It's not surprising that St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fisher believes running back Todd Gurley has the potential to be a phenomenal NFL running back. Fisher and Rams GM Les Snead wouldn't have invested a first-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft in Gurley, the former Georgia star, unless they believed his ceiling as a professional football player was fairly high. What is surprising, however, are the names Fisher invoked recently when discussing with Jason Cole of Bleacher Report just how high he believes Gurley's ceiling is. Per Cole, Fisher stated his belief that should he develop as expected Gurley can have an NFL career that rivals the likes of Chris Johnson and Eddie George and that could even potentially prove to be similar to that of NFL single season rushing record-holder, Eric Dickerson.
Fisher apparently believes that Gurley is a "unique talent," the likes of which he and the league have not seen in "decades." Fisher, of course, was the head coach for the Tennessee Titans when both Johnson and George came into the league and subsequently took it by storm, so he's intimately familiar with their talents. George burst onto the NFL scene, managing nearly 1,300-yards rushing or more each of his first five professional seasons. He finished his career having reached the 1,000-yard mark seven out of his nine seasons in the league and fell less than 70-yards short another year. Johnson, who still holds the record for fastest 40-year-dash at the NFL rookie scouting combine, posted six consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons to start his career. Last season, when he managed just 663-yards on 155 attempts, was the first time he didn't reach the mark.
Gurley, yet to take an NFL preseason snap, would be lucky to come even close to matching the career totals for each of these guys. And yet, Fisher felt the need to take it further, comparing the neophyte NFLer to Dickerson.
Dickerson still holds the single-season NFL rushing record of 2,105-yards, which he posted in 1984. That year for the now defunct Los Angeles Rams, Dickerson averaged 131.6 yards rushing per game. He's one of the best backs to ever play in the NFL and his upright running style and astounding speed may never again be replicated or matched.
While George is out of the league, having retired in 2005, and Johnson just signed a one-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals in an attempt to recapture a starting spot and the early magic of his NFL career, Gurley is dealing with the aftereffects of an ACL tear he suffered on Nov. 15 of last year. He just recently returned to team drills for the Rams this week.
The 10th pick in April's draft, Gurley possesses his own special set of characteristics, namely incredible balance, lower body strength and a "rare blend of speed and power." While it would be great for Fisher and the Rams faithful if Gurley were to eventually post career numbers similar to that of George, Johnson and Dickerson, it's likely best if they, and he, aim for the young ballcarrier to find his own manner of succeeding at the NFL level.
