Injury could put a dent in development of UGA defense
Lost practice time for Akeem Dent (far left) could hinder the development of Georgia's defense. (Pouya Dianat / AJC)
I’m just back from a brief family trip to Nashville, where we had a nice reunion with an old friend, saw a great concert (Paul McCartney) and began a day with the jarring sight of a guy at the hotel breakfast buffet strolling around in a bright orange UT shirt and green pajama pants. It was like passing a wreck on the highway; I had the urge to tell the kids to look away.
Catching up on the news, I see nothing really surprising came out of the Atlanta fan gathering, which is probably a good thing. And it’s also no big surprise that the NCAA wants to talk with only one UGA player. Most folks always assumed that. But at least now we know that coaches need to pay attention to whether they’re answering an e-mail or a text from a prospect. Mind-boggling.
Meanwhile, the news about inside linebacker Akeem Dent being sidelined four to six weeks because of toe surgery is a bit worrisome, especially since preseason camp hasn’t even begun yet. While he’s likely to miss only the opening game, the loss of practice time for him might hinder progress for Todd Grantham’s revamped defense in the middle — an area that already concerns me, especially against the run. It looks like this pretty seals the deal that Richard Samuel won’t be redshirting, since depth is an issue at linebacker.
Injuries pretty well derailed the Dogs season before last and were partly responsible for the running game getting off to a very slow start last year, so a lot of fingers are crossed that Mark Richt’s team makes it through August without a bunch of guys in green jerseys.
We all know how important it is that Aaron Murray stays healthy, but thinking about what would happen with injuries at a few other key spots is scary. Without Justin Houston harrying quarterbacks, the new defense would look more vulnerable. If Washaun Ealey and Caleb King both were to get banged up, Shaun Chapas might have to shift over from fullback. And while there appears to be a fair amount of talent behind A.J. Green, the drop-off there still would be considerable should he get hurt again.
Maybe those UGA researchers who unlocked the secret to producing four-leaf clovers should send a shipment over to Butts-Mehre, just in case.
Does the prospect of injuries worry you as much as it does me? What else is on your mind in this last week before preseason practice starts?
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72 comments Add your comment
RedandBlackGirl
July 28th, 2010
4:45 pm
Look at the red panties falling from the sky!!
thUGA
July 28th, 2010
4:45 pm
thUGA likes dem red panties
Bill King
July 28th, 2010
4:46 pm
I wear red panties!
Dawgs Rule
July 28th, 2010
4:46 pm
It is amazing …the number of immature, computer hiding jealous people on this blog talking about “red panties”. For crying out loud, go get some red panties from the store and wear them while you talk crap about Georgia. That will probably help your inferiority complex. This is particularly useful advice for the FU fans who otherise would be wearing those hideous JORTS with a cheesy orange and blue T-shirt.
Mark
July 28th, 2010
4:47 pm
No one associated with UGA is offering any execuses, and none will be requested. We all would like to be injury free but that isn’t football. That’s chess.
Dent will be back, and in the mean time the coaches will put the best players available on the field. Its called reloading and it happens evey year. Dowtin was listed number two at the other inside position, but he has cross trained and ready to start.
As for Samuel, I expect to see him come on over the course of the season. This kid is a linebacker, and he appears to enjoy contact. Get him in a few games and let him show his spend to the point of attack. He just moved up to number two at Moe.
SickandTired
July 28th, 2010
4:48 pm
I have a question. How did Dent hurt his toe. I’ve not seen it reported the cause of said injury. Not on the Georgia web sites or on here. Is it some kind of state secret? Did he drop a keg on his toe? Did he ram his toe into a case of red panties at the Butts-Mehre? Did he fall off his scooter? Did he sustain the injury while distrubuting food for the homeless? Why the blackout of information on this? Those of us that pay attention to details smell a rat.
Dawg Days
July 28th, 2010
4:58 pm
Paul McCartney, really?
dawgcrzy
July 28th, 2010
5:07 pm
BudBob,what the hell are you talking about
swimdawg68
July 28th, 2010
5:13 pm
I wouldn’t go into the next office to hear Paul McCartney, (he’s a left wing loon), why do you think Obama had him at the White House. At 68 his voice is shot anyway, electronics try to make him sound good.
P T Barnum
July 28th, 2010
5:56 pm
Athens is full of Clowns including Mike Bozo……..
Alec Ogletree
July 28th, 2010
6:32 pm
I am the answer
SAMMY DAVIS, JR
July 28th, 2010
8:32 pm
Bill, I enjoyed your humor….Keep up the good work…
Dawg Tired
July 28th, 2010
8:34 pm
If one player getting hurt derails us, we deserve to be derailed.
SAMMY DAVIS, JR
July 28th, 2010
8:35 pm
Dawgs Rule, even more funny is all of the Techters on here posing as FL fans…..
chris byard
July 28th, 2010
9:47 pm
my answer is, no. simply. im not a pessimist. injuries are a part of the game. of course, in a perfect world, a team could prepare for the next season and not get banged up, much less, suffer some injuries. not likely. how do you get through preseason practice with the intensity to be prepared for the season without sufferring some injuries? my answer, you dont. you hope it doesnt happen. if it doesnt, youre unbelievably lucky, or youre not ready. injuries happen. winners adjust and overcome. stay safe dawgs. be prepared. and believe in yourselves. i do.
MisterT
July 28th, 2010
9:54 pm
OK, so you want to know why we hate you? This is the crap that your people post on Blogs about the Tech QB on the AJC.com.
The got the last part Dead Right…”classless.” THWg!
Glory Glory
July 28th, 2010
12:25 pm
….Bottom line, I really really really hope Nesbitt gets hurt, badly, early in the season, which is VERY possible considering he will run the ball 61.7% of the time. Unfortunately there just arent any big LBs in the ACC to do it….. but somebody will hopefully thump his skull or land on that ankle in a big way.
Am I classless??? Absolutely!! So don’t bother telling me I am. I do NOT speak for all of UGA fans, just myself, who hates Tech and Nesbitt beyond belief. GO DAWGS!!!!!
boots
July 28th, 2010
10:05 pm
Orange is just an ugly color period. Some dude walking around in public in his PJs just makes a bad situation worse.
As for injuries, when is it not a worry? We worry all the time, don’t we? In the new scheme, the LBs are key which just means we need to load up on them. I don’t know why we are having a hard time recruiting them since they are the centerpiece of the new D. However, we should be ok. Depth is something we have, and apart from losing our kicker or maybe the QB, we should be good. Can’t wait… not much time left!
What ifffff??///
July 28th, 2010
10:39 pm
Enter your comments here
take them der red panties off too boy
July 28th, 2010
10:45 pm
where are all of the 4 and 5 star rbs, lbs, and qbs that uga has recruited over the yrs? one or two injuries certainly shouldn’t derail uga this yr with all of the talent they have. by the way, gamble on the outside is a huge liability. i look forward to seeing it exploited
I-DOG
July 28th, 2010
11:12 pm
What is with all the Paul McCarney bashing? Not my favorite either, but If you don’t listen to music by left wing loons, I guess that leaves you only with country music. Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Jimi Hendrix, Counting Crows, U2 etc… I wouldn’t necessarily vote for them for Congress, but I wouldn’t boycott their music just because they are to the left of me politically.
Hate to see injuries, but sounds like he might be back for game 2, so all things considered, he will be “fresh” for the mid season grind not having to bang around in pre-season.
bitter RAY GOFF
July 29th, 2010
3:13 am
NOBODY GAVE A SHI— WHEN I HAD FOLKS GO DOWN, RED PANTIES, PRES ADAMS WARES RED PANTIES, GO DAWGS, PS HY VINCE
tt
July 29th, 2010
9:03 am
So Paul McCartney is still alive?! ……….panties, Its such a funny word. Pan-Ties. Only men say panties…women call em underwear. Red panties over jeans should be the style on game day. Im just ready to see some hitting!!! Reviewed the Tech game, which I attended, on Youtube. I was sitting in the Tech section and was so loud I about annoyed myself. Last year was a stinker but we looked good there at the end. Sic em DAWGS…PANTIEs..PANTIES….PANTIES!!!!