Gurley vs Peterson

[NateDawg122]

I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts and comparisons of these two. I'd also like to hear y'alls prediction for how they'll do Sunday. I'll start.

Size: Peterson is 6'1" 217 pounds. Gurley is a bit bigger at 6'1" 227 pounds but I think he's closer to 6'2". AP has a bigger upper body while Gurley's lower body is considerably bigger than Adrian's. I give the edge to Gurley here.

Speed: These two are incredibly close in speed, but with AP aging a little bit I think Gurley has him beat. Todd clearly wins this before the ACL but I think he's still getting that top speed back right now. AP is very twitchy and quick to accelerate, Gurley runs a bit smoother but also has excellent burst. This is very close but I'll give the slight edge to Gurley.

Power: These are two of the most powerful backs in the game. AP has had years of NFL workouts to get as strong as he is. Gurley still has room to grow there. Gurley has more strength in his legs though and that's what matters as an RB. Slight edge goes to Gurley, but AP is right there.

Vision: AP has been doing this for a long time and so he's seen about everything in the book. That experience certainly helps him here. Gurley's natural vision and patience is superior to AP's though. With time Gurley will be the clear winner here but for the time being I'll call this a tie.

Running style: These two, despite there similarities, have very different styles. AP has a bit more twitch to him and is eager to hit the hole. He is slightly more violent than Todd. AP does tend to dance around too much, however. Gurley is smoother and runs with more patience. He waits for holes to develop and then burst through. When no hole is available he will put his head down and get as many yards as he can. They run with different styles but both work effectively. I prefer Gurley's style but that's just me.

Versatility: This one goes to Gurley. AP is a fantastic athlete but Gurley has better hands and smooth route running ability. Both are good pass blockers (see Clay Matthews) and both could return kicks if they needed to. Because of his receiving skills this one goes to Gurley.

Prediction: If Foles and the passing game can take just a bit of pressure off the running game I think Gurley will be the winner this weekend. If the passing game horrible then I expect stacked boxes to stop Gurley all day. On the other side, I think the Rams have a bone to pick with Peterson and will do anything to stop him. Jenkins should prevent Diggs from being a major factor so must of the attention will be on AP. My prediction is that Todd goes over 100 while AP is kept under that mark. Thoughts?

 

[SKOL]

Having watched every Viking game since AP came into the league my observations are as follows: Having a year off and hitting 30 shows on the field. AP has moments of greatness but they are fewer and farther between. I see him being tackled by one defender more often and that was almost unheard of a few years ago. His blocking and pass catching are a huge weakness and they often take him out on 3rd downs. I don't mean to sound down on him, he is still very good, fun to watch, and I was lucky to be a Viking fan in his prime. With that said, as long as people are afraid of AP it will keep the play action effective and that is where the Vikings can do damage. I haven't yet seen Gurley play yet but I hear good things.

 

[blue4]

I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts and comparisons of these two. I'd also like to hear y'alls prediction for how they'll do Sunday. I'll start.

Size: Peterson is 6'1" 217 pounds. Gurley is a bit bigger at 6'1" 227 pounds but I think he's closer to 6'2". AP has a bigger upper body while Gurley's lower body is considerably bigger than Adrian's. I give the edge to Gurley here.

Speed: These two are incredibly close in speed, but with AP aging a little bit I think Gurley has him beat. Todd clearly wins this before the ACL but I think he's still getting that top speed back right now. AP is very twitchy and quick to accelerate, Gurley runs a bit smoother but also has excellent burst. This is very close but I'll give the slight edge to Gurley.

Power: These are two of the most powerful backs in the game. AP has had years of NFL workouts to get as strong as he is. Gurley still has room to grow there. Gurley has more strength in his legs though and that's what matters as an RB. Slight edge goes to Gurley, but AP is right there.

Vision: AP has been doing this for a long time and so he's seen about everything in the book. That experience certainly helps him here. Gurley's natural vision and patience is superior to AP's though. With time Gurley will be the clear winner here but for the time being I'll call this a tie.

Running style: These two, despite there similarities, have very different styles. AP has a bit more twitch to him and is eager to hit the hole. He is slightly more violent than Todd. AP does tend to dance around too much, however. Gurley is smoother and runs with more patience. He waits for holes to develop and then burst through. When no hole is available he will put his head down and get as many yards as he can. They run with different styles but both work effectively. I prefer Gurley's style but that's just me.

Versatility: This one goes to Gurley. AP is a fantastic athlete but Gurley has better hands and smooth route running ability. Both are good pass blockers (see Clay Matthews) and both could return kicks if they needed to. Because of his receiving skills this one goes to Gurley.

Prediction: If Foles and the passing game can take just a bit of pressure off the running game I think Gurley will be the winner this weekend. If the passing game horrible then I expect stacked boxes to stop Gurley all day. On the other side, I think the Rams have a bone to pick with Peterson and will do anything to stop him. Jenkins should prevent Diggs from being a major factor so must of the attention will be on AP. My prediction is that Todd goes over 100 while AP is kept under that mark. Thoughts?

I'm as excited about Gurley as the next guy, but you've got him better than a 1st ballet HOF guy in every single category including vision. How can a guy be more eager to hit the hole, yet dance around too much, as you described AP?
Speed, I think Gurley is faster, but as you said AP has great acceleration. I view those two attributes as equal in terms of talking about speed, so I say they are about even.
Power, I give to Gurley. 21 years old against 30. Young AP vs TG? I say that's back to even again.
Vision, well it's a first ballet HOF RB vs a rookie in his 5th game. I don't see how Gurley earns the edge there. That's not taking anything away from Gurley, clearly he's got great vision. But this is AP with years of experience.
Versatility, it's Gurley. AP couldn't catch herpes in a whorehouse.

Gurley will get over 100. Fisher will feed him carries even if the ground game isn't working. Vikings defense is good but I think their ranking is misleading due to who they've played.

AP will be between 75-100. I feel Minnesota would not hang with the run as long as Fisher will if it's not working. Rams defense is great, and has been vetted against quality teams. Rams DL is too deep to wear out easily, just to many skilled players there to wear down. Rams secondary punishes people and run stops very well. Rams have been tackling as a team and swarming the ballcarrier very well.

That's JMO. AP is a fantastic back, but the sun is setting. Gurley and Bell are the future stars.

 

[LACHAMP46]

Sounds like a great sportsbook bet! @RhodyRams make it so....

AP is not the same, while Gurley is only getting stronger. AP ran a lil more violently...and it seems Todd has more speed...not anything to really write home about as far as who has more, just looks like Todd is faster...Both are powerful men. I can't say a bad thing about AP...He was the standard for this time...I still would compare Gurley to Bo Jackson...AP....never seen a guy like him...breaks tackles with great speed...Gurley breaks tackles with great speed...

 

[jjab360]

I'm as excited about Gurley as the next guy, but you've got him better than a 1st ballet HOF guy in every single category including vision. How can a guy be more eager to hit the hole, yet dance around too much, as you described AP?
Speed, I think Gurley is faster, but as you said AP has great acceleration. I view those two attributes as equal in terms of talking about speed, so I say they are about even.
Power, I give to Gurley. 21 years old against 30. Young AP vs TG? I say that's back to even again.
Vision, well it's a first ballet HOF RB vs a rookie in his 5th game. I don't see how Gurley earns the edge there. That's not taking anything away from Gurley, clearly he's got great vision. But this is AP with years of experience.
Versatility, it's Gurley. AP couldn't catch herpes in a whorehouse.

Gurley will get over 100. Fisher will feed him carries even if the ground game isn't working. Vikings defense is good but I think their ranking is misleading due to who they've played.

AP will be between 75-100. I feel Minnesota would not hang with the run as long as Fisher will if it's not working. Rams defense is great, and has been vetted against quality teams. Rams DL is too deep to wear out easily, just to many skilled players there to wear down. Rams secondary punishes people and run stops very well. Rams have been tackling as a team and swarming the ballcarrier very well.

That's JMO. AP is a fantastic back, but the sun is setting. Gurley and Bell are the future stars.

Lol, did you just criticize NateDawg for saying Gurley had AD beat in all categories but one and then do the exact same thing?

 

[Mikey Ram]

Big likeness: I seem to recall a couple (to a few) years ago, the Rams held him in check, looked like a shutdown game and suddenly: BAM, he goes for about 70 and score...Gurley has been exactly the same way...He did go off early last week and that's something I had been looking for and hoping to see...Like to see more early damage from Gurley...I really, really,really like him...Hopefully I'll feel that way for about 10 years or so in the horns !!!

 

[NateDawg122]

I'm as excited about Gurley as the next guy, but you've got him better than a 1st ballet HOF guy in every single category including vision. How can a guy be more eager to hit the hole, yet dance around too much, as you described AP?
Speed, I think Gurley is faster, but as you said AP has great acceleration. I view those two attributes as equal in terms of talking about speed, so I say they are about even.
Power, I give to Gurley. 21 years old against 30. Young AP vs TG? I say that's back to even again.
Vision, well it's a first ballet HOF RB vs a rookie in his 5th game. I don't see how Gurley earns the edge there. That's not taking anything away from Gurley, clearly he's got great vision. But this is AP with years of experience.
Versatility, it's Gurley. AP couldn't catch herpes in a whorehouse.

Gurley will get over 100. Fisher will feed him carries even if the ground game isn't working. Vikings defense is good but I think their ranking is misleading due to who they've played.

AP will be between 75-100. I feel Minnesota would not hang with the run as long as Fisher will if it's not working. Rams defense is great, and has been vetted against quality teams. Rams DL is too deep to wear out easily, just to many skilled players there to wear down. Rams secondary punishes people and run stops very well. Rams have been tackling as a team and swarming the ballcarrier very well.

That's JMO. AP is a fantastic back, but the sun is setting. Gurley and Bell are the future stars.

I believe I said they were tied when it came to vision and made it clear that, while Gurley has better natural vision, AP has experience on his side. We both are saying the same thing when it comes to speed, power, and versatility so I fail to see where your argument is coming from. And if you watch AP he does dance too much but at other times will show a lack of patience when letting holes develop. It's the way he's always been.

Keep in mind I'm comparing present day Gurley to present day AP. I'm not doing an evaluation of AP in his prime and frankly Gurley isn't 100% right now either.

 

[Jorgeh0605]

I would say AP gets the vision category. But that is the make or break category in a runningback. All the power and speed in world won't get you to the level these backs have. Todds vision is already elite though, just not better than AP. AP also gets an edge in overall agility. Not speed but agility. Id rather have Todd right now, but that is simply because AP is 30.

 

[blue4]

Lol, did you just criticize NateDawg for saying Gurley had AD beat in all categories but one and then do the exact same thing?

No I said they were equal in one and AP had him in another. And I didn't criticize, I disagreed.