Vince Dooley says losing Isaiah Crowell ‘best thing to happen’ for Bulldogs
ATHENS – Isaiah Crowell getting arrested and kicked off the team may have been a blessing in disguise for the Georgia Bulldogs.
So thinks former Georgia coach and athletic director Vince Dooley. I was interviewing Coach Dooley on Monday for another project I’m doing for the AJC when the subject of Crowell came up. Crowell, a rising sophomore and former 5-star recruit who was the Bulldogs’ leading rusher last season, was dismissed by head coach Mark Richt following Crowell’s arrest on felony weapons charges. Crowell has since transferred to Alabama State, an FCS program in Montgomery, Ala., and started classes on Monday.
That chain of events may help the Bulldogs in the long run, Dooley contends.
“I don’t want to put any pressure on them, but losing that guy may have been the best thing to happen to them,” said Dooley, who coached the Bulldogs to six SEC championships and one national title in 25 seasons. “It was a bad-apple type thing, if you ask me.”
“Bad apple” was the second term Dooley used to describe Crowell’s effect on the team. The first was more effective but he asked me not to use it.
Dooley said Crowell undoubtedly is a talented football player and probably was the Bulldogs’ best option at tailback. But the negative effects as far as being a troublemaker and a distraction far out-weighed any skills he brought to the field, Dooley said.
Now that Crowell is gone, “That kind of thing will unite a team many times,” Dooley said. “Historically when things like this have happened in the past, they tend to have a unifying effect on teams. They go on to have an even better season than they were predicted to have.”
Georgia, of course, is generally considered the favorite to repeat as the SEC Eastern Division champions and play in the SEC Championship. That is, if the Bulldogs are still able to field a team. With Crowell out and linebacker Brandon Burrows’ recent decision to transfer in search of more playing time, Georgia has dipped below 70 scholarship players heading into next season. The NCAA allows 85.
At least one person agrees with Dooley. Alabama State coach Reggie Barlow said the last three SEC teams that sent high-profile transfers to play for him — Florida, Auburn and Alabama — went on to win national championships the following season.
Dooley recalled that Georgia had a great player that left after the 1958 season and turned pro as a junior — very unusual in those days — and that rallied the rest of the team, which went on to win the 1959 SEC championship. Dooley could not immediately recall that player’s name, though I deduced it must have been center/linebacker Dave Lloyd, who was drafted in the fourth round that year by the Cleveland Browns. I couldn’t find anyone who knew for sure, but you get the point.
“This guy was a heck of a player, but he was a real problem on the football team,” Dooley said. “When he decided to leave, Coach [Wally] Butts went into a depression; he knew he had lost his best athlete. But as it turned out it unified the team. That often happens.”
Dooley also offered what I thought was one of the more insightful observations I’ve heard about Crowell as a running back last season. As we all know, Crowell’s toughness was questioned as he often pulled himself out of games or found himself sidelined with minor injuries. Dooley thought there might have been a good solution for that.
“Looking back at it, he would have been a great second-half running back,” Dooley said. “I never wanted that guy around in the fourth quarter if he started the game, because it seemed like he’d had enough by then. But I would’ve loved to have him around in the third or fourth quarter if he hadn’t played any to that point. Imagine once the defense gets tired and he comes in. He could’ve been a superstar second-half player. Herschel [Walker] got stronger in the fourth; this guy got weaker. So I would’ve waited until the second half to play him. He was pretty doggone good when he was fresh. That might’ve been a good idea looking back at it.”
Dooley has always had a great football mind.
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395 comments Add your comment
LaGrange1975
July 9th, 2012
3:43 pm
@John, no my wife and I are not clueless. We just understand that we were once these kids age and made some of the same mistakes. I am so glad that I had adults around me that did not turn their backs on me just because I made a few mistakes.
Trust me, when I was his age I stayed out late partying myself. That is what college was about. The thing that I hate is the people getting on these blogs trying to act as if they have never made some of the same mistakes some of these kids are making. The bottom line is, none of us are perfect. We all make mistakes.
Rick James
July 9th, 2012
3:44 pm
@GTBob
He is probably right. Unfortunately, he would be right about most of the other UGA players as well. UGA at this point isn’t a few rotten apples, it is a bad tree. If something significant doesn’t change then it will stay that way
——————————————————————————————————————————
Surely if things are as bad as you say Tech will win in Athens this year right?
Beast from the East
July 9th, 2012
3:44 pm
Swamp Thing,
As a fellow Gator, I find your comment about UGA’s schedule embarassing. In case you didn’t know, the league office sets the conference schedule, so UGA is just benefiting from the luck of the draw this year and last. Truly unfair to criticize any team over their conference slate.
Anh Nguyen
July 9th, 2012
3:45 pm
52 Days until college football!
dt4c
July 9th, 2012
3:48 pm
IMO if I were Dooley I would never again consent to an interview with this writer. By bringing up the fact that bad apple was Dooley’s second choice of a word IMO it violated a confidence. It should have never been stated.
LaGrange1975
July 9th, 2012
3:50 pm
Thanks Corky. @BillS, I agree.
bad apples & romantic hash browns
July 9th, 2012
3:51 pm
`
…. the ‘best thing to happen’ for Alabama State also ?
aDumbGuyAlumni
July 9th, 2012
3:52 pm
Scoreboard aside, UGA has had more arrests, felons, and players in hot water than anybody in NCAA football in the last 5 years. Kudos to CMR on that. He’s really trying hard to get those kids out of the ghetto and I don’t see anybody else putting out that much effort to do so since Miami back in the day.
Vampire Bill
July 9th, 2012
3:53 pm
Dooley is right on with his assessment especially the 2nd half part. I wish Richt would think outside the box a little.
Swamp Thing
July 9th, 2012
3:53 pm
Beast of the East – How I remember those great days as a 28 year season ticket holder – and I know the the league sets the schedule – but I find it interesting that BAMA was gone and it wasn’t OLE MISS. It’s not embarrasing at all..
steve
July 9th, 2012
3:55 pm
This is a kid that wore an Alabama hat on his official visit to Auburn, because “it matched his outfit”.
That should have raised some flags about his character.
bad apples & romantic hash browns
July 9th, 2012
3:55 pm
Can Dooley give Bobo
some offensive lessons about the running game ?
7576DAWG
July 9th, 2012
3:58 pm
LaGrange1975
My last Quarter at Georgia was Dec.1975 and had to Graduate with the June 1976 Graduates.
I’m sure what happened was Mark Richt call Crowell into his office and asked him did he know who’s gun that was and when Richt was convinced that Crowell knew about the gun in ANY manner had no recourse but to kick him off the team because he can’t be on the team if Adams kick’s him off the campus for violating a policy where you are AUTOMATICALLY kicked out of UGA.
If students were allowed to carry a gun on campus whether it was on their person or in their car we would have dozens of gun fire incidents every year.
When you and I were brought up we were taught properly how to handle any gun and respect it’s power but today’s kids are taught by computer games and have no idea how destructive a gun in the wrong hands can be.
Dawg Haus
July 9th, 2012
3:58 pm
Swamp Thing, Bama was replaced by Missouri because Georgia went to Oxford last season and the Rebels owe the Dawgs a trip to Athens. The Bama series was just pushed back a year.
GTBob
July 9th, 2012
4:00 pm
Surely if things are as bad as you say Tech will win in Athens this year right?
No, Tech has very little chance this season. UGA’s problems aren’t enough to drag them down to Tech’s level, they are just bad enough to keep UGA from ever jumping to a championship level.
bad apples & romantic hash browns
July 9th, 2012
4:01 pm
8-5 Missouri was 6-1 at home last season.
BiggDawgK
July 9th, 2012
4:01 pm
Another thing that Coach Dooley touched on that had disturbed me even before IC was arrested was his ability to pull others into his “crimes”. Unlike others who have been in trouble IC always managed to drag someone down with him. Luckily he didn’t do so this final time. Considering IC never had much to say and seemed to have zero personality, he sure seemed charismatic when it came to seducing other players into his hi jinks.
Swamp Thing
July 9th, 2012
4:02 pm
Beast From the East – How I remember those days and T-Shirts that your name comes from. As a 28 year season ticket holder, I know the conference determines the schedules – usually 5 or so years in advance – but with Mizzou and Texas A & M coming in the SEC, schedules were quickly changed..UGA has a great influence in the SEC, and how BAMA was gone (haven’t played them in 3 years) and Missouri was scheduled makes me wonder why OLE MISS wasn’t dropped.
EricADawgFan
July 9th, 2012
4:02 pm
LaGrange 1975
I agree with you totally.
Chip Towers
July 9th, 2012
4:03 pm
Newman: Thanks. I knew somebody on here would know.
Beast from the East
July 9th, 2012
4:04 pm
Swamp Thing,
Luck of the draw. The only team that I would be believe that has that much influence is Bama.
LaGrange1975
July 9th, 2012
4:05 pm
@7576DAWG, you make a valid point. The issue is we need to get back to teaching the value and use. However, I do not agree that there would be more gun violence if more people had them. I can give a lot of stats but I don’t want to bore you.
SOUTHGADAWGG88
July 9th, 2012
4:06 pm
LOL.Vince knows all about questionable “characters”…I’m kind of surprised he would even make that statement on record.
Sussex Club
July 9th, 2012
4:06 pm
Hope those two freshman running backs from North Carolina are good apples and play like
Marcus Lattimore.
Nate the Great
July 9th, 2012
4:07 pm
@ LaGrange1975
July 9th, 2012
3:37 pm
——-
Who’s to say they didn’t interview the other players in the car and his friends on the team to get better info than what has been released? CMR gives kids A LOT of slack and does his due diligence before doling out punishment. IC might have admitted guilt to it to CMR and lied to police. Ever think of that?
PS Ask your wife what she thinks of Duron Carter. He’s a problem child that CNS has just turned loose and so did OSU. Kids get chance after chance to the point where it becomes disrespectful to the coaching staff to be out at 230am REGARDLESS of what you are doing. Plus, how many times was he suspended last year for smoking pot? 2-3xs? He wreaked of weed and you still think he deserves another chance? Where exactly is the line in the sand drawn? If you can’t set rules and limits the children that are our fb players will walk all over you and never grow into the men you expect them to be in life.
DirtyDawg
July 9th, 2012
4:07 pm
Hey Lagrange, Richt, McGarity, et.al., didn’t turn their back after just one mistake. The kid wasn’t just a bad apple, and I can imagine what other term Vince was using, he was leading a posse down the wrong path. You and I don’t know what else they had put up with, but when you reach the ‘last straw’, enough is enough. Zack Mettenberger pulled a sexual assault and lied about it to his coaches…gone. Damon Evans embarrassed the school and the athletic program…gone. Isaiah Crowell just didn’t seem to understand what it meant to stop being a punk…gone.
Trueblueeagle
July 9th, 2012
4:09 pm
What happens to the other four players that were with IC? Maybe this will help them stay in school and stay out of trouble.
Aldi Truth # 40
July 9th, 2012
4:14 pm
Vinces first choice of word rhymes with bug.
UGA Insider
July 9th, 2012
4:16 pm
Billy Payne:
I hope you read the AJC. Leadership is BADLY needed up here. You are a leader who commands respect. I don’t see anyone up here like that at present. McGarity is in WAY over his head.
Old Dawg
July 9th, 2012
4:17 pm
Well said, coach. It’s sad that Crowell threw away his opportunity at UGA. I hope he learns from his mistakes.
It’s shame that players are under more scrutiny now than in the past, but that’s the era we are in. You would think that current student-athletes would realize that and try and walk a straighter line. At the same time, all of us did stupid things at that age. So we shouldn’t be so quick to judge.
7576DAWG
July 9th, 2012
4:17 pm
LaGrange1975
I would think most if not all COLLEGE campuses have a very strict policy about carrying a gun on campus. I have daughters 20 and 22 years old and I have taught them properly how to use a gun but if they were allowed to carry a gun , because of a permit, they would be carrying one right now instead of pepper spray. And my policy would be: Girl’s you know if you are being threaten so if you are, don’t hesitate or it may be too late and shot to kill.
LaGrange, how many other parents would have the same instructions if gun laws were that lax?
Nate the Great
July 9th, 2012
4:18 pm
LaGrange1975
July 9th, 2012
3:43 pm
@John, no my wife and I are not clueless. We just understand that we were once these kids age and made some of the same mistakes. I am so glad that I had adults around me that did not turn their backs on me just because I made a few mistakes.
Trust me, when I was his age I stayed out late partying myself. That is what college was about. The thing that I hate is the people getting on these blogs trying to act as if they have never made some of the same mistakes some of these kids are making. The bottom line is, none of us are perfect. We all make mistakes.
———-
When you were his age, did you have a full ride on football with a great chance of becoming a top 10 nfl draft pick? If he came here to party, then he really shouldn’t be on a fb scholly and maybe foot the bill for tuition like you or your parents did. College for IC was a chance to make millions in signing bonus as a rookie, not all about “partying” like it was for you. No offense but every kid that signs up for SEC football knows that it is the minors for the NFL. This goes with the territory of being so hotly pursued as a hs recruit.
If I’m on an academic scholly and screw up, guess what they do…YANK THE FREAKING SCHOLLY!! Come on man! Get with it and quit making excuses for “innocent until proven guilty” crap!!
CMR did IC a favor. He allowed him to transfer before the start of fall and not sit him for an entire year until the court sorts it all out. Did any of this ever cross your mind before you started bashing CMR with your wife?
LaGrange1975
July 9th, 2012
4:19 pm
I still haven’t seen where this young man was found guilty in a court of law. I still say Innocent until proven guilty. After this comment, I am done. I will just read.
dawg fan
July 9th, 2012
4:22 pm
go away dooley, you are not relevant anymore!
SecGuy
July 9th, 2012
4:25 pm
LaGrange1975, your points are not crazy. IMO, had it been up to Richt, Crowell would still be on the team. McGarity is calling the shots on discipline now.
Hand it to Herschel
July 9th, 2012
4:26 pm
IF Dawgs win both road games in Columbia they run the table & play for the BCS title ! Woof Woof Woof Sic “em
All Saints
July 9th, 2012
4:27 pm
In tribute to our beloved martyred Saint Jan Kemp, let’s all bow our heads for a few moments of silent prayer. Thirty years ago, this courageous young lady risked everything to expose the corruption and academic fraud instigated by Vince Dooley, sleazy practices that continue to this day under Mark Richt.
And now, let us all pray for Saint Jan…
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Thank you, you can now resume your normal activities.
Nate the Great
July 9th, 2012
4:27 pm
LaGrange1975
July 9th, 2012
4:19 pm
I still haven’t seen where this young man was found guilty in a court of law. I still say Innocent until proven guilty. After this comment, I am done. I will just read.
——
And we can just allow him to waste another year until we figure out what we already know…he is guilty!! Lets keep him around so he can’t move on with life and the AJC writes a “new” article about him once ever two weeks until he is found guilty in a court of law? That would be better? I take it you are not in PR…
beebee
July 9th, 2012
4:27 pm
oh you poor widdle georgia fans. y’all gonna suffer through a 5-7 season and will be at each others’ throats, and richt’s throat too!
And the Jackets will be laughing at ya all the way till next season!
Ha haa haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
JuniorsFarm
July 9th, 2012
4:28 pm
I pointed this out when Richt suspended Ealey, that 6.6 yards per carry, in the 4th quarter, and Ealey’s 4th best in the NCAA 4th Quarter td’s, was something to think about.
true, Crowell did only average 4 ypc in the 4th quarter, he was no Washaun Ealey.
But, as long as you have a QB that turns the ball over 30 times a season, having a great 4th quarter rb like Ealey, isn’t an advantage.
Murray pretty much is the greatr equalizer to great running back productivity.
And remember, Richt rotates 5 running backs, so it won’t really matter who averages what, they’re sitting the bench for 60% of the game, regardless of whether they lead te team in td’s, like Ealey did in 2009, or top 5 in the nation in 4th quarter td’s, like Ealey did in 2009, or 6.6 ypc, like Ealey got in 2009.
Applicable TV/Movie Quote
July 9th, 2012
4:28 pm
From the film Barcelona:
Woman (Shootings in America): You can’t say Americans are not more violent than other people.
Fred: No.
Woman (Shootings in America): All those people killed in shootings in America?
Fred: Oh, shootings, yes. But that doesn’t mean Americans are more violent than other people. We’re just better shots.
The Diesel
July 9th, 2012
4:32 pm
I am sure ol Chip didn’t bring up the question about IC.Hey Chip why can’t you write about something else.IC has moved on.Why can’t you.
The Diesel
July 9th, 2012
4:33 pm
Hey Chip,how about some articles about the Dawgs,you know the players that are getting ready for the season.Thanks Chip,you are a heckuva journalist.
Damon Evans
July 9th, 2012
4:34 pm
How many white dawg fans would live next door to an African American?
Doug
July 9th, 2012
4:35 pm
What happened to the UGA basketball team the year after Domminique left?
JuniorsFarm
July 9th, 2012
4:35 pm
What Dooley neglected to mention, was Murray’s 2nd half decrease in production and accuracy.
Murray in 1st-4th quarter td’s: 7, 17, 5, 6,
24 td’s -1st half
11 2nd half
Murray’s accuracy in 1st-4th quarters: 66, 58, 57, 56
Murray’s interceptions:
1st half 6
2nd half 8
JoeyHanie
July 9th, 2012
4:35 pm
I think this team suprises everyone. I personally think the runningback situation will be better with out IC. There wont be a choosen one, like in the past, and a talent wasted. See Knowshon redshirt…… Keith Marshall and Todd Gurley will run wild, while Boo Malcome and Richard Samuel get the tuff yards…..4 fresh backs at all times. I’m ok with that
Holy Guacamole
July 9th, 2012
4:37 pm
LaGrange – I might agree with you except for the obvious that your statement is missing (and frankly, we don’t know), IC was given chance after chance to follow the rules. I really don’t think that CMR wanted to lose him and his talent. It just seems like IC couldn’t follow the rules and stay out of trouble. Where do you draw the line? How many chances do you give him? I’ll bet he got plenty.
McDawg
July 9th, 2012
4:41 pm
i don’t care how tough you are- a high ankle sprain is a high ankle sprain and for a tailback its pointless to play at 75%
JuniorsFarm
July 9th, 2012
4:41 pm
Richt’s going to rotate Malcome, Samuel, Marshall, Gurley, and Harton, they’ll all get plenty of reps, regardless of their productivity.
It’s “the Georgia way”.
Note;
That’s why Carlton Thomas and Ealey both transferred.