April 22, 2014 · 8:51 PM

“He is an elite back even if he’s a little overweight.”

Dang, I guess they’re serious about that losing weight thing.

16 Comments

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16 responses to ““He is an elite back even if he’s a little overweight.””

  1. Skeptic Dawg
    April 22, 2014 at 9:03 PM

    Gurley’s weight is the last thing that I am worried about heading into 2014. With the turnstiles the Dawgs have at left and right tackle, it won’t matter if Todd Gurley weighs 300lbs or 200lbs.

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  2. IveyLeaguer
    April 23, 2014 at 2:48 AM

    Yes, he is an “elite back even if he’s a little overweight.” I mean, he missed almost 5 games. He was 100% for all of 10 plays (touches) last year. Count’em .. 10. The rest of the time, he was anywhere from 70% to pathetic, yet he still came close to 1000 yards.

    I’m just glad they finally came clean with the weight thing. Because he was obviously overweight when he came back, by at least 20 pounds (and I suspect a little more). And as usual, I said so, and maintained he never came close to 100% again (100% = best you can be for that time of year). My take was about 70% at best, and considerably less than that when he first came back.

    Now how a key skill player can be down for a month, knowing he can’t condition, and still be allowed to gain 20-30 pounds, is beyond me. Either our nutritionists have no clue, oversight was neglected, or Gurley simply wouldn’t cooperate. None of those are good, and the whole thing is still baffling.

    But it happened, and Gurley obviously has/had an issue with conditioning. He’s no Herschel, who always kept himself in tip-top shape. Kudos to Richt for addressing the issue with Gurley this Spring, getting him to see the light, and encouraging him. Presumably, Gurley is cooperating.

    I suspect Gurley has been down, having put on the weight and then surprised, and overwhelmed, by what it did to him as a player. He fought as hard as he could when he was in there, but the consequences were more than he had imagined. I’m guessing that’s at least part of what happened.

    Some good could come out of this, though. I suspect Gurley, at his best, has never been in top condition, i.e., his best potential condition. Until last year, things things had come relatively easy for him. He’s never lacked heart, on the field, that’s the thing that really makes him great. What he’d be like in elite condition, we can only imagine.

    But I’d sure love to see that. I’d love to see Gurley play at his peak potential.

    Because, IMHO, when he’s 100%, he’s the best player in the country. When he isn’t, he’s just another elite back. 🙂
    ~~~

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    • Hackerdog
      April 23, 2014 at 9:31 AM

      Gurley finished his freshman year at 230. He entered last year at 234. Right now, he’s listed at 232. Was he really close to 250 after his injury?

      I assumed that his conditioning problems were related to being unable to do much cardio, because of limited leg movement.

      I thought most of the weight gain stories were using his high school weight of 195 as a basis, rather than his playing weight during his freshman year of 225-230. Perhaps 225 is his perfect playing weight. But I suspect Richt is probably nitpicking Gurley on his weight, rather than it being an actual problem.

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      • IveyLeaguer
        April 23, 2014 at 12:47 PM

        Was he really close to 250 after his injury?

        He was 248 at the Bowl Game, according to Bobo. By then, he’d probably lost 10 pounds. I’d guess we was closer to 260 than 250, but 255 would be a very fair guess, IMO.

        We should understand that Gurley is one of those who carries weight well, his weight is well distributed. I’m the same way, myself, always 15-20 pounds more than the weight-guessers at the fairs and carnivals think, that’s been a guaranteed prize for me, and not one ever got close.

        Of course, I don’t know exactly what Gurley’s weight was at any point in time, I’m just taking educated guesses, and anyway it’s not that important. Whatever it was, it happened. And as already mentioned, the weight wasn’t the whole story. But it can’t be ignored as the key part of the problem, either. It complicated everything, if it didn’t actually prevent him from getting back.

        I assumed that his conditioning problems were related to being unable to do much cardio, because of limited leg movement.

        No question. That was a given. Which is why it’s so puzzling he was allowed to put on that much weight in only a month.

        Perhaps 225 is his perfect playing weight. But I suspect Richt is probably nitpicking Gurley on his weight, rather than it being an actual problem.

        Richt isn’t nitpicking, IMHO. The weight/conditioning thing is real, and something Gurley has to get a hold on if he’s going to have a great career.

        And yeah, I suspect his ideal weight is about 225, in the 220’s, perhaps 230 TOPS. In the 220’s, Gurley would look considerably thinner, but that would be deceiving. He’d still pack a very powerful punch, be a nightmare to tackle, yet much more elusive, with much more stamina and better top-end speed. He wouldn’t be caught on some of those long runs.
        ~~~

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    • Cojones
      April 23, 2014 at 10:30 AM

      Yep, you did , Ivey. And you are asking questions that probably most of us have. “Baffling” describes the feeling, but that was supposedly explained by not having practiced as much as the previous year. Your plea to see him play full potential is in the heart of many Dawg fans, but more like the wish list you know won’t come true. We will see.

      Gurley’s recovery could have habituated him to perform at an expected level, but not one to excel; saving the big bursts for his idea of an appropriate occasion, all in order to preserve himself for the NFL. That isn’t a selfish condition, it’s just a human condition. Now that Richt and Co have given him a heads up, most of us are probably jumping at the traces while waiting to see if the mystery is cleared up or will explain itself away in the Clemson/SC games. We can only hope while understanding.

      When recovering from a hip implant operation, the key is ability to perform excercises that show you can overcome some obstacles ahead (walk without assistance, ability to lift and carry weight, ability to climb steps, etc.) that are essential for full recovery. My personal experience was to walk unassisted as soon as possible no matter the pain that could still be felt beyond the narcotics. I walked in two weeks unassisted; did all the stretching and conditioning required in two more weeks of therapy and pronounced by the physician as healed early. Not so fast. Being able to walk without intense pain for the first time in 8.5 yrs was a heady victory so I took a couple of laps by finishing overdue personal work projects that left me sore and regretful that the rehab exercises weren’t continued. What the hell, I was getting exercise by walking up and down steps, etc as a part of finishing projects. It ain’t the same. Now I’m back to rehab exercises as a part of daily routine, staying off ladders and generally not pushing the envelope any more. Maybe Todd had a similar experience, was reluctant to go balls out per the poor habits formed during rehab.

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      • IveyLeaguer
        April 23, 2014 at 1:03 PM

        Maybe Todd had a similar experience, was reluctant to go balls out per the poor habits formed during rehab.

        I absolutely think that something like that was part of it. Very good point, because this was a terrible injury. High ankle sprains are bad. But this one went a foot up his leg. IDK that I’ve ever heard of one that bad. That would have taken most backs out for the year.

        That Gurley came back and played (played through) that thing is a testament to his toughness. I don’t think they come any tougher, and his heart is off-the-charts.

        That’s also consistent with the negative effect of the weight gain, not just a few pounds, but some significant extra weight put on that leg. No doubt that complicated both the rehab and as well as the conditioning.

        Remember we saw him play hurt (really hurt) in his last HS game, the state championship, where he dominated the game. I knew right then he was special. But it could be, as mentioned earlier, that he has never been in tip-top shape, ideal/peak condition.

        Regardless, I hope that is his personal goal this year.
        ~~~

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  3. Doubledawg09
    April 23, 2014 at 6:21 AM

    Reserve fund > heisman campaign

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  4. Bulldog Joe
    April 23, 2014 at 6:27 AM

    Hard to win the Heisman when you are on the sideline.

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  5. AlphaDawg
    April 23, 2014 at 10:17 AM

    Overweight or not, he is the best back in the nation. My only concern with any weight gain for Gurley is the possible increase for injury. He is a bell cow RB who doesn’t avoid contact so he’s highly likely to get injured anyway.

    Just give the young man the damn ball, worry about everything else when we have too.

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  6. W Cobb Dawg
    April 23, 2014 at 12:16 PM

    So Gurley was overweight when he was flying to the endzone at Mark Richt Field against gtu? He looked to me every bit the super RB that he was at clemson before the injury.

    I have no problem if we want to keep the players in shape. Seems the staff is harping about it on a daily basis. But I agree with other commenters regarding holdovers from last year’s staff, who allowed the players to get overweight. Their performance and accountability should be called out too.

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    • Cojones
      April 23, 2014 at 12:24 PM

      Not being able to interface with players during the summer was a problem, but with the 8 hrs/wk now in place we should be able, through the coaches, to hold them both accountable.

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    • IveyLeaguer
      April 23, 2014 at 1:10 PM

      So Gurley was overweight when he was flying to the endzone at Mark Richt Field against gtu? He looked to me every bit the super RB that he was at clemson before the injury.

      FWIW, I never thought he looked the same at all. He was noticeably slower, his quickness, cuts, everything, especially his burst. And he didn’t have the stamina, even late in the season, to finish some of the longer runs, the way he did in 2012.

      But that’s just me, what I saw.
      ~~~

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