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
moleman
August 12th, 2011
11:44 am
if it weren’t for trolls, who would read this garbage. someone has to counter all the stupid homer posts, like the one by TTOUGH44 @ 11:11.
Tech '10
August 12th, 2011
11:46 am
Probably nothing. Football being what it is, folks get banged up. He should be fine, and at any rate, this won’t help us against y’all. Ha.
BiggdawgK
August 12th, 2011
11:47 am
It is truly sad how gleeful the UGA blog writer comes off when he reports that a young man trying his hardest MIGHT possibly be injured. I understand it’s his job to report on all things Bulldog, but the lock your doors blah blah blah comments are sad and mean spirited.
Unfortunately the only reason anyone ever comes to this site is the Bulldogs. Either because we love them or because you are a wretched loser who has no friends and your life revolves around your bitter hatred of UGA. Either way the ajc tends to have the Bulldog news first so we have no choice but to check this site daily. It’s just too bad there is no integrity or professionalism to be found amongst the staff most of the time.
Nothing Could Be Finer
August 12th, 2011
11:48 am
Groin injuries can linger.
Better let that dog rest.
Of course that freshman will miss extremely valuable practice time.
Jimmy Crack
August 12th, 2011
11:48 am
Maybe he had to tape down little Isaiah from the chubby he’s got for the Boise State defense.
Lowcountry Bulldawg
August 12th, 2011
11:48 am
“words ugh, more words ugh, huhuhu, words…..more words. Huhuhu, words…huhuhu!”
Beavis and Butthead
The equivalent of the trolls that flock these blogs.
BiggdawgK
August 12th, 2011
11:50 am
moleman made it thru another sad lonely night of despair. Good for him. I guess CMR praying for him and all those truly pitiful souls like him is still working.
Tech '10
August 12th, 2011
11:50 am
@DePort: Very good point. VT doesn’t really ever seem to start strong as of late.
The college football fan in me says that UGA has a very good chance of surprising Boise and taking this one rather easily, Boise’s defense I think will be suspect here, not used to the ground and pound that sec teams are known for. This all depends on richt’s game plan though. The Tech fan in me wants you to lose very badly. Either way, I think this will be a great hard fought game.
Augusta Dawg
August 12th, 2011
11:51 am
46 12 5 … Get a dose of that chicken curse lovers.
masivatack
August 12th, 2011
11:52 am
I hate to say it, Troll Patrol, but the gators and auburn are not scared of us. Tech on the other hand…
DawginLex
August 12th, 2011
11:52 am
there is a big difference between a troll and someone who posts a differing opinion.
A TROLL does a drive by shooting, never posts under the same handle the next day and refuses to engage in dialogue. just a bunch of juvenile cheap shots or inane drivel stats.
someone with a differing opinion who is willing to engage in dialogue is welcome on any blog in my book, even if they are a fan of a different team.
moleman, you need to rethink whether TROLLS are necessary
TROLLS SUCK
Rickie Fowler
August 12th, 2011
11:54 am
I wrapped myself around C.J. Curry’s big strong thighs. Let’s just say he cowboy’d up in no time.
The Rock Says
August 12th, 2011
11:55 am
Know your role and shut your mouth.
Tech '10
August 12th, 2011
11:55 am
DawginLex: agreed.
DePort
August 12th, 2011
11:55 am
@Tech’10
I actually have a Tech friend who wants UGA to beat Boise .. Cause he is sick and tired of hearing about how great they are when they play absolutly no body…
BoiseBronco
August 12th, 2011
11:56 am
DePort, yes VT lost to James Madison last year. They also beat FSU who beat Florida and South Carolina who beat UGA. By your logic it goes Boise St > James Madison > VT > FSU > South Carolina > Florida > Georgia.
Atlanta Native
August 12th, 2011
11:56 am
Wow. Why am I even reading this article … America’s moral foundation is being challenged at the core, our youth are stooping to drugs, guns, alcohol abuse and crime in cities across the U.S. (football players among them, as people who can carry a football are always in the forefront of the public eye), and some guy’s hurting thigh becomes major news. Think about it. I mean, I’m a “Dawg” fan if only because my two kids go to school there, but geez…
40Capt
August 12th, 2011
11:59 am
@ altamahadawg frojm 11:29- I really hope that was intentional!!
AltamahaDawg
August 12th, 2011
12:00 pm
WHY? Why does somebody have to counter stupid Georgia Homer comment on a Georgia blog?
And if the mere existence of Georgia Homer comment in the world bothers you that much, You could of course simply not read them, which would solve that problem. SO there must be some other reason for you spending your day in here. .
DePort
August 12th, 2011
12:00 pm
@BoiseBronco … see your fans keep going to last year and acting like UGA is the same team … but the minute UGA fans bring up the butt woopin yall got a few years ago (From UGA)… your quick to point out that it is in the past and it doesnt matter…huummm
dear lexdawg
August 12th, 2011
12:01 pm
“If his calf was wrapped, maybe its a hamstring” – ummm…. Not quite.
DawginLex
August 12th, 2011
12:01 pm
boise
The thing is, you have to get up for 1 or 2 games a year against good competition. The other games are glorified scrimmages. Our schedule is just the opposite. We play 2 cupcakes and 10 teams who can kill us on any given day.
Your schedule is a joke. You are capable of beating us but your schedule overall is a joke. that’s the rub that you face from anyone following college football.
Some of your conference games are OOC laughers for SEC schools.
Capt-ATL
August 12th, 2011
12:01 pm
Word is, it is just a slight pull as he was trying to exit Intro to Calculus this morning, Oh, that’s right, he will not be taking Calculus. Perhaps Intro to Calculators? Or, is that for upper-classmen?
AltamahaDawg
August 12th, 2011
12:02 pm
capt…I was starting to wonder. Good catch.
Tech Guy
August 12th, 2011
12:04 pm
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to see Crowell or any other player get hurt, but are y’all gonna have someone examining his poop every day to make sure he is in peak condition? I really feel sorry for this kid that you have made the savior of dawg nation.
Tech '10
August 12th, 2011
12:05 pm
DePort: Yeah I feel ya there. Anyone can play 1 good game when they play a bunch of high school teams the rest of the season. I would not be upset at all if y’all won from that standpoint. If you do come out and slobberknock the bejesus out of them, please make them change their field to green, like everyone else so that when we play on it for some humanitarian bowl, I can watch the game w/o getting a headache. HA
ALSO, did you see that their AD resigned amidst the rumors of a scandal?? Seems to be a common theme these days.
moleman
August 12th, 2011
12:06 pm
@ TROLL PATROL: why would any bcs team be afraid to play uga. your record in regular season games for the last 2 seasons is 13 -11. you are entering the “homecoming zone”; the program that schools schedule to beat up in front of the alumni. the numbers don’t lie. boise is actually doing uga a favor by playing this game. they are in a no win situation; if they win, they just beat an unranked team with a .541 winning percentage the last couple of seasons. if they lose, they lost to a team in the lower tier of a bcs conference. kinda like losing to iowa state or purdue.
Jimmy Crack
August 12th, 2011
12:07 pm
Tech fans should want Georgia to win against Boise State. They should want for UGA to be undefeated or the highest national ranking possible heading into the UGA/GT game at the end of the season, so they can topple their hated rival from the heights of winning to the depths of losing and despair.
That’s what we did to them in ‘09!
40Capt
August 12th, 2011
12:07 pm
@ altamahadawg- thanks for the laugh!
Fairly
August 12th, 2011
12:08 pm
What’s new? Crowell was injured all the time in high school it seemed. Some things never change. Expect him to miss half the season with assorted ailments- just like in high school against lesser competition.
Joe
August 12th, 2011
12:09 pm
heard the QBs looked pretty weak this morning…Murray bouncing balls to receivers…..guess there is a reason he has yet to beat a team with a winning record…….here we go again…
Bama in Atlanta
August 12th, 2011
12:11 pm
Groin injuries can be serious. Let’s hear about it from former professional baseball pitcher and Cheers bar owner Sam Malone…..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vg9ruee3Vos
Lowcountry Bulldawg
August 12th, 2011
12:13 pm
Look UGA cannot worry about who they where last year or five years ago. The only thing they can control is who they will be this season and seasons moving forward. So keep on coming bake to our little UGA blogs because it certainly means we are on your mind. That is how all UGA fans should like it.
rm
August 12th, 2011
12:16 pm
anyone who wants to be taken seriously as a football program would not have a gimmick like blue turf. Ya, we all see you…and we are laughing.
moleman
August 12th, 2011
12:16 pm
love the way uga fans think. the last 2 years mean nothing. 1980, 2002, 2005, 2008. they matter. you are what you are. the indiana of the sec.
bigcalidawg
August 12th, 2011
12:16 pm
This is the time of year when these types of injuries occur the most. Hammy tweaks are not caused so much by lack of conditioning, but be utilizing fast twitch muscle fibers in a hard, quick manner, that you can only get in live action.
100 yard sprints, or box jumps will help you get into shape, but if you’re a db, or lb, and a rb comes out of the backfield, and he’s your man, if he makes a hard cut to the left, or right, you have to cut, too. It’s hard to simulate moving as quickly as possible. These groin and hamstring injuries are caused by more exposure to going live, rather than lack of off season conditioning.
For the weekend warrior? Whole different story……some of y’all might pull a hammy mowin the lawn………
We’re good and IC will be fine. I am worried about Boo, though. That is one lingering groin problem. Maybe he just like getting his groin treated daily
BoiseBronco
August 12th, 2011
12:17 pm
DePort, you really consider 6 years ago to be a few years ago? Fresno St whipped our butts that year also. Since then we have beaten then 5 times in a row. I agree though. UGA is not the same team they were last year. They lost their two best receivers, two best running backs, some offensive linemen, and some key defensive players. So yes, I agree they are different then last year. It’s just hard to argue they are better.
Make my Day
August 12th, 2011
12:21 pm
10 to 1 odds….if he plays against Boise St…he cramps up or is injured. For a Freshmen to miss ANYTHING is a set back.
I-DOG
August 12th, 2011
12:24 pm
Football Guy:
Of course the AJC wants to sell papers… that is the business they are in. What if Chip hadn’t “reported” this. What if everyone else did, but him (AJC), then we would be all over him to do a better job of keeping us udpated on what is happening.
Chip didn’t say that the injury was serious. In fact, he is saying that it doesn’t appear to be serious, but that no info has been released yet.
He has been reporting on all the players that are likely to be in the 2-3 deep rotation in terms of injury and if IC’s leg is wrapped it is news to UGA fans.
HECKLE
August 12th, 2011
12:25 pm
This is a gimmick to fool Boise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Joey
August 12th, 2011
12:26 pm
moleman, if ya really want to insult us, tell us we’re the Ga Tech of the SEC.
Ouch . . .
the indiana of the sec
August 12th, 2011
12:29 pm
wish we could get uga for homecoming this year. they’ll be as good as western michigan by the time the dream team gels. by then, its too late.
Coach Grohbo
August 12th, 2011
12:29 pm
No surprise. We knew your offensive line was going to get your backs hurt this year.
MO DAWG
August 12th, 2011
12:30 pm
Sept 3, 2011 @8 pm ET, all talk will come to an end. The DAWGS will be ready!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Coach Grohbo
August 12th, 2011
12:31 pm
Look on the bright side. You still have four more tight ends you can move to the backfield.
LogicalUS
August 12th, 2011
12:31 pm
This is concerning considering that Crowell missed significant of playing time last season due to injury, often related to his legs.
It has seldom been discussed but it was another concern of losing the two “cancers” as they would allow Crowell to grow into the position and allow university level conditioning specialist to address what is most likely a strength and conditioning issue.
And for the people saying work thru it, there are some injuries\soreness which a RB simply can not “work” thru at this level of football.
DawginLex
August 12th, 2011
12:31 pm
Indiana of the SEC?
Just flowing in football knowledge huh?
96 wins in 10 years
5 top ten rankings
2 SEC titles
Yeah, Indiana is right there with us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the laugh
Chip Towers
August 12th, 2011
12:32 pm
***UPDATE***
Hope you’ve all seen my tweets by now but, as I suspected, Coach Richt and Crowell both insisting his injury is not serious. It’s a groin injury and Isaiah said he just woke up this morning with that area being very sore and it was difficult to move. Officially Richt says Crowell’s status is “day to day” but he’s continuing to practice with the team on a limited physical basis. Will update blog asap with comments from Richt and Crowell.
theevilone
August 12th, 2011
12:33 pm
I hear a LOT of whistling by the graveyard on here today. And to read the ever increasing desperation uttered on here, like “don’t worry we still have Samuels” is GREAT STUFF!!!!! Keep it coming you stupid mutts!!! You better be hoping you’re bowl eligble at all this season!!! HAA HAA HAAA HAAAA HAAA HAAAAAA
Coach Grohbo
August 12th, 2011
12:33 pm
That poster was insulting Indiana, not UGA.