Fan talk: UGA doesn’t need Isaiah Crowell to be the next Herschel Walker
Let’s answer some Junkyard Mail …
Like all UGA tailbacks, Isaiah Crowell must operate in someone's shadow. (Jason Getz / AJC)
JerryDawg writes: After all the build-up, I’m getting awfully concerned that Isaiah Crowell is going to be another tailback bust for the Dawgs. I’ve heard and read all kinds of reports that he showed up in Athens with an attitude, skipped some workouts and had to have some of his teammates sit him down and try to get his head on straight. Are you worried, Bill?
I think Mark Richt said it best: “We don’t expect Isaiah to save the program. We don’t expect Isaiah to put the team on his back. We expect Isaiah to learn what to do and to do things the Georgia way and to try to do anything he can to help the team win as a freshman. We’ll see how far that goes.”
As for the rumors, I don’t put that much stock in anonymous reports on the Internet. But more importantly, can we let the kid have his first official practice as a Georgia Bulldog before we start worrying about his attitude or work ethic? That’s one of the downsides of today’s 24/7 media environment: Players are constantly being scrutinized. Can you imagine what it would have been like had the blogosphere and social media existed when Herschel Walker first hit Athens? He didn’t exactly tear it up in preseason practice his freshman year, with Vince Dooley famously fretting that he was concerned No. 34 was going to wind up being just another “big, stiff fullback.” We found out differently once it was for real.
What would the blogosphere have made of worries Herschel Walker would be just a big, stuff fullback? (AJC file)
I’m not saying that Crowell will be the next Herschel Walker. Or even the next Knowshon Moreno. Heck, after the past couple of seasons, I’d settle for him being the next Musa Smith.
(And, by the way, if you haven’t yet watched the trailer for the upcoming ESPNU “Storied” documentary on Herschel, check it out. As a friend said, it’ll give you chill bumps.)
Thomas Vaiden writes: Do you know what number Isaiah Crowell will be wearing this season? Thanks. !GO DAWGS!
After the G-Day game, Richt said Crowell will wear No. 1, the same jersey number worn by cornerback (and occasional offensive player) Branden Smith. “We’ve just got to make sure they’re not in the game at the same time,” Richt said.
Garrett Kee writes: Hey Bill, this is Garrett Kee from Columbus, Ga., hope you’re doing well. I just wanted to get your thoughts on the new Nike Pro-Combat uniforms Georgia will be wearing against Boise in the opener. I have seen these combat unis on Florida, Oregon, LSU, Virginia Tech, etc. and have to admit I’m a little worried. They seem to change the uniforms with “radical” color schemes and crazy helmets (look at LSU and Boise). Are you worried that our good ole traditional red jerseys, red helmets and silver britches are going to be altered much? I know I am tired of these uniform “outfits” we have sported the last couple of years and just want to see hard-nosed football being played without worrying how good we look. Yet, I know that we have a pretty big contract with Nike and are almost obliged to do this sooner or later. Go Dawgs!
Garrett, I haven’t been a big fan of Nike’s special uniforms up to now, but I thought the ones they trotted out during bowl season were a slight improvement. I’ve no idea how drastic a reworking it will be, though again we’ve got lots of supposedly insider reports circulating. Take your pick: I’ve heard the helmets will be red. Or silver. Or white with a red stripe. The one thing we do know is that the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game folks say Georgia will be wearing red jerseys and Boise State will be wearing blue. There’s a lot of speculation Georgia might wear red britches as well, but that’s all it is — speculation. Still, it’s only for one game and both teams will be wearing the Pro Combats and the players are excited, so I don’t see any real harm in it. If anything, the uniforms contribute to the feeling of this being a special game.
By the way, Patrick Garbin’s always interesting historical blog has a nice overview of Georgia’s football uniforms.
Ron Sweat writes: DOES ANYONE THINK THAT RECRUITING AT UGA IS HANDLED OR DIRECTED LIKE IT SHOULD? Bill, how do we handle recruiting at UGA? Do we call all the recruits for the next 4 years every day or once a week or month and does an assistant make the call or a coach or [recruiting coordinator Rodney] Garner?
Ron, I gather you aren’t entirely satisfied with the way recruiting is being handled at UGA. Let me say up front, I’m not a recruitnik and don’t follow it that closely until we get closer to signing day. I will admit I was disappointed by some recruiting trends in recent years in Athens (such as the now abandoned reliance on fast but short cornerbacks), but I find it difficult to condemn a recruiting program that could produce this year’s Dream Team.
Anyway, I put your question to our recruiting blogger, Michael Carvell, and here’s what he said: “If they are asking about the quality of UGA’s recruiting efforts, you can only base on it on the finished efforts of last year, which was the ‘Dream Team.’ We’re still a long way from National Signing Day 2012. As far as how recruiting is handled, I’m sure the appropriate UGA coaches call during the NCAA contact periods.”
GET TO KNOW YOUR SEC COACHES
Here’s a fun feature from ESPN in which they put a bunch of questions (not necessarily about football) to the SEC head coaches. Some sound like guys you’d want to hang out with. And then there’s Bobby Petrino.
Got a question for the Junkyard Blawg? Send it to junkyardblawg@gmail.com.
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322 comments Add your comment
schmeckdawg
August 1st, 2011
9:27 am
Herschel averaged around 33 carries PER game, so you know that we were not throwing very often therefore we weren’t going to fool anyone. Could you imagine what Hershcel would have done if Dooley would have mixed up the play calling. I don’t care what anybody says about Tebow, he could carry Herschel’s jockstrap.
There WILL NEVER be another #34!!!!!!
DawginLex
August 1st, 2011
9:28 am
And it’s DawginLex as in Lexington, KY
Snoop Dawg huh? Does that mean you are a private eye or a peeping tom?
My bet is the peeping tom
AltamahaDawg
August 1st, 2011
9:32 am
Ok, somebody please stop me. I see my name associated with that guy in actual print and it’s not flattering. Remind me why it’s best to ignore the trolls.
The Professor
August 1st, 2011
9:44 am
We now have the complete list of courses that Isaiah Crowell will be taking in the fall semester. It’s a pretty ambitious schedule for the lad, but I’m sure he’ll be up to it.
1. Know Your ABCs – Part I (A-M)
2. Fun With Dick and Jane – The Coloring Book
3. Life Studies: Put the Mojo on Your Teammates While Emptying Their Lockers
4. Law 101 – Know Your Miranda Rights
5. Dress for Success: The Inspiring True Story of the Fabled Red Panties
6. Arithmetic 1 – Multiplying by One Without a Calculator
7. Psychology: Getting Along With Your Cellmate
AltamahaDawg
August 1st, 2011
9:50 am
8. The history of sniveling little trolls.
BIG AL
August 1st, 2011
10:11 am
IC is just another thug we have recruited and signed……What a show he put on against Calhoun in the playoffs…..The defense with no major college signees shut him down then he stood on the sidelines and pitched a temper tantrum….Should have put his ass on the bus at halftime to pout…He will be no different at UGA….Remember his interview on signing day with the bulldog he either borrowed or stole? how pitiful…
RedandBlackDAWG
August 1st, 2011
10:22 am
Once again, the prsioners of UGA have blurted out another bunch of dribble. Not a one of you knows this kid, but you insiste on insulting him. In 34 more days, you might just know something about him, depending on how much he is utilized. Until then, if the best you can do is make nasty remarks about a teen ager, perhaps, you have a been in prison so long that you have lost all self esteem.
RedandBlackDAWG
August 1st, 2011
10:23 am
Make that prisoners, but you all know who you are.
Fools Gold
August 1st, 2011
10:35 am
Sanks,Lumpkin,Ware,Ealey King and now Crowell in the bust line.
schmeckdawg
August 1st, 2011
10:44 am
@9:27 a.m. I meant couldn’t!!!!!!!!!
Buckeye
August 1st, 2011
10:47 am
As I’ve said before, Ohio State will outrank uga at seasons’ end.
uga will start 0-2. Only Dome game for the dogs is in early September.
The SEC LEAST will not even sniff a NC and the SEC LEAST will get smoked in the SEC Champ.
Whoever asked, Archie Griffin is the current President of the Ohio State Alumni Association, a well respected admininistrator and an all around embassador for not only Ohio State but college football as a whole. He also won a couple trophies by the way.
Win With needs to check out the Bosely Hair Replacement system.
Isaiah willo need to learn to spell “remedial”.
dogs go 7 and 6 and will play another nail biter (go for it from the one or field goal?) in the Liberty Bowl.
and finally,
Six Words:
TIME OUT
TIME OUT
TIME OUT
WDE
August 1st, 2011
11:04 am
@Buckeye got to be bit humbling to have to resort to trying to pick on one division of the conference your bunch has never beaten. And Buckeye we all know who Archie is and was and guess what we don’t care…now trot out a sweater vest and head on uptown and get a tattoo perhaps Archie will pick up the tab ??
DawginLex
August 1st, 2011
11:04 am
Funny thing fools gold, Kregg Lumpkin is still in the NFL. Jasper Sanks has a good job and lives in Texas. Danny Ware was a solid back for UGA and Ealey and King are trying to get their live in order.
and all these backs took a big old bite out of your pathetic Tech arse numerous times didn’t they?
Buckeye,
Tsk, tsk. Michigan is going to go back to owning you and you know it. How is Ohio state going to be ranked with a losing record?
Maybe Danny ford will leave his farm life and come back and coach y’all and show you how to really cheat.
Jordan
August 1st, 2011
11:10 am
The Bulldogs are going bowling this year; wanna know which bowl they will be in and who they will be facing? Check out where Georgia and the rest of the big names in college football will be heading in the postseason in my latest article: http://isportsweb.com/2011/08/01/2011-bowl-projections/
Next Star
August 1st, 2011
11:17 am
My people in athens say that I Crowell could be the next H. Walker—he’s got all the tools. Crowell will be All-SEC this year!!! The Dawgs are back — SEC east title guaranteed with all these stars.
Al
August 1st, 2011
11:54 am
Beating Walker’s per carry average is not too hard, Moreno, King & Ealey all beat it. But beating Walker’s 1 td per 20 carries ratio is tough, Ealey beat it in 2010.
The Next Walker:
1) Protecting the ball
2) Getting the yards in big games at key times (better know as LEADERSHIP)
3) staying injury free
4) staying out of trouble (LEADERSHIP)
5) getting over 5 ypc
6) averaging 1 td every 20 carries
That’s what it takes to be Walker like.
Lattimore is the guy who might break Herschel’s records. And might rival Walker’s leadership.
But on the current team, Samuel has a better shot than Crowell.
WDE
August 1st, 2011
12:34 pm
@Al good points however I don’t see Lattimore at this time ever beating HW’s records..one I have to see if he can copy last year’s effort now that he will have that bulleye on his back. Second I don’t see him getting 30+ carries and staying healthy that being said he is a heck of a back…but another season is needed before we can really gauge him in regards to HW.
Al
August 1st, 2011
12:45 pm
Lattimore’s on track to beat Herschel’s td record by the end of his Junior Season. Also, Lattimore put up @200 in the 2 biggest games of th year against div rivals Florida & Georgia. Lattimore rarely fumbles, misses few quarters due to injury, and is around the 5 ypc, and 1-20 td to carry ratio.
Al
August 1st, 2011
12:52 pm
Lattimore had 17 rush td’s as a fresh, Walker had 15. Wlker finished with 29 rush td’s, Lattimore on track to break 50 by the end of his Junior season.
Lattimore led his AAAA team to 3 state title games, winning 2.
CJ
August 1st, 2011
1:00 pm
Its funny to read the post. All this inside info. You guys act like this Crowell is a thug and an idiot. He passed is sat is junior year and had a good grade point average. Has anybody of substance come out and said this kid has an attitude or doesnt want to work. I have watched this kid play since his freshman year of high school and he is a beast. In the big games he has stepped up and always performed. Why did most fans hope that he would come to uga and now you guys are bashing him. Grow up guys and stop spreading lies.
Buckeye
August 1st, 2011
1:36 pm
WDE,
Somebody ( or some dog) asked about Archie on page 1 or 2 of this blog.
I’m going to wait on the tatoo until I see what your boy Isaiah is sporting. May want to go with The Annointed One II type of theme.
AltamahaDawg
August 1st, 2011
1:37 pm
A simple explaination might be that the fans wanting him to come are UGA fans, and the guys bashing him aren’t.
Buckeye
August 1st, 2011
1:40 pm
Buckeyes outrank dogs come season’s end. Bank,
Buckeye
August 1st, 2011
2:28 pm
uga isn’t even #1 in partying anymore.
HA!
RedandBlackDAWG
August 1st, 2011
2:38 pm
Guess what Buckeye, UGA isn’t number one either in car deals and tatoos. Darn, I hate it that OSU is ahead of UGA in such lofty activities. Now, if OSU could find a way to beat any SEC team, without cheating of course, in the last ten years, they would be almost as important as tech. is to UGA.
DawginLex
August 1st, 2011
3:12 pm
Goergia is now woefully behind alabama and ohio state in vacated wins.
Sad
Buckeye
August 1st, 2011
3:12 pm
@red really I mean really. Please come back when you have a football team. You have a good team but you choke. Stop choking and then maybe you will have a winning record like OSU. You can only hope to be in their shadow.
Madhatter
August 1st, 2011
3:17 pm
The dogs are too inbred. Get rid of the deadwood personnel who have been living off UGA for 40yrs. I read about Tereshinski and remember him when I was in football camp in Athens 30 yrs ago. Out with the old and in with the new!
DawginLex
August 1st, 2011
3:22 pm
Ohio state 0-9 versus the SEC
1 win vacated
Who chokes?
You could make a strong case that OSU’s entire decade under Tressel should be removed from the record books.
Your coach choked
Your AD choked
Your university president choked
We have never had anything close to that at Georgia.
You really should quit trying to defend an embarrassment.
DawginLex
August 1st, 2011
3:41 pm
Tripp, Davis and Dobbs just signed NFL contracts
Devin Bowman eligible
Down to Kent Turene
Buckeye
August 1st, 2011
3:53 pm
@dawg the only thing I read in your posts are bla bla bla. Your UGA puppies could not hold the jock straps of our water boy. Your dawgs are an embarrassment to Georgia just like the rest of your has beens.
DawginLex
August 1st, 2011
3:57 pm
Truth hurts doesn’t it?
That’s why it’s blah blah blah, because you don’t want to read it because you know i’m right.
Best thing you can do is go into hiding from these blogs and quit getting abused.
If you want to make a reasonable comment about college football, that’s different. Your trash is not anything anyone wants to read.
LHarding Dawg
August 1st, 2011
4:02 pm
Buckeye – We’ve never choked when playing Ohio State. You, however, seem to know a lot about jock straps.
Buckeye
August 1st, 2011
4:08 pm
That all you guys can do is bash the best program in 30 years. Learn to love us cause you can’t compare to our greatness.
Buckeye
August 1st, 2011
4:09 pm
Learn to love us cause you will never compare to our greatness.
DawginLex
August 1st, 2011
4:12 pm
Well, Bye
URAFool
August 1st, 2011
4:28 pm
Who is the bigger fool here the one who starts it or the one who answers. Well you both are fools look at the title of this. It’s about a running back not your foolish posts.
ga gator
August 1st, 2011
4:28 pm
Buckeye, best in the Slow Ten but not against the SEC.
Buckeye
August 1st, 2011
4:30 pm
@gator take your crocks and hit the swamp. No one cares about you or your wimpy team.
DawginLex
August 1st, 2011
4:37 pm
@ Buckeye you have many valid points and you are so correct. I am glad to say that your Buckeyes are a great team and my dogs are not worth getting off the porch. So sorry.
Buckeye
August 1st, 2011
5:00 pm
DawginLex et al dogs,
The ‘Buckeye” poster in the 3-4pm hour is an imposter.
RedandBlackDAWG
August 1st, 2011
8:53 pm
Oh Darn, we have been duped by a fake buckeye. How will we now know when the real buckeye is present and the imposter is not. I guess, only the AJC knows for sure, since they have the actual email address of the imposter.
Now since this imposter is on between 3 and 4 PM. we can narrow it down a bit. Just find the McDonalds that gives their employees lunch hours between 3 and 4 PM. Of course it could be free time, for unsupervised activities at the state prison and he may have access to a computer for that hour. I now stand corrected and will ignore Buckeye from 3-4 PM. He cheats though, since he was here from 1:36-4:30 PM today. His comments also were so insightful. I am crushed. A third option could be, it is the time his mommy is taking a nap, as she would be tired from taking care of him all day, and changing his diapers, so he sneeks onto the computer while she is snoozing.
Stay tuned...
August 1st, 2011
9:19 pm
Boise State 48, UGA 13.
Start of another loooooooooong season for Saint Mark and his trained bozos.
RedandBlackDAWG
August 1st, 2011
9:42 pm
Stay Tuned,
It is past your bedtime. Now go get your cookies and milk and go to bed. Leave the blogging to adults at this time of night. It is obvious, you need to change your diapers, or rather your mom does, and you need sleep. You are starting to have delusions.
DAWGMAN
August 1st, 2011
10:56 pm
We don’t need to be concerned about IC becoming the ‘next Herschel Walker”. We need to be mightily concerned about coach richt even getting within shouting distance of the well respected Erk Russell.
Willow
August 1st, 2011
11:13 pm
When you look at the legitimate greats who played in Athens decades ago, then you look at guys like Caleb King and this guy Crowell, you just want to cry at what it’s come to.
Dump this overpaid millionaire Richt, and hire a coach with integrity and honor.
RED DOG 77
August 2nd, 2011
1:21 am
@Red andBlackDAWG………Thanx for the kind words, however, ever since I was a child I always got a kick out of poking the ‘ol bees nest with a stick…..but you are indeed right. As for my 1/2 brother Altamaha DAWG………PLEASE slow down a bit, my hip has gone to “hurtin;” TB says we are connected at the hip, so it must be so………..actually, with all humor aside, I think RedandBlackDAWG……..is a damn goodun……….and I know Altamaha is, we go back aways…………….Just out of curiosity, do you guys think TB is really the famous ………..”BuLLdawg”?………..Well never mind……….imo…….hell I don’t know what’s going to happen this year………but I do have a good feeling about the chemistry thing, started with Grantham last year and seems to be spilling over in a big way to 2011…….Me? like I said, “I don’t know”………but I have a pretty good feeling Richt, Grantham and the rest will be throwing everything we have at Boise St. and South Carolina………but what do I know, if I did I’d start buying lottery tickets…………..one thing is for sure though, like my two buddies Altamaha, and Red andBlackDawg…….I do bleed RED and BLACK………….Me?………I attended The University of Georgia……….and I love her no matter what!!!!………….GO DOGS!!!………..GATA………….Regards, RED
Thomas Brown
August 2nd, 2011
1:53 am
I am so glad that you are so Satisfied with our 21 Losses over these last 5 years. That is 2006, not 2008. An average of in excess of 4 Losses per season, over the last entire 5 seasons.
SEC East has been down for this time. In fact there only has been 1 team in The SEC East over these last 5 years, and now they are down too.
Yet, here we are and Mark Richt and his “coaching staff” assembled by him with he and only he responsible for them, and if they do not beat South Carolina in game 2, then they will not even have a winning record vs The SEC East over these last entire 5 years.
Pardon me for expecting more than that. I understand that me predicting that we will be 11-3 this season means that the expectations are high for this football program missing 26 players for the Boise State game. Obviously, you don’t want high expectations – because well that would mean we would have to go out and not lose to a bad team, something we have done around here once a year on the average for 10 years running now. And, because high expectations mean that we would beat a top team finishing in the Top 10 AP Poll, something we have done around here 3 times in 12 games over these 10 years.
11-3 I do not see as anything significant. We play 10 games vs teams averaging # 65 in the Rivals Rankings this morning. I figure our bowl opponent to be – well, like the bowl opponents we have played for these last 10 years, a nobody team not on the national stage both of us ranked in the Top 10 at the end of the season, facing off in a storied game of national stage.
It’s not what we do. What we do is lose to a team not finishing in the Top 25 and lose to the teams finishing in the Top 10. We have done that for 10 years, now. I see nothing different on that front whatsoever this season. No reason to. It is what we do.
I don’t have to like it, or accept it. In fact, I don’t and in fact you are satisfied. # 23 in won/loss record over these last 5 years now is not what I signed up for, for our # 11 all-time program in 1-A wins.
Now, I return you to your feel good posts about how great we will be 2011, oh, without saying what number is great – given our 10 known opponents of the regular season averaging # 65 Rivals Rankings today. You see that is why you criticize me, and in the same post answering that question, are wholly unable to post what our record will be this 14-game season coming up. 11-3.
RedandBlackDAWG
August 2nd, 2011
7:14 am
Red,
I beleive the only thing that will hurt UGA this year, is inexperience. I wish we had more time on the field but this team could still be special. They will for sure need to be coached up, but I think there is a new atomosphere at UGA now, and the team, coachs and even the AD seem to be high spirited. I don’t know how many games they will win this year, but I do think they will be ready to play, and if mistakes can be kept to a minimum, they could surprise a lot of folks they play. The good thing about having nobody expect you to win, is they look past you, and tend to discount your heart and desire. Hopefully, some do, and they might just leave the field, on the short end of the stick. We have some very talented young men on this team, and if the learning curve can be increased a bit, they could surprise a few folks. Either way, I remain a loyalist, which I guess some folks take exception to, but hey, that is the way life is.
GO DAWGS
Thomas Brown
August 2nd, 2011
7:32 am
Homer more like, not loyalist.
Loyalists looks at 10 regular season games against 10 opponents averaging # 65 in the nation in the Rivals Rankings this morning, and says we will win all 10 of those.
Homer says, oh wow, we are going to be special this one season 2011. No idea how good we will be, but we will be good; but, young. Young. Notice Young, but no discussion by Homer that we have 26 Scholarship player who were supposed to be playing against Boise State, who will not. Not 1 of the 26. See the list, oh well those guys were a cancer to the team. Now, that those 26 – whom you gave great credit to this coaching staff for bringing here – are addition by attrition. Right. No depth, you say ? Duh. Why is that, the loyalists ask ?
Homer has no discussion on the 10 games this coaching staff assembled has lost in 10 years now against teams who did not finish even in the Top 25.
Homer has no discussion of the 9 losses in 12 games over 10 years so far against teams who did finish in the AP Poll Top 10.
Loyalists point out that 21 Losses 5 years and # 23 won/lost 5 years and 13-12 vs Down SEC East 5 years and 0 appearances SEC Championship Game 5 years – all last 5 years, is not good, unacceptable and that the players and coaches OBVIOUSLY need to be told to GATA.
Homer, oh, no. Just say how special they will be. And, try to tell us all how very ultra-satisfied you are with Mark Richt’s “coaching staff” performing all this mis-management of our talent – and whistle into the night how this season, somehow never discussed, will be different somehow. I said it last year and I say it this year : We will Lose to teams who do not finish in the Top 25 and will lose to teams who finish in the Top 10, because that is what we have done for 10 years and now and without 26 scholarship players now gone from this roster, we most assuredly have nothing different for this season than we have the previous 10 on both these groups of very good teams and sorry football teams. Coach them up ? Right. Man Never Is, but To Be Blest.