Todd Gurley not concerned about knee, ready to join Atlanta Falcons

The coronavirus pandemic has prevented new Atlanta Falcons running back Todd Gurley from an official physical, but he brushed off any concerns about knee issues Friday.

Reports have surfaced this year about the questionable condition of his previously injured left knee, and the injury has been widely discussed since it became public last year that arthritis is part of the problem.

“I played in 15 of 16 games (last year),” Gurley said, adding the Falcons wouldn’t have signed him if they were worried about it.

Atlanta is counting on the former Georgia Bulldogs star to lead the running game after parting ways with previous starter Devonta Freeman. The club ideally wants the Gurley of 2017 and 2018 — he had almost 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns in that span — and not the one whose usage and production fell to a career-low 857 rushing yards last season for the Rams, who cut him two years into a four-year, $60 million contract.

Gurley said he still knows he’s “that guy” from the 2017 and 2018 seasons, when he was a Pro Bowler and a top candidate for NFL MVP.

“I just have fun,” he said. “It’s football. I’ve been doing this almost 20 years. Each year you’ve got to prove yourself. It doesn’t matter if you made All-Pro or Pro Bowl the year before. Nobody cares what you’ve done in this league. You’ve got to prove yourself each year, each week.”

The wear and tear of five NFL seasons is a concern for Falcons fans, specifically his troublesome left knee. He tore the ACL in that knee in his final season at Georgia, but it didn’t slow him down when he entered the NFL.

Through five seasons, he has almost 1,500 touches, including more than 1,300 rushing attempts. How much that pounding has slowed him down remains to be seen.

“I’ve played football my whole life and I’ve probably had 10,000 touches,” Gurley said. “These five years have probably been the toughest as far as football-wise, being in the pros. But it’s just another year, honestly. Each year is a different approach. It’s not like I tore my ACL last year. That was six years ago.”

The preseason prep this year is much different, though. Gurley still lives in California, unable to travel to Georgia and work out with the Falcons because of the coronavirus. He has talked with some of his new teammates on the phone and over text, but his workouts are done on his own. He does two training sessions a day, then mixes in yoga twice a week.

“Luckily, I have a great neighbor with a full gym in his backyard,” Gurley said. “I’ve been able to use his gym, use this time to really work out, get focused and lock in. Thank God for being able to use that gym.”

The training allows Gurley to stay as sharp as possible for an NFL season that also is uncertain given the current pandemic. When Gurley reports, he joins a backfield of younger players who are less proven like Ito Smith, Brian Hil and Qadree Ollison.

How Gurley fits into that group, and whether the team will limit his carries in training camp, the preseason and during the regular season, has not been discussed.

“The way life is going now, everybody is on load management,” Gurley said. “There’s not much football you can do until training camp. I’m just focusing on working out and once everything calms down I’ll be able to talk to the Falcons and be able to go over a plan. I trust in their staff. I wouldn’t have signed there if I didn’t. That’s something we can talk about going into camp.”

Relocating to Atlanta is something to look forward to, particularly given Gurley’s background. He played high school football in Tarboro, N.C., and many of his friends are his former Georgia classmates.

Those friends are excited about his return to the South, and so are Georgia Bulldog fans.

“It really couldn’t have worked out any better,” Gurley said. “It’s a great situation, definitely for me. To be able to play football in Georgia, growing up in North Carolina, it’s really like home for me. I’m really excited. I’m pretty sure a bunch of Georgia fans are. It’s like a little homecoming. I feel like I should have been there forever. It’s perfect timing for sure.”