With Gurley set to return, Falcons Face Tough Decision

by Finz | 4 years ago | 0 Comments

With Gurley Set to Return, Falcons Face Tough Decision

By Elijah Madison, Atlanta Journal-Constitution  

 

It’s been almost 50 weeks since star running back Todd Gurley has played an SMLP game. After a gruesome injury that left Gurley with a torn right achilles tendon, Gurley is set to return next week vs. the Chargers. 

 

“I’m just looking to get back out there with the guys. That’s been the hardest part. Not being there to help the boys go to war every Sunday.”

When speaking with Gurley, you can tell how excited he is to get back to work. For the past few weeks, he’s been getting back to light workouts, which began to ramp up into light contact work in hopes of being cleared to play next week. 

 

Enter George DeVoe. 

 

When Gurley went down last season, DeVoe stepped in and not only did he fill in for Gurley, he carried them through their last 6 games and into their wildcard game. Last season, DeVoe ran for 663 yards and scored 7 TDs in those final 6 games. This season DeVoe has not missed a beat. Through 10 games so far this season, he has rushed for an astounding 908 yards and 14 TDs. Both of those totals lead the NFC. 

 

With Gurley’s return, the Falcons have a nice problem, but a difficult decision to make.  

 

So, what will the Falcons do? The age old adage in sports is that a player should not lose their job to injury. One can logically assume that the job will remain DeVoe’s while Gurley gets back into game shape but what will they do once that happens?

 

An anonymous source inside the organization has told me that DeVoe will continue to carry the load, even when Gurley is fully healthy. “The coaching staff really feel like he’s their best option to win. Despite Gurley’s 2020 SMLP season, he’s been average at best. DeVoe has numbers on par with the leagues’ best at the position. It’s really not a difficult decision for the coaching staff as they feel DeVoe gives them the best chance to win.” 

 

When speaking to Head Coach Dan Quinn, he gave the typical “coach speak” one would expect in this situation. “Obviously, I can’t get into specifics but we will play the player we think gives us the best chance to win. Both of these guys are professionals and I’m sure they will conduct themselves accordingly. Both will prepare to play each week and I would expect that each guy will be supportive of whatever direction we go in.” 

 

If I were to guess what might transpire, I would expect that George DeVoe would continue to play as his numbers warrant him continuing to get the majority of snaps moving forward. Gurley will get some opportunities here and there but I would assume that he would be more of a change of pace back for the remainder of the season. 

 

Whatever the direction the Falcons choose to go in, it is definitely a good problem to have as they move into the second half of the SMLP season.