Falcons OC Dirk Koetter's Latest Comment About Todd Gurley Will Leave You Very Uneasy
By Michael Luciano
The Atlanta Falcons will try to resurrect former Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley in 2020, as the former All-Pro has slipped out of the elite ranks due to his injury history.
Falcons OC Dirk Koetter is clearly excited to work with Gurley, but he accidentally said the quiet part out loud when asked about Gurley's role with the Falcons, as he went off on a tangent about the former Georgia's star's health, or lack thereof.
Hard to believe, but here's a quote from #Falcons OC Dirk Koetter in a media conference about newly signed RB Todd Gurley: "The main question, that no one seems to know, is what is his health status?"
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) May 14, 2020
The fact that NFL coaches and coordinators routinely fail to grasp the basics of PR and optics is simply outstanding. What good would come from saying this?
Gurley will be the feature back in Atlanta should he be 100 percent healthy, but his arthritic knees are once again a question mark, and even Koetter doesn't know how he'll handle the proposed workload. He has yet to pass any sort of physical, which is not an encouraging sign. Qadree Ollison, Ito Smith, and Brian Hill isn't exactly the best running back room behind him, should his health once again fail.
Falcons OC Dirk Koetter on RB Todd Gurley: "He can do everything. He’s an excellent runner, he’s good in the pass game, he can protect. The main question is - and no one seems to know - what’s his health status?"
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) May 14, 2020
Gurley has yet to take a physical, but has a big role if healthy.
On half a leg last year, Gurley racked up 14 touchdowns, and he has amassed 54 over the last three seasons. Even if he isn't totally ready to go health-wise, he's better than the motley crew of backs Atlanta will have to turn to without him.