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JamesJM
and I'll be honest... I don't get it. That needs explanation.
First of all... this is NOT criticism... in fact it's the opposite... but you may not 'get it'.
There are some RB's that have played in the NFL, throughout history, whose talent is ... how shall I say this... 'confusing'. Most are easy... they jig and jag well, they power well, they break tackles well, etc etc etc... but a few... seem to do it .... I guess the word is 'effortlessly'? And Gurley is one of them, IMHO.
OJ I put in that category... who seemed to 'slide thru' more than work thru... like a hot knife thru butter. Things just gave way to him.
When I watch Gurley I don't watch him and think 'greatest moves ever'... or 'greatest power ever'... or greatest ANYthing ever... but he DOES do it, time after time, with very few exceptions. I guess the closest analogy I can use is "Hammy" in the movie "Over The Hedge"... who when on a power drink moves thru life in a space/time continuum far apart than us normal folk.
Or another way to say it... he just doesn't, again IMHO, fit into anyones data readout listing quantifiable attributes. Some, yes... but where he's 'extra-special' is not on paper.
He's different. He has attributes of the greats, but he's different. I'm loving it. - JamesJM
I'm going to make a stab at this. Tell me what you think.
He has great vision and balance, especially for his size, and the result is not that he jukes people or "Faulks" them but that he arrives where the defenders are presenting the least optimal target. And it's not that glaringly obvious either. He doesn't "elude" in the classic way we think of, but he shifts his body weight etc. just enough so that the defender is at a disadvantage. You can't seem to get a straight up direct hit on him. It's like when I am chopping wood and I dont get the effect I want because I don't hit it right. Well imagine the piece of wood actually moved 2 inches. Not jumped out of the way, or dodged like a cat--it just shifted because it saw the angle of my swing.
He also sees things quickly and is very decisive (more than most) and has enough burst to go where they ain't, when that option presents itself.
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