UPDATE: UGA TB Isaiah Crowell ‘day-to-day’ with groin injury
Georgia freshman tailback Isaiah Crowell stands next to coach Bryan McClendon as he sits out "The Chute" drill due to a gimpy left leg. (Photo provided by Guy Prokay/dawgtime.com)
***UPDATED***
ATHENS — Georgia freshman tailback Isaiah Crowell is battling a groin injury that severely limited his participation in Friday’s practice, the Bulldogs’ 10th of preseason camp.
However, both Crowell and UGA head coach Mark Richt insist that the injury is not serious and should not significantly hamper Crowell’s preparation for the No. 22-ranked Bulldogs’ season opener against No. 7 Boise State in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at the Georgia Dome in three weeks.
“It’s not really that serious,” said Crowell, speaking to reporters Friday for the first time since arriving at UGA. “It was just weak or whatever, but it’s not serious.”
Crowell was not dressed in a green jersey, which signifies an injured player. However, he moved slowly and gingerly through the Bulldogs’ drill work early in practice and actually stood to the side for several of them. Occasionally he would limp noticeably and his left thigh was heavily wrapped in an ace bandage underneath his pants. See THIS VIDEO posted by our friends at DawgTime.com,
“It’s a groin that’s bothering him,” Richt said. “We don’t think there was a pull. But if you get enough practices in a row and going live and all that stuff, sometimes you wake up in the morning and you just can’t go full speed. So that’s what happened with him. We shut him down today. It’ll be day-by-day. We’ll see how he feels.”
Given the Bulldogs’ precarious situation at tailback, any injury at that position could be perceived as cause for alarm. Redshirt freshman Ken “Boo” Malcome, who was already hampered with a groin injury, did not attend Friday’s practice because “he’s not feeling too good,” Richt said. Richt was not specific other than to say it was “not a concussion.”
Meanwhile, former walkon tailback Brandon Harton — he was just awarded a scholarship Thursday night — just returned from a real concussion and remained in green on Friday. That left the Bulldogs with recently-converted tailback Richard Samuel and Carlton Thomas, who is suspended for the opening game.
For what it’s worth, Thomas had “a really nice day of competition” and Samuel had the run of the day in Friday’s full-contact workout.
“It was the first play of [teamwork] and he ran over a cornerback and kept on trucking for about another 30 yards or so,” Richt said. “That was a big run for him.”
Later it was learned that Samuel suffered a strained quad during the practice and he, too, is listed as “day-to-day.”
Meanwhile, the buzz of the day Friday was it was the first opportunity for reporters to interview Crowell since he’s been on UGA’s campus. As was consistent of his personality throughout recruiting, Crowell was a man of few words but also of quiet confidence. He actually addressed the fact that he’s not one ramble on with his answers.
“I don’t like speaking but I know I have to,” he said while sitting on a stool in a scrum of reporters and TV cameras.
Some of the “highlights” from Crowell’s 15-minutes session with the media:
- On the thrust of attention: “I think I’ve handled it well. I don’t let it get to me. I try to keep a level head. That’s what I do.”
- On his goals for the season: “I just want to get out on the field and help my team win. That’s the main thing for me.”
- His favorite moment so far: “Being out there practicing and the scrimmage at Sanford Stadium.”
- Not really. I just want to do whatever God wants me to do. I don’t really look at it like that (referencing question about Latt and Dyer).
- Biggest adjustment: “Really the hardest thing for me has been like time management and waking up early. I’m not a morning person and that has been the hardest thing for me. Physically it hasn’t been that hard for me. I feel like I fit right in.”
- Does he feel weight of expections: “No sir. I don’t really think about it a lot. My coach is always telling me I’m not the savior. I’m just coming out here and working hard and trying to help my team.”
- On influence of strength coach Thomas Brown: “He’s helped me work out and has kept me motivated with the different things we’re doing and he’s helped me learn the ins and out of Athens.”
- On advice he got from Herschel Walker: “He was telling me to keep a level head and work hard and help my team work hard and do whatever I could to help my team.”
- On notoriety around campus: “I get recognized a little. I try to not stay out too much because I know people might know who I am. That’s the main thing. I try to stay [cordoned] off.”
- On who has delivered the biggest hit on him. “No one has really hit me that hard. Not yet I don’t think.”
- Whether he can have similar impact as Marcus Lattimore last year: “I think I can. I think Lattimore had a great season last year. He helped his team a lot. I think I can do the same.”
- On being heavily counted on: “I expected to play and everybody to look up to me. I knew I had to be a leader and work hard for everybody to follow me. I expected that.”
- On the grind of preseason camp: “It’s a lot of work and it’s tiring and it’s hard. But I love football and I’ve been doing this all my life, so it’s fun to me.”
- How much of playbook he’s mastered: “Like 90 percent. I know most of what I’m doing. I’ve just got to learn a few more things in there and I’ll be set.”
- On rumors he showed up out of shape with bad attitude: “I heard all that but there’s wasn’t nothing to it. People are going to say what they want to say.”
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359 comments Add your comment
NOBODYYOUKNOW
August 12th, 2011
10:54 am
I hear that Boise fired the A.D. He’s the one that came up with that “Blue Feild”. He needed to be fired for that. After the dogs get done with them the feild is gonna be “Black and Blue”.
Gay Dawg
August 12th, 2011
10:56 am
Deep bruises hurt! Especially mushroom bruises.
cantondawg
August 12th, 2011
10:56 am
You can really tell the idiot fans from the ones that actually played football. The idiot fans blame these injuries on conditioning and coaching. The people who actually played football know that it’s just part of the game. Players are always going to get strains regardless of how they were conditioned. Yes, Conditioning can eliminate some of it but not all of it.
typical dawg fan
August 12th, 2011
10:57 am
season’s over, there’s always next year.
DC
August 12th, 2011
10:58 am
gay dawg has be rolling!
Field Goal Jesus is the answer
August 12th, 2011
10:59 am
No worries here UGA will continue to put up three’s instead of TD’s whether Crowell is healthy or not.
patriot75
August 12th, 2011
11:00 am
Sounds like the way his senior year of high school went,missed a good bit of time with different leg and ankle problems!
bucket
August 12th, 2011
11:05 am
I’ll be back when all the trolls go to bed. Some of you really do need to get a life. Is it too much to ask for each respective team to have a blog where serious fans can come to discuss our teams? I have never been to a blog for another team and posted a comment – never, not one time in my life. I guess you trolls think you are so clever, but it’s really just incredibly tiring and juvenile.
OkieDawg
August 12th, 2011
11:06 am
Football Insider, Ever hear of Earl Campbell (5-11, 245) or Eddie George (6-3, 250)? And there are a ton more that any Insider should know. .
rambis
August 12th, 2011
11:07 am
Just a hammy? UGA leads the nation in preseason hamstring issues. Diet, training, too much stretching….not enough? Wow!
Kint Truene
August 12th, 2011
11:07 am
yall let Caleb King in. jest sayin’
go away
August 12th, 2011
11:07 am
@ Football insider – if you’re not a UGA fan then go away. Nobody really cares about your “useful” knowledge. You’re no expert but somehow you obviously think you are. By your first statement it appears that since USC and Lattimore couldn’t make it a season w/o injury then nobody can? Give me a break!
Football Insider
August 12th, 2011
11:08 am
Bucket, either that or you can’t handle not one piece of analysis that goes against UGA, which makes you a homer, which tires me and I find highly annoying.
BTW, I think this report is a non-issue. I don’t think this will make Crowell miss the first game or anything crazy like that. But, it brings up the point that Crowell will miss time this year to injury. It just happens.
Nothing Could Be Finer
August 12th, 2011
11:11 am
Looks like Georgia’s Lattimore is hobbled a bit.
No big deal.
Let the dog rest.
Football Insider
August 12th, 2011
11:11 am
OkieDawg,
Those are two outliers and outstanding ones. I think it is highly, highly laughable that you would even consider suggesting that Samuel could possibly turn into a player like those two.
Listen here, and listen carefully, the coaches would not have moved Samuel to defense had they thought he could be even 70% of what an Eddie George was. Please.
Here, let me fill up your kool aid pitcher.
TTOUGH44
August 12th, 2011
11:11 am
Boise WHo? Yall are stepping up to some REAL football! SEC style! Go DAWGS! ( Ask Hawaii how it is playing against the SEC!)
The Big DAWG will eat!
Ahilq
August 12th, 2011
11:11 am
Oh yeah. Well, the Barn paid Cam!!!
(Had to get that in here within the first two pages since nary one Ga blog entry comment is without it)
gomdawg
August 12th, 2011
11:11 am
Can Nick Marshall play running back ?????
moleman
August 12th, 2011
11:12 am
@bucket: see if Gay Dawg will give you a hug. sounds like you could use one about right now.
beanster
August 12th, 2011
11:12 am
agree cantondawg – I am sure his quads, glutes, etc. are more stressed and strained right now than they have ever been in the young man’s life. Joe T conditioning is one thing, so is trying to become the #1 tailback at 2-a-day camp when you’re 18 years old.
dawgs01
August 12th, 2011
11:13 am
Did yall see Darryl Gamble last night for the San Diego Chargers. He had 8 tackles 7 solo and one sack. Dominated the game played with the first string. The announcers could not stop talking about how good he was playing. They got him as a free agent and all the charger fans are like who is this kid. He was blowing up all the plays last night. I was reading some San diego papers on line and they are in love with him. Like watching the Dawgs do good in the pros makes you wonder why they are just average players for us and go to the NFL as very reliable starters I dont get it
Football Insider
August 12th, 2011
11:15 am
Go Away,
Not even going to refute your idiot statement. You obviously can’t handle anything negative to UGA. I’ll just say that I’ll stand by my statement that it is HIGHLY LIKELY (not certain, things never are) that Crowell will not make it through an SEC schedule uninjured. That is based on historical patterns, Lattimore just happens to be the most recent case. Losing 2 leading rushers in one offseason will hurt any team, just because it’s UGA doesn’t mean there are no consequences.
moleman
August 12th, 2011
11:15 am
@dawgs01: see Mark Richt for details
DawgByte
August 12th, 2011
11:16 am
Football Insider -
You’re not much of an insider if you think our first team OL is a “patchwork”. We have 3-4 solid veterans on the OL and talent across the board. This issue is depth. The second unit lacks experience, but not talent.
DawginLex
August 12th, 2011
11:18 am
moleman
so you pick out the preseason prediction that fits your agenda?
How about Phil Steele who pickes the Dawgs to win the East?
There are others as well.
They are all worthy for use to line the bottom of the bird cage, the litter box or to wipe with.
also, there should be no polls until October 1st.
We will know a lot about what we have after 1 game. Others won’t know until the 4th game because of scheduling cupcakes. You can predict and bash all you want to and in the end it doesn’t matter.
We will know a lot about UGA on Saturday night about midnight on Sept 3rd
brick
August 12th, 2011
11:18 am
Blueturf, Boysee is well coached, but they are small and some of your fans talking about your speed is a little silly when you are talking to someone from the SEC. You think an SEC team hasn’t seen speed before and doesn’t have a little of its own? Game will be close for awhile, then giving up 60-70lb a man across the front will take its toll, UGA wins going away. I remember the last time you came to Ga, with a star qb, first round pick on the OL. The qb was knocked into the middle of last week, the OT was reaching to block someone. And that qb was a lot bigger, stronger and athletic than this one. Moore will be lucky to finish the game.
TC
August 12th, 2011
11:19 am
If it were a hammy, he wouldn’t be bending down in the video and he would be in a green jersey. Perhaps just a deep bruise.
Glad I’m not a cornerbac for BSU that has to stop the run on the edge. With big Bruce leading the way, their corners will get trucked all night. GATA!
dawgs01
August 12th, 2011
11:20 am
I know i try to look around that but when you see how much success Bulldog players are having in the NFL it makes you stop and think. We are having so many guys get drafted then almost all are free agents end up signing and getting plenty of playing time. Gamble looked like a first round draft pick last night he was all over the field with high energy. We have as much NFL talent as anyone but we dont know how to use it.
BigTimeTechFan
August 12th, 2011
11:21 am
@dawgs01
- Yea Gamble played real nice, back tried to block him on the sack and Gamble just plowed right through him. Falcon’s got anouther LB from UGA, wonder how he’s doing.
My Tech players not doing to well – AA only got like one carry.
Go Chargers
Super Bowl 2012/13 Falcons and Chargers
Joey
August 12th, 2011
11:21 am
Can you Dwag fans imagine if the web had been around in 1982 when Herschel injured his thumb? Chip, Jeff, and Mark coulda got 10,000 hits per article regarding that injury.
Football Insider
August 12th, 2011
11:22 am
DawgByte,
It’s patchwork. If once goes down, who do you have with comparable to patch it? Thus, patchwork. UGA’s OLine will be “ok” if all of the starters stay healthy and can play every down of every game. Other than that, there’s not much.
Dawg Pound D
August 12th, 2011
11:22 am
Grantham’s D is on a mission this season—after a few hits from the Ga LBs and D-tackles. the boise state RBs and receivers will be whimpering and ready to head back to potato country.
Joey
August 12th, 2011
11:22 am
you Dawg fans . . .
Larry Wayne Jones Jr.
August 12th, 2011
11:22 am
Well, I guess UGA can just run the old “Notre Dame Box”, if they run out of running backs.
AltamahaDawg
August 12th, 2011
11:25 am
Mama..the mail is here!
Football Guy
August 12th, 2011
11:27 am
Why is this front page news? Dude probably has a very mild splinter and some 2 bit reporter
tries ro sell newspaper by panicking all these lame UGa fans.
Hahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
hahahahahahahahahaahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Half Century Dawg Fan
August 12th, 2011
11:29 am
Moleman, that’s good news, I rather not be on the radar screen
AltamahaDawg
August 12th, 2011
11:29 am
Why is this front page UGA football news? Have you been in a comma?
moleman
August 12th, 2011
11:31 am
you people brag about all of uga’s speed and strength; how is boise gonna handle that? just like ucf did..boise 37 uga 20 maybe during expansion we should keep vandy and send uga to the acc; they are a better fit there. catch me/kissme football doesn’t play in the sec, cmr.
THE Dixie Redcoat Band
August 12th, 2011
11:31 am
Do you suppose BS has watched the UCF/UGA game?
Nothing Could Be Finer
August 12th, 2011
11:32 am
Why is this front page UGA football news?
————————————————————–
Maybe because that freshman running back has been annointed as the savior of the program?
This is what duct tape if for gang
August 12th, 2011
11:33 am
Folks all over get banged around. Next!
Besides, this injury is why we have freaking duct tape.
Go Dogs.
Joey
August 12th, 2011
11:33 am
3 weeks and 1 day . . .
Nothing Could Be Finer
August 12th, 2011
11:35 am
4 weeks and 1 day. . .
Rooster
August 12th, 2011
11:35 am
Can’t-go-Crowell
Cough-it-up-Crowell
Rock-dropper Samuel
UGA did lose to UCF but
August 12th, 2011
11:37 am
UGA kids did not want to be on that field with UCF and their effort showed it. They lost and should have lost that game. Period. Case closed.
They as players have to live with that lack of ANY effort, not i. THEY will be the ones to always be on that lousy UGA team. That loss will always be in the history books.
Now, in 2011 …………….can they get beyond it, is THE question, not what we did or did not do in 1954 or 2010.
Go Dogs.
UGA man, class of 71 & 73
Nothing Could Be Finer
August 12th, 2011
11:38 am
Crowell throws in the towell
Tobias Funke
August 12th, 2011
11:38 am
Crowell is hobbled during practice #10. Seems about right. Everyone is hobbled at this point. Nothing to see here. Move along. Time for an ice bath. 19 more practices to go. I wonder if anyone else will be hobbled? Hmmmmm.
It is painfully obvious that the majority of people on here has never seen a football practice, let alone participated in one. Opinions are like a**holes. Everyone has one, but yours really stinks.
TROLL PATROL
August 12th, 2011
11:38 am
football guy
Didn’t you leave an a out of your last name? instead of the u
i love how all these idiots hide behind their computers and take potshots at Georgia
Techies because you can’t beat us at anything
Gators because you are so afraid that richt is going to start beating you since Tebow is long gone
Barners because you know we will go back to owning you again
Hide behind a computer all you want to you bunch of lame brain wimps. It won’t change anything about UGA and it won’t change your loser status.
DePort
August 12th, 2011
11:42 am
Boise fans still think they did something great by beating VT last year … but didnt VT lose their next game to James Madison??? … It seems to me anyone could have beaten VT at the beginning of last year…