Gurly out to prove he can get back to being top RB
The Atlanta Falcons went all season without a 100-yard rusher in the backfield last year, so when Todd Gurley became available as a free agent, they were eager to sign him.
Gurley has a history of knee problems and was cut by the Rams just two years removed from consecutive All-Pro seasons. The Falcons waited a couple of weeks during the early days of quarantine because of the coronavirus pandemic to sign Gurley to a $6 million, one-year deal, hoping he can spark a rushing attack that finished third-worst in the NFL last season.
Gurley, who ran for a career-low 857 yards, was quick to point out he did not have a 100-yard game either. But he said his knees feel close to 100% and that he is ready to go. The Falcons open the season Sunday at home against the Seahawks.
“I didn’t have 100 yards last year either,” he said. “I don’t know why they got me, huh? But I feel good, man. Week 1, playing against Seattle, a team I’m super-familiar with. Been able to play against those guys nine times. I feel good.”
Gurley, the 2017 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, has a league-best 58 touchdown runs since entering 2015. His 5,404 yards rushing during that span are topped only by Dallas’ Ezekiel Elliott, but last season he had just 3.8 yards per carry, the second-lowest average of his career.
That didn’t faze Falcons star receiver Julio Jones. He was instrumental in Atlanta signing Gurley, traveling with Arizona wideout DeAndre Hopkins to visit with Gurley after he was released. They went on long hikes together in California, and Gurley began to warm to the idea of returning to the South, where the North Carolina native starred at Georgia and became one of four Bulldogs to rush for 3,000 yards in his career.
“I mean it played a big role to be able to get comfortable with someone I’ll be teammates with ,” Gurleysaid .“For him and DeAndre to come visit me soon as I got cut, that just kind of shows what the league is all about. It’s definitely a band of brothers, whether you’re on the same team or not. It’s just definitely a good feeling.”
Jones has been impressed with what he’s seen of his new teammate thus far.
“Just knowing him as a person and things like that, because at the end of the day, it’s all about bringing each other together, finding a common goal and purpose,” Jones said. “We share the same things. I got you and you got me. He’s going to do his thing in the running game and I’m going to do my thing in the passing game.”
Gurley’s workload in training camp was monitored closely by coach Dan Quinn, who gave the running back several days off to keep his knees fresh.
Viewership down
An estimated 19.3 million fans turned on NBC to watch the NFL’s season kickoff between the Chiefs and Texans, or 13% fewer viewers than 2019’s opening game.
The Nielsen company said last year’s matchup between the Packers and Bears was seen by 22.2 million people.
NBC said there was a bump in live streaming of the game. With online added in, viewership was down 11 percent from last year. Also, Thursday represented the first day that every major pro sport had games on the same day.
Even with a middling Nielsen report from opening night, the return of football is a huge relief for broadcast television networks. The most-watched TV show last week, “60 Minutes,” reached 6.5 million viewers.
Injury news
Broncos star linebacker Von Miller underwent surgery to repair a dislodged ankle tendon.
“I was told it went well, and we’ll see how it goes,” coach Vic Fangio said. “They haven’t said anything on a timetable based on his surgery, that will depend on the healing.”
Although the typical recovery time for a subluxed peroneal tendon is four to six months, the best-case scenario would be a threemonth recovery.
The Jets will be without rookie wide receiver Denzel Mims (hamstring) for the season opener, and possibly beyond.
The Bills ruled out cornerback Josh Norman (hamstring) for their opener.
The Falcons will be without cornerback Kendall Sheffield (foot) and defensive end Charles Harris (ankle) for their opener.