Aaron Ekeler talks injury rehab, the value of the running back position, and names his RB ones on the “RG3 & The Ones” podcast.
We share this week’s all-new episode of “RG3 & The Ones”, presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment and hosted by Heisman Trophy winner and Pro Bowl quarterback, Robert Griffin III.
RG3 shares his thoughts on San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Brock Purdy and he is joined by Los Angeles Chargers running back Aaron Ekeler, who has been sidelined since the Chargers season-opening loss to Miami when he suffered an ankle injury.
RG3 and Aaron dive deep into bye weeks, injury rehab, Justin Herbert, what it’s really like to be a running back in the league, and why they are so valuable.
Later in the episode, Aaron shares how it’s felt to watch his team play from the sidelines over the last few weeks.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
[01:45] RG3 SHARES HIS THOUGHTS ON BROCK PURDY’S QB SKILLS AND ELITE LEVEL DECISION MAKING
RG3: “There’s a lot of speculation out there about – is Brock Purdy really ‘him.’ So I ask you – is Brock Purdy ‘him’? Or is it just all the weapons that he has around him? Well, I have to be honest. I think it is Brock Purdy. I think Brock Purdy is ‘him’ and I’m well aware that he has the damn Avengers around him with two number one wide receivers… I know he’s got a number one tight end … he’s got a number one running back… and he’s got the best left tackle in all of football. He’s also got a number one defense led by Fred Warner, who is an absolute dog… It’s no secret that Brock Purdy literally has all of the help in the world to make him be a decent quarterback, but what’s taking him over the top and pushing him kinda into that MVP level conversation is his elite level decision making.”
[08:50] AARON EKELER SHARES THE LATEST ON HIS ANKLE INJURY RECOVERY AND RETURNING TO PLAYING THIS WEEK
AE: “The progression for my ankle has been pretty steady which has been great… for me, we had an early bye and it actually ended up being timely for me in my recovery so I used all of the bye week to get more recovery and we have a Monday night game so I even get a little extra day in there. Every day matters when it comes down to injuries for you to feel secure. It’s been feeling great and I went through a whole practice today so it’s been looking great for playing on Monday.”
[09:40 – 11:40] AARON AND RG3 TALK ABOUT WHY AN EARLY BYE WEEK IS NOT FAVORED BY MOST PLAYERS
[18:40] AARON EXPLAINS WHY THE VALUE OF A POSITION DEPENDS ON THE INDIVIDUAL IMPACT A PLAYER MAKES AND THEIR TEAM DYNAMIC
AE: “When it comes down to the importance of position, I think it depends on the circumstances of the player. The player can make that position more valuable depending on who it is. And also, the rest of the team can rely on that position more depending on what the team aspect looks like. With some teams that have an amazing quarterback that – we want this guy to be throwing the ball around – you might not have as much value in that position. It’s not to say that a good quarterback makes the running back position devalued. But if you have a good running back and a good quarterback, now your running back is gonna bring more value to that position…. It’s the individual impact that creates value for the team, not the position.”
[30:35] AARON SHARES HIS RUNNING BACK ‘ONES’
AE: “I think Chris McCaffrey [SF 49ers] is at number one hands down, he’s playing so clean, pass game and run game. I mean, he always has – as long as he’s been healthy, if he’s healthy and on the field, he is a problem…. Another guy that I’ve actually been really impressed with, his technique and all these little details, David Montgomery [Detroit Lions]… I feel like he’s just been playing really clean football when he gets the ball in his hands.”
[54:25] AARON GIVES PROPS TO HIS TEAM AND HOW IT FEELS TO WATCH THEM PLAY WHILE HE’S BEEN ON THE SIDELINES
AE: “Our team, we go through some ups and downs. We have been for a little bit. It’s always a fight, in particular with our team the past few years. Not being a part of it sucks, but I just love the way our guys compete, I love the way our guys go out there and play. One thing you cannot dispute is that we’re giving 100% effort… being around that is really special.”