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joram
just watched highlights of his first cowboy game.
Dude has lost 1/2 a step definitely
Yup. That’s how he looks to me. He’s not elite at this point. The question that I have is has the arthritis advanced to the point where he will not be able to perform at the elite level again.
For now, he a very good power back with some speed. But not the same guy we saw in Tennessee take a simple screen to the house.
Gurley has never been a "power back." He's never run over people; he doesn't move piles. Healthy, Malcolm Brown is decidedly a better "power back" than Gurley ever was. In fact, I'm more impressed with HENDERSON'S power than Gurley's.
At his best, Gurley had very good hands, very good speed and elite acceleration, especially for a back his size. (And very good in pass-pro.) Now? I think "very good" is an exaggeration. Honestly, strictly as a runner, I think he's a a little above average right now.
The good news is that he seems much more fired up the last couple weeks. I see much more effort than earlier in the year. Maybe it's about how he feels physically, but I suspect it's the decision to commit to heavy usage for him. An attitude change doesn't magically restore his acceleration but we are seeing a more animated, determined runner than we did earlier in the year. Think Ingram from the Ravens game or Carson in the Seattle game - those guys weren't going down til the D MADE them go down. I see a lot more of that in Gurley now, which means a lot on the field.
It's a real Catch-22. I'd REALLY like to see what Henderson and Brown (if healthy) would be doing behind this better-performing OL. But a bigger split in carries puts Gurley into a sulk and makes him a pretty mediocre back. You get the best of Gurley by largely sidelining the other two, but they're the higher-ceiling backs at this point IMO.
