutes, he told the media members how excited he was to return to the state he played his college ball at and how ready he was to begin his new chapter with the Atlanta Falcons.
“It’s really home for me,” Gurley II said. “It’s like a little homecoming. I felt like I should’ve been there forever but it was perfect timing for sure.”
Gurley wasted no time in making sure his impact was felt in the city. Despite practicing social distancing in California, the running back announced he partnered with Beyond Meat to donate over a million burgers to food banks, frontline workers and organizations in need over the next 30 days.
“It’s a no brainer, especially in a time like this,” Gurley II said. “It’s not even about football. It’s about taking care of your family, making sure you’re safe and helping others that need help.”
The 2015 Offensive Rookie of the Year and 2017 Offensive Player of the Year signing with the Falcons did not come without doubts from the public. No skilled position is losing its value in football quicker than running back. After suffering an ACL injury in 2014 while at UGA, Gurley exited a game against the Philadelphia Eagles in December 2018. He opened the following postseason with a 115-yard rushing yards performance against the Dallas Cowboys, but finished with a combined 45 yards in the NFC Championship against New Orleans and in the Super Bowl against New England. He then rushed for a career-low 857 yards in 2019.
Even the greatest running backs in the past decade, not named Adrian Peterson or Frank Gore, have shown rapid falls from grace. Former Tennessee Titans and New York Jets running back Chris Johnson rushed for over 2,000 yards in 2009. Five seasons later in 2014 with the Jets, he rushed for 663 yards in 16 games. It was later revealed Johnson played with a torn meniscus the season prior his career-worst year at the time and he had surgery on it before 2014. LaDanian Tomlinson’s first season below 1,000 rushing yards came in 2009, when he suffered an ankle injury in the season opener. He never rushed for more than 1,000 yards in his career, and a 2011 knee injury proved to be the final blow of his career.
The 25-year-old Gurley II isn’t going for any of the doubt that surrounds him, however.
“I know I’m still that guy,” he said. “I’ve been doing this my whole life. It’s just football.”
Gurley II went on to say that his resume in the league means little because everyone has to prove themselves week-in-and-week-out in the NFL.
“Y’all been doing this for a long time,” Gurley II said. “Y’all have seen plenty come and plenty go. That’s basically how the game goes. You want to leave your mark while you can and definitely try to be the best you can. That’s why I picked the Falcons. To be able to still create my legacy to try to be the best player I can be.”
Gurley II has found light in the midst of being cut by the L.A. Rams. He went on social media, and mentioned the franchise requesting his payment. The post was all in good fun, he said. He’s known as a jokester.
“I still need my money. I’m waiting on it,” Gurley II said. “I’ve been joking and laughing with the Rams teammates so they know how I am. It’s fun and games, I still do need my money, though. I was serious about that part, but it’s all fun and games.”
The running back also said he couldn’t recall his final conversation with his former team.
“Honestly, my service was terrible, so I couldn’t even hear anything,” Gurley II said.
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