Atlanta Falcons interim coach Raheem Morris said Monday that Ito Smith is now the leader of the team.
That means Todd Gurley will play the role of backup having rushed just 34 yards in his past three games, including one min-1m attempt in Sunday’s loss to the Buccaneers.
Morris said the relegation for Gurley isn’t over his knee – he missed a game against the Las Vegas Raiders last month due to an injury – and more about Smith’s play.
“Ito’s achievement,” said Morris when asked why the roles have changed for both players. Ito played so well. If he got chances, he made some progress. ‘
Morris said he has been making the change slowly over the past few weeks and has spoken with both players about the role changes.
Smith rushed for 65 yards on 12 tries (5.42 yards average) and a touchdown in place of Gurley in that week’s 12 win against the Raiders and has averaged 4.3 yards per hasty attempt this season. In total he has rushed for 213 meters in 12 races.
Gurley, in his first season with the Falcons, rushed for 644 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 3.5 yards per carry.