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Ladd McConkey ‘getting faster’ in Georgia practices, might play role at Auburn
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Ladd McConkey ‘getting faster’ in Georgia practices, might play role at Auburn
ATHENS — Georgia coach Kirby Smart is encouraged by the progress Ladd McConkey has made this week and is hopeful the preseason All-SEC receiver can at least play a role.
Comments
Glad they are taking their time. I 'm sure no one wants to be out there more than he does, but need him down the Championship stretch!
Rushing #84 back too soon reminds me of the Molly Hatchet song, Flirtin with Disaster.
Glad they’re playing it safe. If he’s able to play any role, hopefully he can at least be a decoy target on the field to help spread the defense and help the run game.
Great news! UGA will need Ladd for the stretch-run. Can't wait to see him at 100%.
This is Great news !! But I’m glad their being cautious with him to. As some here have said he might get in a couple of snaps as a decoy, but Auburn won’t be able to take the risk of assuming he’s only a decoy.
So even if it’s only two or three snaps could help out. Maybe they can run something where he doesn’t have to make much contact with rival defenders. I’d rather save him for future games to be honest. But I trust Ron Courson ( Best in the business !!) and Kirby to make the right decisions.
The role that I hope he plays is cheerleader. Sorry, but Auburn is a conference rivalry game. Were Auburn to tell one of their LBs or rovers to get a good running head start and nail McConkey - can't hit him in the back but you can put him on his back, plus blindside hits are legal and almost as good - then sorry but the sport is football, not chess or darts.
I want McConkey and Milton to get back out there soon because - as the NFL draft fates of Darnell Washington, Kenny McIntosh and Kearis Jackson (down) on one hand and Stetson Bennett (up) - showed, unless you have George Pickens' ability, numbers count. And lest we forget Pickens did have the numbers in 2019 (700 yards, 8 TDs) and 2020 (500 yards, 6 TDs in 8 games) that Washington and McIntosh never did.
But ... let's make that the Kentucky game. Presuming another run to the championship game, that would give McConkey 10 games and Milton more or less 11.
@thadec I agree with you. Though I’m chaffing at the bit to see Ladd back as many Dawgs fans are, I don’t want Any risk. It sounds like he’s getting closer and closer to being Fully healthy. I don’t want Anyhthing to jeopardize that.
These things said Ron Courson is probably THE Best Trainer in CFB. He has written numerous medical manuals that numerous teams throughout CFB use in their programs, he’s extremely respected. I’m counting on Ron to advise Kirby properly. IF Kirby based on lengthy discussion with Ron does decide to play him, I hope it’s like three snaps at best. Even then I’ll be holding my breath !
Ladd has very good speed but it’s his shiftiness coupled with that speed that makes him hard to cover. When he’s on his game he’s a Very explosive weapon for the Dawgs. Gonna need him as we get deeper into the season.
I Love All the Dawgs but Ladd is one of my favorite players. I have high hopes for him.
I feel So sorry for Kendall Milton. To the best of my knowledge he’s a great kid. He came back for Two reasons to help his team make another run at a Natty, AND to increase his NFL draft stock. At least that’s my perception and understanding.
But bless his heart he’s pretty much Stayed injured. Unfortunately the NFL is gonna be very critical of that. I sure Hope and Pray that Kendall can get back fully healthy and have a tremendous remainder of the season, not only for our Dawgs but for Him personally.
Injuries are a big part of football. It is reality. Milton hopefully got a good education and paid some NIL money while here.
What Milton can take with him is way more valuable than money. Friendships for starters. Secondly, he has been on 2 NC teams and maybe 3. He sees what level of dedication and resolve is needed to achieve being considered a champion.
That may not register to most people but in business it absolutely is important and not only helps you succeed but helps you make any organization better. Milton got a lot here. No need for feeling sorry
@BigDawg888 I agree with you to a large extent but not entirely. When a guy decides to play football he better Know that injuries are a very real risk. So I’m with you there. Hopefully got a good education, that’s His responsibility, so he should have took advantage of the opportunity. So check Im with you there.
I’ve never heard that he did or didn’t get NIL $$ so that’s one neither of us know. Life time and good friendships Are important and should be treasured. So I’m with you there. It’s surely an Honor and a Privilege to play on not just One which would be Great, but two and possibly (Hopefully) even three Natty winning teams would be Even Greater !! So I’m with you there.
Developing dedication and resolve from having played CFB especially SEC level are great attributes to have. So check I’m with you there.
OK here’s where I have a slight departure in opinion with you. One would think businesses and organizations would recognize and appreciate the qualities we’ve already discussed.I’m confident many do. BUT probably allot view former players as just another football jock, Especially if their not famous like guys that had great careers in the NFL. So To Me it depends on what he aspires to and what business or organization he aspires to be with.
Now we know through common sense ( NOT saying you don’t have that because you have Plenty !!) No player Wants to get injured. He came out of HS a fireball with a Very promising future at UGA by all appearances. But the UGA practices and SEC games have taken a toll on his body. And that happens with allot of guys.
But as a fierce competitor we can be sure his eyes were ( and still are) the NFL. Milton just seems not to be very durable. And I don’t think it’s because of a lack of effort in strength & conditioning or practices or real games. Some guys are just like that when they reach a level like UGA.
You and I know that he sees and hears about former Dawgs that went on to NFL glory and he wants some of that !! Yes compared to an average young man at his age he’s been very blessed. But making another comparison just as an example we’ll use say DeAndre Swift. I doubt very, very seriously that Milton will make that sort of success. I would Gladly eat crow if I’m wrong. In fact I Hope I’m wrong. So using That comparison is the reason I feel sorry for him.
It’s one thing to want to retire from football on your own terms, Brady, Gronkowski etc. But it’s a whole other for a guy with the competitive fires like Nick Chubb and Kendall Milton to get Knocked out by injuries. In Chubb’s case he got All the things ( except the Nattys) that Milton has gotten so far, plus the big $$$ and the prestige and fame of being a top player in the NFL. IF he manages his $$ right he probably won’t have to work another **** unless he just wants to.
Not so for Milton if he doesn’t make the NFL, he’s got to get out and job hunt. I don’t know for sure that Chubb’s career is over, but it sure don’t look good. For guys like Chubb and Milton it’s not entirely about the $$ as you stated and I agree. It’s about competition at the highest levels.
To close to the very best of my knowledge Milton hasn’t Failed at anything with regard to injuries. He’s just one of those guys that’s not that durable. And to me that’s a sad thing. Always enjoy your comments and agree with you 98.5% of the time !! 😀 Go Dawgs !!
@BigDawg888 Did you fall asleep reading my novel ?? 😂 If you ever have trouble sleeping just read my comments and responses !! 😂 Sure fire way to get Zzzzz !! I wish I was Far better at summarizing things. I apologize I sure don’t mean to be a nuisance to You or Any of my fellow Dawgs fans. I’m just not very good with blurbs. I need to start trying to trim Em down though !!
Milton will be fine. This football thing comes to an end for a lot of us earlier then we wanted it to. Not sure if Milton comes back and gives us a solid few games when we need it most like last year or his injuries continue to nag on him.
The kid I feel sorry for is the guy who broke his neck playing against us. Contrast that with Mlton and you quicly realize it's apples and oranges.
A wise man once said "A healthy man has a thousand dreams and desires. A sick man has 1 dream and desire."
@BigDawg888 I hear you !! That wise man Was wise indeed. My nephew broke his neck right after HS in a diving accident, he had a promising baseball career. And I’m much better off than Many people but I have a myriad of medical problems myself. So I sure get the comparison !!
But I was talking about the dream Kendall has probably had since a small child of playing in the NFL. Yeah he’ll be just fine compared to ME health wise, and financially. So it’s Not a pity party type sorrow for him. It’s just a compassion knowing that there’s a distinct possibility he’ll never get to live that dream.
Unfortunately for him he’s had some injury or another the majority of his time at UGA. That’s not gonna look good at all to the zNFL. They want their pound of flesh for the $$$ that they kick out. Now IF he can remain I injured for the balance of the season AND lay down some very good to excellent rushing stats, That would give him at least a decent shot. But they Do take hard looks, Real Hard looks at guys that are chronically injured. Heck they do that on a guy that had just One bad injury !!
I’m Hoping for Both our Dawgs and His sake that he can stay healthy and put up very good to great yards. We could work around not having him. Already have. But IF he could do that he’d just be an extra weapon, Insurance if you will for our Dawgs. And it’d give Him a fair shot at living his life long dream.
I just have compassion for him from That regard. No highly competitive athlete wants to be injured all the time !!
I just want to see a fine young man like that living his best life. I still hope he will.
Maybe, he gets to a point in his training and resilience that he gets past the injury bug. It's happened before. It's too early to write his football career off.
When healthy, he's been a really, really good back. Fast and strong. Like a runaway truck with enough ellusiveness to get to the second or third level of the defense right quick. At his best, IMO, he could be a 1,000+ yard guy in the NFL -- like Gurley, Chubb, Michel and apparently now Swift. But of course there's that injury thing that, most of the time, has prevented him from doing his best.
The standard among Georgia players whose injuries stole their childhood dreams is David Pollack, IMO. We'll never know for sure but all signs pointed to him being future all-pro, even an all-time great. His intelligence and inner strength allowed him to overcome that loss and make a great career for himself behind the mic -- with no apparent bitterness and by all appearances a lot of joy.
(Don't get me started on ESPN's inexplicable decision to axe one of their best anaylsts, while promoting a professional-wrestling hypester. I can barely even watch McAfee. The fact that he took Pollack's seat is beyond belief. But I'm sure David handled even that with more grace than I would have.)
Excellent Comments !!! You said in a Much Better way what I was struggling to say !! Yes, Yes, and more Yes, I have High Hopes that Kendall can over come and move on up to be a Great !! I Certainly Hope he doesn’t have any more injuries.
When he was being recruited and made his commitment I Really thought he’d be right there with the names of those Greats you mentioned. But God Bless him ( Seriously) he’s been injured So often. That does make his draft stock much more difficult. BUT if he can over come his injuries and go on to have a banner rest of the year and into the Ntl. Championship Game ( Yes We’re Gonna Be There !!) that would go a Long Way to helping build a better resume. People tend to go by what’s been going on most recently, so By Then that could weigh in his favor.
P.S. Though I want them to make absolutely Sure he’s ready, I’m chaffing at the bit to see Ladd back !! But I’m More than willing to wait for him to be fully healthy !! Go Dawgs !!