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Rams RB Todd Gurley a first-round thumbs up so far
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...rb-todd-gurley-a-first-round-thumbs-up-so-far
A quick observation of St. Louis Rams first-round pick Todd Gurley and how he’s looked through three weeks of training camp:
Attempting to grade Gurley's progress at this point in the preseason requires looking at more than just what he's done on the field, because, frankly, it's not much.
Instead, we have to look at Gurley's camp through the lens of a player coming off a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, an injury he suffered at the University of Georgia last November and from which he is still rehabilitating.
Gurley earns high marks here for the work he's done so far because he seems to be on or even possibly ahead of schedule in his recovery. When the Rams drafted him in April, the goal was to bring him along slowly with an eye toward having him ready at some point in the season's first quarter or so.
In the spring, Rams coach Jeff Fisher talked about the possibility of having Gurley on the physically unable to perform list entering training camp. And then there was discussion that he could land on the non-football injury list even in the week leading up to camp. Neither happened.
Instead, Gurley has been meeting every goal he's set for himself along the way. He told me in the spring that he hoped to be able to do individual drills at the start of training camp. That's exactly what he's done. And in those drills, Gurley has looked impressive.
There's a belief that Gurley's knee is now strong enough that he can get back to work, but the Rams want to be diligent about strengthening everything around the ligament. Fisher has made it clear that Gurley will not play in the preseason, but Gurley is at least far enough along to go through pregame warm-ups with his teammates.
"The warm-up benefit is certainly part of his rehab," Fisher said. "And it's really good experience for him."
When Gurley does return, it's probably wise to expect him to be brought back slowly before he becomes the focal point of the team's offense. That day will certainly come, but it won't be until after the Rams are absolutely sure Gurley is ready for it.
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...rb-todd-gurley-a-first-round-thumbs-up-so-far
A quick observation of St. Louis Rams first-round pick Todd Gurley and how he’s looked through three weeks of training camp:
Attempting to grade Gurley's progress at this point in the preseason requires looking at more than just what he's done on the field, because, frankly, it's not much.
Instead, we have to look at Gurley's camp through the lens of a player coming off a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, an injury he suffered at the University of Georgia last November and from which he is still rehabilitating.
Gurley earns high marks here for the work he's done so far because he seems to be on or even possibly ahead of schedule in his recovery. When the Rams drafted him in April, the goal was to bring him along slowly with an eye toward having him ready at some point in the season's first quarter or so.
In the spring, Rams coach Jeff Fisher talked about the possibility of having Gurley on the physically unable to perform list entering training camp. And then there was discussion that he could land on the non-football injury list even in the week leading up to camp. Neither happened.
Instead, Gurley has been meeting every goal he's set for himself along the way. He told me in the spring that he hoped to be able to do individual drills at the start of training camp. That's exactly what he's done. And in those drills, Gurley has looked impressive.
There's a belief that Gurley's knee is now strong enough that he can get back to work, but the Rams want to be diligent about strengthening everything around the ligament. Fisher has made it clear that Gurley will not play in the preseason, but Gurley is at least far enough along to go through pregame warm-ups with his teammates.
"The warm-up benefit is certainly part of his rehab," Fisher said. "And it's really good experience for him."
When Gurley does return, it's probably wise to expect him to be brought back slowly before he becomes the focal point of the team's offense. That day will certainly come, but it won't be until after the Rams are absolutely sure Gurley is ready for it.