Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris wanted to make one thing very clear on Monday morning: Ito Smith is the team’s lead running back right now.
Smith ran for 65 yards on 12 attempts and a touchdown in place of Todd Gurley in Atlanta’s Week 12 victory against the Las Vegas Raiders
On the year, Smith is averaging 4.3 yards per rushing attempt. Overall, he has rushed for 213 yards in 12 games.
Gurley has managed just 34 yards rushing in his past three games, including one attempt for minus-1 yard in Sunday’s loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“Ito’s performance,” Morris replied, when pressed on why the roles have changed for both players.
“Ito’s played so well. When he’s gotten opportunities he’s made yards.”
Will this add some additional firepower to Atlanta’s offense? Time will tell.
A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
