Transcripts: Todd Gurley Isn’t 100%...But He Is a Duke Fan. Oh, and Adrian Peterson’s Godson

Jeff Fisher – Post Practice – 11/3/15

(On having former NFL RB Herschel Walker at practice today)
"Yeah, how about that? Yeah, obviously, he’s involved in the MMA. He’s still, actually, believe it or not at 53 years (old), he’s competing right now. He’s got a couple of guys that are here in town that are competing on Friday night, so we invited him over. So, it’s kind of cool. I’m really lucky I never had to tackle him. (laughs) That was a scheduling thing."

(On there being a lot of star running backs in the building with Walker and RB Todd Gurley)
"Yeah, it is. A lot of history there. A lot of history with Herschel and hopefully, we have a great future with Todd."

(On how he thinks practice went today)
"Today was good. Guys are excited to get back. Great opponent. Playing really good. We kind of resemble each other right now - statistically, offensively and defensively and on special teams. So, we have to have a really good week."

(On the approach of both teams having strong running games and strong defenses)
"Well, they’re well-coached in all three phases. They’re making plays and they’re winning games. So, they’ve been good at home. Even though they’re kind of in transition with the new stadium issue, they’ve made that place a tough place to play. So, we have to go out there and play well."

(On if Vikings RB Adrian Peterson still looks like the same dominant guy to him when he plays)
"Same guy. Yeah, he’s back. Same guy. You don’t have to look at much tape to see that he’s the same guy."

(On if he can take much out of last season’s opening game in preparation for this week)
"Well, you look at it. It’s no different than for example, us playing a division game, the second game. So, it’s recent. They game planned us. We game planned them. They made more plays than we did, so we gave up some big plays. We know (Vikings Offensive Coordinator) Norv (Turner) very well. He’s an outstanding coordinator and he’ll have them ready to play. So, we’re going to have to play really good on defense."

(On if he feels that there is more of a familiarity now that the Vikings coaching staff has been in place for more than a year)
"Well, it was new. But, now there’s quite a body of work that we have to draw from and look at and go through. So, they’re real talented. They’re real talented. They’re going to make a run in that division. This is a big game for us."

(On how tough the game was last year after losing former Rams QB Sam Bradford and making the change not even two weeks before they played the Vikings)
"Well yeah, I mean, we had no choice. We made the decision and we went with it. (QB) Shaun (Hill) went down right before half. It was one of those things that happens. But, I’d like to think we’re a little bit better in all three areas right now."

(On if he thinks there are other options that can open up on offense as a result of Gurley and WR Tavon Austin’s production)
"I would think so, yeah. Competitively, I won’t go into details. But, yeah, Todd’s doing some good things, as is Tavon. We have to be creative offensively to create issues from the defensive standpoint. So, if you’re concerned about Todd inside or on the edge, you may have to create a one-on-one with Tavon on the edge. So, those are the kind of things that we’re working on."

(On what stands out to him when he watches Peterson on tape)
"Well, he’s got tremendous speed. If you start with the speed factor first, he can go the distance. Then, you add the vision and the physical style in which he runs. He’s a great cutback runner. You can bottle him up on one side, flatten him out and he’ll come out the backside. He’s really good once he gets passed the second level. He’s really good in the secondary. He’s hard to get down."

(On if Gurley reminds him of any running backs from his playing days)
"No. I mean, the best back when I was playing was my teammate and that was (RB) Walter (Peyton). But, there’s no resemblance there. They’re just different body styles, body types. But, as I said, it’d be unfair to compare Todd to anybody that I’ve either played against or with or coached with. He’s just different."

(On if he thinks Gurley is 100 percent now)
"No."

(On if he thinks Gurley is still a ways away from being 100 percent and what hasn’t he shown)
"You haven’t seen a 200 yard rushing day out of him."

(On if he can’t wait for the day Gurley reaches a 200 yard rushing game)
"It’ll happen."

(On if he normally does walk-thru’s when the team travels to away games)
"No."

(On if he plans on doing a team walk-thru in Minnesota with their new stadium)
"No. We’re not going to do that. We’ll go out there and just play."

(On the Tennessee Titans making a coaching change today)
"In general, it’s hard. I mean, it’s not the first one this year. It’s just hard. That’s part of our business. It happens all the time. It’s unfortunate. Ken (Whisenhunt) is an outstanding coach. They’re playing a young quarterback and they’ve had some injuries. Those things happen."

Todd Gurley – Post Practice – 11/3/15

(On if it was pretty cool to have Herschel Walker out at practice)
"Oh yeah, it was pretty cool. That was my first time meeting him."

(On if that was his first time meeting him in person)
"Yeah. I think I talked to him over the phone, but I’ve never met him before."

(On what Walker said to him)
"Nothing, just told us good job and keep it up. It was good seeing him."

(On Walker being in his corner for a long time)
"Oh yeah. Obviously, I went to the same school as him, so just watching and keeping tabs on me. That’s always cool."

(On if he’s left handed or right handed)
"Left."

(On if that’s why he spikes the ball left handed)
"Yeah, I do everything left handed."

(On if spiking the ball has always been his celebration)
"I never scored in the NFL, that’s my first time. And you can’t spike the ball in college."

(On if he’s looking forward to his match-up with Vikings RB Adrian Peterson)
"I’m not matching up against him because he’s on offense. It’s cool to be out there and just have fun and play our game."

(On if he watched Peterson a lot growing up)
"A guy as great as him, everybody is going to look at him and try to model their game after him."

(On if Peterson is the gold standard of running backs)
"Yeah, there’s only one AP. Like you said, he’s the gold standard. You can consider him as the best."

(On something people maybe don’t know about him personality-wise)
"I haven’t really got anything."

(On what he likes to do for fun when he’s not playing football)
"At the house. Chilling, watching football or if it’s the NBA season, basketball season now so I’m about to get ready to watch Duke basketball and Georgia basketball."

(On what it was about Duke basketball that made him be a fan)
"Well, I didn’t even know who Duke was in North Carolina at first. I had just moved to North Carolina and they had the whole March Madness, so I used to play it. I just used to play with those guys and then maybe three years later, so that was like eighth grade and I found out they were in Durham, so I was like, ‘Oh snap, that’s pretty cool.’"

(On who were the main guys on Duke that he liked)
"Well, my very first time watching Duke was like 2004 when they had JJ Reddick and Sheldon Williams. We lost to Connecticut in the Final Four. But, we got two after that."

(On if he sees the comparison in running style to Peterson)
"We kind of have the same physique. He’s probably a lot more muscular. We both kind of run hard and don’t like to go down."

(On Walker saying Peterson is the godfather and Gurley being the new kid on the block)
"You can definitely say that. He is the godfather. I guess I’m the godson."

(On if he will have extra incentive to do well this weekend against Peterson)
"I’m just going to go out there and play like I always play. Try to play hard and get a win."

(On what Minnesota’s defense does well)
"They’re definitely an extremely physical defense. Their linebackers are good. (LB) Eric (Kendricks), I’m good friends with him, he’s doing a phenomenal job as a rookie, just like me. They swarm to the ball fast. It’s not just one person that stands out. They have a lot of good players. Their safeties are hard-hitters. Definitely have to do a great job this week."

(On if he’s been exchanging messages with Kendricks)
"No, I haven’t talked to him in a little while. I might text him. I’m probably going to text him within the next couple of days."

(On the key to his 71-yard touchdown run against San Francisco)
"Those guys up front and the tight ends, the receivers. Like I said, I just do my job, look at my keys, and run. A run like that, it was wide open. Big ups to everybody else except for me."

(On if he’s ever met Peterson)
"No, I’ve never met him."

(On if he could possibly exchange jerseys with Peterson)
"We’ll see what happens."

(On what a win over Minnesota could mean this weekend in the playoff picture)
"I look at every game the same. Every game is important. Whether it’s divisional or NFC game. Every game is important for us, so we’re trying to get every win."