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Todd Gurley Cleared for Practice

By Nic Moody

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Todd Gurley has been cleared for practice.

St Louis Rams running back Todd Gurley can now participate in 7 on 7 and 11 on 11 drills. Gurley will be forced to wear the yellow beanie that wide receiver Brian Quick was recently forced to wear, so Gurley will not be able to take any contact in practice as the Rams will likely continue to baby him. Head coach Jeff Fisher has stated that they will “continue to bring Gurley along slow” from his torn ACL that Gurley suffered back in November of last season.

Fisher has also stated that Gurley won’t play in the preseason. Which isn’t a bad thing. There is little point in risking Gurley’s health in games that have no meaning. However, this points to an real possibility of Gurley being ready week one.

The Rams need him for week one. The Rams take on the division rival Seattle Seahawks in front of their home crowd. The Rams offense looks inconsistent to start the preseason, and Gurley could provide a play making ability that could help counterbalance the Seahawks tough defense. Gurley also resembles Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch, so a battle between the two would likely be very fun to watch.

Gurley passed his conditioning test with flying colors, and has had a wonderful camp this far, doing individual drills and rehabbing with no set backs. Gurley should be ready for full contact by September 13, and if he is, the Rams need to unleash him. Sure, there is a lot of risk involved either way, but if the Rams opt not to start Gurley on opening day, then how long do they wait? a few games? Mid-season? Either Gurley is going to be ready or he’s not, and waiting longer won’t do much to help Gurley. Gurley needs real NFL experience, and there is only one way to gain said experience, and that is by playing in games.

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Gurley has done his job getting in the mental reps. He has studied the playbook well, and due to his play-style and conference in college, even Gurley himself feels like he could step into the NFL without much adjustment. (Gurley played in the SEC against the best players in College Football) I doubt Gurley will be a feature back starting out, but he should at least get a few reps in against the Seahawks with Tre Mason backing him up.

Gurley finished his first practice today, and from the sound of things, it went pretty well.

Next: St Louis Rams updated Roster Projection

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