Los Angeles Rams: Todd Gurley’s advice to Saquon Barkley sounds perfect

New York Giants rookie Saquon Barkley should benefit from spending time with Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley this offseason.

Remember around this time last year how there were some Los Angeles Rams fans ready to give up on Todd Gurley after the former Offensive Rookie of the Year failed to record a single 100-yard rushing game in 2016?

Luckily, the Rams were smart enough to give their beloved running back another opportunity to prove himself last season, and seeing him finish second in the MVP race to Tom Brady shows what kind of memorable season he put together.

Making the major leap by recording 2,093 yards from the line of scrimmage to go along with 19 touchdowns shows just how special of a running back Gurley is.

Even more exciting, Los Angeles recently rewarded Gurley with a hefty four-year extension that consists of the most guaranteed money ($45 million) for a running back in NFL history, setting the bar for the position for years to come.

Football fans can say what they want about the Rams jumping the gun, but when seeing how much of an impact he was able to make during year one of playing in Sean McVay‘s offense, just imagine what the future holds.

Throughout the summer, Rams fans have been able to see some of Gurley’s workout videos on social media, and when those same fans saw him with former Penn State star Saquon Barkley in some of those appearances, it was safe to say the rookie was in good hands.

As Barkley continues to participate in his first training camp with the New York Giants, the running back recently discussed on some of the advice Gurley gave him about his first NFL season.

Via ESPN:

"But Barkley is admittedly still a rookie, trying to heed the advice he received from All-Pro running back Todd Gurley when they were working out together in California earlier this month. Gurley and Barkley are both repped by Roc Nation.“Be you. Stay who you are. Have fun. Play football,” Barkley said of the advice Gurley told him weeks before the start of camp. “It’s the same game. Obviously this is a job for people and they are a lot smarter in the NFL, but it’s the same game. Have fun with it. Just go out and ball.”"

Gurley deserves plenty of credit for providing Barkley with some solid advice since if there’s anyone that knows how tough it can be to play in the NFL, it’s him.

To say Gurley’s sophomore NFL season was filled with plenty of frustration would be a huge understatement when looking at all of the criticism towards his struggles on offense, even when it wasn’t entirely his fault.

At the end of the day, all of these players are trying to accomplish the same goals of doing whatever it takes to have a successful NFL career. So when hearing this from Barkley in regards to Gurley, it’s amazing to see the Rams running back take the rookie under his wing in a way.