DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Browns Sign WR Tori Gurley

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The Cleveland Browns have signed wide receiver Tori Gurley, the team announced Thursday morning.

The Cleveland Browns today signed wide receiver Tori Gurley, the club announced. In addition, the team waived quarterback Thaddeus Lewis.

Originally signed by Green Bay as an undrafted free agent in 2011, Gurley spent the entire 2011 season on the Packers’ practice squad. In 2012, he spent time on the practice squads of Minnesota (three weeks), Oakland (one week), Tampa Bay (two weeks) and San Diego (three weeks). He signed with Baltimore on January 1, 2013 and was waived on May 13. A two-year letterman at the University of South Carolina who entered the NFL following his redshirt sophomore season, Gurley appeared in 27 games with 19 starts for the Gamecocks. He totaled 75 career receptions for 905 yards and six touchdowns. Born November 22, 1987, the 6-4, 230-pound Gurley is a native of Rock Hill, South Carolina where he attended Rock Hill High School. After high school, he spent one year at New Hampton Prep School in New Hampton, New Hampshire.



In all honesty I have heard of this guy and actually remember thinking he could be a hidden gem for some team. He isn't very polished, but he looks the part for a Norv offense. I'm NEVER optimistic, but he could flash a little bit this offseason.

Welcome to the team, Gurley. Hopefully you can last longer than Robbie Rouse!

oops sorry guys I tried to post a link of a video but it doesn't work

Great.... we have a Gurley man.

SUPER BOWL!!!!!

Lotta chum in the water this time of year.

A young receiver might have a chance to stick though. We have 3 guys I think are locks to make the team at WR, Little, Gordon, and Bess. I think that Benjamin has a solid chance, as long as he shows PR ability, and the ability to correct mistakes from last year. Then there is David Nelson. I thought that he was in the mix to be that 3rd guy, but he might be in for a battle for that 4th spot now. He might only be in the mix for the 5th spot. Kinda weird that I think of Nelson as an "older guy" .... but he's only in his 4th season. I do think that Nelson stands a good chance of making the team if healthy.

I could see the Browns keeping either 5 or 6 WR, depending on how the rest of the team washes out. .

Green Bay was really high on him but didn't have any room on the roster... I'm surprised he was available.

Wonder who he's competing with for a roster spot?

Gotta think that Bess, Gordon, Little, and Nelson are locks.

Norwood, Benjamin, Cooper, and the 40 UDFAs are going to be battling Gurley for the 5th and maybe 6th spots. The winner has to be able to return kicks and/or punts.

Cut by five NFL teams. Not a good sign. I'm not optimistic, but who knows. He may be a late bloomer.

Wow this kid is big...I see a possible 10 lbs added n we got a TE competitor...didn't we release a TE not long ago?

But if WR we got
Keenan Davis 6'2" 220
Tori Gurley 6'4" 230
David Nelson 6'5" 214
Cordell Roberson 6'4" 205

all young and competing for a final WR roster spot come Sept. To go with Little, Gordon, Bess we got about 5 small WR competing for that other small WR including of course Benjamin n Norwood.

But this kid Gurley can become a TE possibly at the size noted.
I still didn't see any acknowledge of Carlton Mitchell on some signing we did a little while back. I'm confused with that signing is he on our team or not???

TE may be a possibility. He is a very good athlete and very big/strong/etc. There must be a reason he keeps getting cut though. Perhaps he is a poor route runner or poor learner of systems

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap2000000056800/Gurley-54-yard-catch

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/green-bay-p...00474--nfl.html

The Minnesota Vikings signed a player who used to be with the Green Bay Packers? No way. First time for everything. Sarcasm intended.

The Packers released Tori Gurley when they made their final roster cuts on August 31, 2012. The Vikings responded by signing Gurley to their practice squad on September 1. Gurley confirmed the news with the following tweet:
I would like to Thank the Packers & the Packer Fans for a great time in GB but now it's time to get the ball rolling with the #Vikings!!!

The Vikings had originally tried to sign Gurley to their 53-man roster this past December. However, Gurley turned down that offer {to remain on the Packers' Practice Squad.} The Vikings' season would've ended in three weeks. Gurley wanted to continue to learn from the Packers' wide receivers.

http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_21198348/green-bay-packers-tori-gurleys-route-roster-may

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Green Bay Packers wide receiver turned toward the rows of crowded bleachers and raised his arms into the air. On cue, the decibel level rose and fans shouted his name.

No, it wasn't 37-year-old Donald Driver. Rather, the 24-year-old chasing him on the depth chart -- Tori Gurley.

Last summer, Gurley was an undrafted long shot who made the practice squad with a flurry of blocked punts. This summer, he's hoping for something more.

"Hopefully I'll give myself an opportunity to make this team," Gurley said. "If not, I feel I'll have the opportunity to play football Week 1 elsewhere."

This has been a rare looming dilemma for the Packers' offense. All wide receivers on the record-setting 2011 unit are back. Driver restructured his contract in an attempt to stay. Somehow, Gurley must find an avenue onto the roster. Special teams are always important for guys on the bubble. But two padded practices into camp, Gurley has flashed ability in another area.

Fourteen pounds heavier after an off-season packed with boxing, basketball and weightlifting, Gurley is making plays in the red zone. That's where the 6-foot-4, 232-pounder potentially could offer Green Bay's offense a different element. Be it this year or in the future, he needs to force management's hand.

"I'm trying to do it all," Gurley said. "But especially in the red zone, I'm just trying to get Mason Crosby some more extra points. That's what it's all about -- catching it in the


end zone and sending the field-goal team out there."
So far Gurley has fielded his share of lobs. On Monday he hauled in a touchdown from B.J. Coleman in the corner of the end zone. During one-on-one drills with cornerbacks, Gurley has effectively used his massive frame to box out cornerbacks. On Saturday, in seven-on-sevens, he adjusted midair to catch a 40-yard-plus deep ball.

He's still raw and a gear slow. Getting separation could be a problem for Gurley. But no other wide receiver on the roster boasts Gurley's combination of height, weight and long arms. With more receptions in the red zone, he may make cutdown day interesting.

On Monday, general manager Ted Thompson acknowledged that both Gurley and fellow practice squad holdover Diondre Borel, also a receiver, have made strides.

"(Those) are a couple guys that didn't get a lot of exposure up until training camp last year," Thompson said. "We like what they did in competitive situations and they were on our practice squad and progressed along. They're doing good."

To fight his way onto the roster, Gurley knew he had to get stronger, tougher. So at the University of South Carolina facilities -- where he trained with the Gamecocks -- he worked with boxer (and best friend) Terrance Sowers. The two spent several nights doing plyometrics and combination drills at the punching bag.

"I felt like it just made me a tougher guy," Gurley said. "I can take more hits. I can deliver blows."

Gurley needed to get nastier.

"We have a lot of players who can finesse guys," he said. "I just feel like I have to be that gritty football player who goes across the middle and just go in and put my helmet on somebody and let them know that receivers can be just as physical as anyone else."

Coach Mike McCarthy has said the Packers don't necessarily keep the most talented 53 players. Instead, they look for the 53 best fits. That logic could work in Gurley's favor. Bigger and taller than all returning wideouts, Gurley could grow into another weapon inside the 20.

So when he wasn't boxing, Gurley popped in film of Detroit's Calvin Johnson and Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald. He studied how they position their body for jump balls. There's a trust involved, he said. Many times, the Lions' Matthew Stafford simply hangs it up for grabs.

"It may look like an ill-advised throw until I come down with it," Gurley said. "I understand those guys are sticking their necks out to make that throw. I have to come down with it every time."

Gurley's love for basketball also may help. During pickup games this summer, he tried to dunk as much as possible. A group of Packers teammates played together through the off-season. Gurley estimates he dunked about 100 times in 20 games -- alley-oops serving as the best red-zone simulator.

With two hands, Gurley points to his chest.

"There have been times where I had all of this over the rim," he said.

But again, browse the roster. Despite his jump from Year 1 to Year 2, it may be just as difficult as last year for Gurley to make it here. Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, James Jones, Randall Cobb and Donald Driver all back. Tight end Jermichael Finley? He's a wide receiver half the time. The margin for error is small for Gurley and Borel.

Yes, Gurley occasionally has checked in on the Minnesota Vikings' roster. He can't help it. Last year, the Vikings wanted him on their 53-man roster and he chose to stay on the Packers' practice squad. He wants to make it here.

Another block party on special teams sure would help. But big picture, Gurley realizes where his true impact as a pro -- wherever he is -- may lie in the red zone.

"It always gives the defense something to key on," Gurley said. "They can key on it and say, 'They're going to throw the fade, they're going to throw the fade,' and we go with a run play. Or we can go with the obvious and I just have to come down with it every time."

Another Charger WR is camp. I don't believe we signed the other two we brought in for visits / workouts. None of these WR 4's really matter to me. There is a tiny chance one becomes a solid contributor, but most likely we are already set at WR for years to come (maybe a #3 coming if Bess doesn't work out)

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Gurley was an undrafted long shot who made the practice squad with a flurry of blocked punts.

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Hmmm this is about the 3rd or 4th guy we have signed to our 80+ roster that I have read similar praises regarding blocking PUNTS n FGs/ExPt.

All the talk is about our ATTACK O n our ATTACK D...anyone else getting the Vibe we are going for an ATTACK ST as well?

Cool very cool if you ask me. Blocked Punts n FGs are Game changers! I like it

JMHO

Living in SC, I got to see a lot of Gurley. Him and Jeffrey were the biggest pair of collegiate WRs I have ever seen. I liked both guys. I thought Gurley was underrated and figured he would be an okay WR in the pros. Not sure why it hasn't worked out for him.

He's one of those guys that leaps high and snags the ball in traffic. Not very polished. He probably won't make it, but I am glad we are giving him a chance. Always liked the kid.

Sounds like lack of speed to separate might be his only major drawback.

If he can learn to create separation in other ways, he might find a spot.

Vers

What is one move you don't agree with from the current FO. You seem to be agreeing with them more than I'm used to. Their has to be something you don't agree with that they've done.

he entered the nfl after redshirting as a sophomore?

Quote:

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Just what they needed. IN 2 days they signed a Qb, as inspiring as good ole Ken Dorsey, and a wide receiver that Josh Cooper compares favorably to.

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Yeah man, they really screwed up. They should have picked up Aaron Rodgers and Calvin Johnson from the FA list.

Haha what about if they signed Ray Finkle to replace Phil Dawson though? Or Lois Einhorn

JMO.

These aren't moves at all. There non-moves...all of them. They never happened. For some, if not most, we never had a shot.

To repeat the question, any "moves" you don't like?

Sorry, but that doesn't even make sense to me.

How is signing Kellen Davis not a move? How is handing the job to Jordan not a move?

Why I am even having this argument? You guys don't want to debate. You want to ridicule.

Screw it.

Post deleted by MemphisBrownie

Wasn't talking to you, 32.

We completely disagree on regimes. LOL---COMPLETELY.

But, you are cool. I hate even questioning you sometimes.

What are you talking about? Are you drunk?

Seriously?

lol didn't mean to cause a tiff but that's about impossible around here. I agree on the tight end and Alex Smith situations but I'm not sure we had a shot at Smith. Plus Kansas city is oozing with talent and they would have outbid us regardless because they needed him a lot more.

I disagree, I think trading down would not have been smart because if you read between the lines it sounds like Mingo was our #1 rated guy in the entire draft. Anyway, I was just curious...

No problem, bro.

There are plenty of things I would have done differently.

Just happy we didn't do anything really stupid like trading up for TRich or drafting Weeden.

You know?

I still have no idea why some fans here want a QB who has already failed in a vertical offense and has only been successful in a game manager role behind the league's best offensive line on one of the league's most-talented offenses as opposed to one who's simply unproven.

Let the flame wars begin!

Back to Gurley.

Did anyone find any information as to why he hasn't been able to stick w/a team?