Wednesday ‘Dawg Bites Reviews The Wounded, Walking And Otherwise

We once again find ourselves halfway through the work week (hurray!) and well on our way to being a third of the way through college football’s regular season (boo!).

The major news in Bulldawg Nation this morning is sadly the news that has dogged Georgia throughout the fall: injuries. Kirby Smart address the media on Tuesday after practice and discussed the status of several dinged up Dawgs.

The news is…..not great. As the legendary voice of the Georgia Bulldogs, the late, great Larry Munson would have said, “we’re DESSIMATED by injuries!” It looks like another week of walk-one and freshmen being forced to play major snaps while the players Bulldog fans expected to lead the charge for a threepeat are either hobbled on the sideline or in a surgical suite.

Kirby Smart talks a lot about Georgia having a “next man up” philosophy, which is certainly the right tact to take. But functionally this roster is as thin as it’s been in years. Getting. Austin Blaske back at tackle takes some of the sting out of losing Amarius Mims. But Mims is a likely first day NFL draft pick at the end of this season, something none of the freshmen who’ll now be taking reserve snaps can yet say. And while Cash Jones has certainly shown he can make plays that matter, he’s just a different type of back than bruisers Roderick Robinson and Kendall Milton.

The 2017 Bulldog team had the best injury luck I’ve ever seen in 30+ seasons of following UGA football. That squad didn’t suffer a single season-ending injury in the two deep until Charlie Woerner broke his leg in the Rose Bowl against Oklahoma. This team has been on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Regression to the mean is indeed a thing. There comes a point when that probably catches up with the Athenians. That’s not so much an excuse as an explanation. Georgia’s first team units may be the best in the nation. But we’re not going to beat Ohio State or USC with our freshmen, impressive as some of them have been.

Some have argued that this Bulldog offense isn’t the same under Mike Bobo. I’d point out that it’d probably also look a lot different with Ladd McConkey and Branson Robinson, plus healthier versions of the walking wounded who have nevertheless been on the field. Again, not to be Debbie Downer, but it’s possible that this just ain’t our year.

But enough about injuries to current Bulldogs, how about we take a look at a horrible injury to a beloved former Bulldog? By now you’ve probably seen (or if you’re squeamish, heard about) the knee injury Nick Chubb suffered on Monday night. The Browns confirmed yesterday that Chubb will require surgery on that same knee which he had reconstructed following a similarly gruesome injury at Georgia in 2015.

Some, including former NFL players, have speculated that the tackle from Minkah Fitzpatrick that caused the injury was a dirty hit. I’m less inclined to attribute any malice to it. FitzPatrick went in low on Chubb while another Steeler was engaging him around the upper body. But it didn’t look like he specifically lunged at the knee. And really, how else are you supposed to tackle a human granite block like Nick Chubb other than to go low?

Regardless, it’s a setback for a guy who’s already overcome seven times his share of injury misfortune. If anyone could come back from this (and there are those who should know who believe he will) it would be Nick Chubb. He’ll be in my thoughts, and I hope in yours as well.

Okay, that’s enough moping for one Wednesday. Y’all go attack the day.

Go ‘Dawgs!!!