No Pain, No Gain?: Preseason Practice, Injuries, and the Georgia Bulldogs
by T Kyle King on Aug 20, 2011 7:30 AM EDT
in Georgia Bulldogs Football
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PrintEither way, both tailbacks back practicing, which is an encouraging sign for their health. ... Also, freshman CB Nick Marshall back in pads.
Seth Emerson (August 19, 2011)
This, obviously, is good news. After Washaun Ealey was given his walking papers and Caleb King flunked out, the Georgia Bulldogs needed all the healthy bodies they could find at running back, so Isaiah Crowell’s groin injury and Richard Samuel’s strained quadriceps briefly gave the Red and Black faithful cause for concern.
No sooner had Seth Emerson sent out the good news about Crowell and Samuel, though, than he reported that Kwame Geathers and John Jenkins both missed practice time with what (fortunately) appear to be minor injuries. This comes after the news that Jakar Hamilton has been lost for the season due to an ankle injury.
After the last three years, it is tempting to look at all these preseason injuries and conclude that the ‘Dawgs are cursed. The more likely explanation, though, is that tankertoad is right: full-contact practices and a tougher strength and conditioning regimen make for more injuries. Obviously, none of us ever wants to see a player hurt, both because of an injury’s effect on the player and because of its effect on the team, but only Hamilton appears to have suffered a harm sufficiently grievous to keep him out of the lineup on September 3. While I would never minimize a player injury, I believe, on balance, the salutary effects of two-a-days, tackling to the ground, and turning Joe Tereshinksi loose in the weight room outweigh the increased likelihood of guys spending part of August listed as "day-to-day."
Robert Neyland said it best: "You don’t develop good teeth eating mush, and you don’t learn good football going through the motions." Actually, that’s wrong; with all due respect to General Neyland, Pat Dye said it better: "At Auburn, practice is Hell, but, when you line up across from the big, fast, smart, angry boys from Florida and Georgia and Alabama, where there is no quality of mercy on the ground and no place to hide, you’ll know why practice is Hell at Auburn." Actually, that’s wrong, too; with all due respect to Coach Dye, Erk Russell, who knew whereof he spoke, said it even better: "Sometimes, you have to bleed for the cause."
Where do you stand? Are the Bulldogs better off taking it easy in practice, in order to avoid an injury that could end the season before it starts, or are they better off rolling the dice and playing all-out in their preparations for the coming campaign?
Go ‘Dawgs!
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Although I am sure the folks at AJC and the "hot seat" crowd will try and blame it on CMR,
we really couldn’t predict losing both starting RBs. Neither loss was on CMR, in fact, I am proud of CMR for showing Ealey the door. If Ealey walked into Bear Bryant’s office and said he wanted to be the premier tail back, how do you think that would have worked out? He didn’t have a chip on his shoulder, he had a block. Our other back had a problem going to class, again, not CMR’s fault, these guys get a lot of help with academics. You could spin it that he recruited problem children, that’s a tough call. If we didn’t get them, one of our major rivals would have.
Some of the other injuries seem to be on the new comers whom didn’t quite seem to be as in shape out of either HS or JUCO. I hope that Joe T and staff look at breaking in guys with a little bit of a pace rather than all in and shape and mold this program as we go.
For full contact, the fundamental problem is we had problems with our fundamentals. We simply have not tackled well. I don’t think you can improve tackling and blocking by not tackling and blocking. We just had to improve in those areas. We needed to toughen up both physically and mentally and lose that sense of entitlement. My hope is that it is growing pains this year and will even out over the next few years.
Finally, this is why some schools oversign. We are looking at a medical redshirt and our depth is simply lower than some other schools. I don’t think any of us are in love with the oversigning idea, but what I don’t like is Bama has a full roster when we are down a few. This area has got to be leveled out somehow.
"One thing I will never do as long as I’m at Georgia is lose to Florida." - Herschel Walker
It's a tough dilemma
Finally, this is why some schools oversign. We are looking at a medical redshirt and our depth is simply lower than some other schools. I don’t think any of us are in love with the oversigning idea, but what I don’t like is Bama has a full roster when we are down a few. This area has got to be leveled out somehow.
I 100% agree with you that there needs to be some allowable level of oversigning for natural attrition. My fear is that all that would allow is more Bobby Petrino type hijinks where he literally gives players their walking papers for taking up a roster space even if they’re doing fine in the classroom and everything else that is asked of them, just not performing as well on the football field.
http://hobnailboot.wordpress.com/
IMO...
there is a difference between oversigning and attempting to keep a full roster. Oversigning, to me, is signing when you know there isn’t enough room and will have to cut some kids who wouldn’t be otherwise departed. In respect to our last offseason, we had to know there’d be plentiful defections. Ealey, Williams, Dowtin, among several others were known likely departures. We were installing a new S&C that was going to, hopefully, significantly increase the demands on these players. That also creates departures. I wouldn’t have wanted us to come out of February trying to figure out who goes from 95+ potential scholarshipped players. But given the circumstances, setting the target at 88-90 wouldn’t have been a bad idea.
http://sportsandgrits.blogspot.com/
that's actually what position I have come to. 3-5 extra.
"One thing I will never do as long as I’m at Georgia is lose to Florida." - Herschel Walker
I wouldn't say that as a definite #...
you’d like to think some seasons would be a stable enough situation you’re shooting at 85 or 86. But last year was different. Especially with the increased S&C, defections were a given. With the individual players around and about to not be around anymore, it was a large given so going up to 5 over would be workable.
http://sportsandgrits.blogspot.com/
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