Former Gamecock wide receiver and current Green Bay Packer Tori Gurley stopped by football practice today. We caught up with him to see how things are going. Gurley signed with Green Bay as an undrafted free agent this summer and after training camp was signed to the team's practice squad. NFL teams can sign eight players to their practice squad in addition to their 53-man roster. "Everything is going great. We're undefeated. I'm getting better as a player and just waiting on my opportunity to get called up to make some plays on the field," said Gurley. "A lot of guys got sent home and I take a lot of pride in [the practice squad]. I come to work every day to help those guys get better because I know if I give them my all when it comes to game time they're going to be able to benefit from it as well as myself because I'm going against one of the top defenses in the NFL on a daily basis."
Gurley is adjusting well to life in the NFL and says the experience of being at Lambeau Field is incredible.
"It's the mecca of football. [Former Packers head coach] Vince Lombardi is the face of the NFL, the Super Bowl Trophy is named after him. Just walking through that tunnel and those hallways, you can almost hear him talking, 'be a better player, work hard and do whatever it takes to win.'"
Life in Green Bay took a little bit more adjustment for a kid raised in the South. He's enjoying the amazing cheese and says the Packers do a great job of feeding the team at the facility, but there is one drawback - "There's no Bojangle's," Gurley said, laughing, adding that he'd be going straight to the Bojangle's beside Williams-Brice after practice.
Fortunately Gurley isn't the only Southern guy up in Wisconsin. Several other former SEC players are on the team as well. The Packers boast 13 SEC players on their active roster.
"Derek Sherrod [Mississippi State], Pat Lee [Auburn] and Randall Cobb [Kentucky], we all hang out and watch the SEC on Saturdays," said Gurley, who says he's glued to the TV every week to watch the Gamecocks play.
"I miss the atmosphere and hanging out with my teammates," said Gurley. "We were a very close-knit team last year and those guys were like my brothers. When I left I felt like it was something that had to be done for me financially but I miss those guys. I love them to death, especially the receiving corps."
His favorite memory as a Gamecock?
"Winning the SEC East title down at Florida. It just felt great to beat them at home and that plane ride home, just being in the locker room, hearing Coach Spurrier cheer as well as all of my teammates. It's a moment that I'll never forget for the rest of my life."
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