Amid all the pleasantries we heard yesterday emanating from Athens – players buying in to the new defensive staff, Richt talking about tweaking changes to practice procedure and the renewed energy surrounding the program – there’s one troublesome matter.
After battling ankle and hip injuries last season, Gurley has been “less than full speed” during offseason conditioning drills, Richt said.
“I really don’t know what to expect from Todd in the spring,” Richt said.
Gurley said what’s bothering him more are his legs.
“It’s going to take a little time,” Gurley said.
Said Richt: “My guess is that unless he’s completely healed by March 18, there will be some modification to what he’s doing.”
Now, Gurley’s a warrior and Bobo doesn’t sound particularly daunted by Gurley’s health, so we’re a long ways away from needing to freak out over the uncertainty, but let’s not kid ourselves. A healthy Todd Gurley is a big factor in whatever success Georgia is hoping for this season. How big? Potentially, this big.
Get The Picture 
March 18 isn’t that far off. I wonder if Gurley bulked up too much. His legs looked a little beefy during the season compared to 2012.
LikeLike
From Weiser yesterday: “Bobo said Gurley, listed at 232 pounds, has dropped about 10 pounds himself.”
LikeLike
After a injury free season as a true frosh, it seems he has not been 100% since. Hammys and high ankle sprains can be very limiting injurues, and have long healing periods so he had the worst of it in 2013. Hear is hoping there is some time where he can just take a month off to mend, there are several backs that will pass him in the draft if he cannot get back to 100%. It would be a shame to only have one full year of TG3…and just our luck. We have a solid stable of backs for 2014 so there is plenty of opportunities to share the load.
LikeLike
High ankle sprains cause grief to other areas. I enjoyed a high ankle sprain after that last snow. Ortho Doc put me in a walking boot. Ankle turned purple up to the bottom of the calf muscle. Calf muscle is weak now and the muscle along the shin bone (anterior tibialis) is over compensating for it. The achilles tendon is still 3x the size of the other one. Domino effect. Probably be summer before I’m walking kinda like I am suppose to. I’m positive Todd heals faster and much better than I do. Point being, high ankle sprains are a long term injury. And that kid played on it while he was trying to heal it. Yeah. I imagine his leg does bother him some.
LikeLike
You and the Grand Master – “Hi, I am the Grand Master of the Universe and even I suffered a high ankle sprain. I am upset with the length of time it takes to recover.”
http://leadingedgephysio.com/the-dreaded-high-ankle-sprain/
Plus Gurley had a high ankle sprain in high school. Don’t know if it was same ankle but if so, it my be a chronic condition for him
“To hear them talk in Lincolnton, N.C., a city roughly the size of Tarboro, located about 45 minutes west of Charlotte, you’d think Gurley stood 7-feet tall, bench-pressed 600 pounds and ran the 40 in 3 seconds flat. The way he played against the city’s high school in the 2A state title game in Raleigh on Dec. 3, 2011, he might as well have been each of those things.
As legend has it … OK, it’s not legend, it’s the truth, Gurley injured not one, but both of his ankles in the second week of the playoffs. “Actually, on one ankle he had a high and low ankle sprain and on the other ankle it was a low,” Craddock clarifies. “So he had three sprains on two ankles.”
You can see where there is going.”
http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2012-10-03/todd-gurley-georgia-herschel-walker-freshman-running-back-keith-marshall
LikeLike
He will come back a “different animal” like a shapeshifter on True Blood.
LikeLike
…your up DIF.
LikeLike
This calls for a side of Nacho’s
LikeLike
ESPN article just made me giddy. Its only March, and barely March at that. Not sure if I should be embarrassed or what…I think I will go watch UGA vs Crompton/Kiffin game.
LikeLike
Man. It’s been two solid months since the end of hostilities. If he’s not 100% yet, that must have been a real bear of an ankle sprain. That just makes it that much more impressive that he was able to do as much damage as he did while playing hurt. A healthy Gurley in 2014? Good luck, opposing defense.
LikeLike
I hope he can come back from this and reach full speed again. I don’t want yet another player who has been an absolute warrior for us to have a letdown at the end of his career. I want to see what destruction one year of an experienced AND healthy Gurley could wreak on the rest of the SEC. Because I’m starting to think now that regardless of his success this season, he needs to get into the NFL while he’s still relatively healthy.
LikeLike
This Gurley matter had me mildly concerned. There were those (Radi Nabulsi) in the media reporting that TG3 needed surgery last season. Hopefully he fully recovers prior to the end of spring. This issue, coupled with a potentially dreadful O-line (Theus at LT Houston at RT) could spell doom for the Dawgs.
LikeLike
Slow your roll Skeptic. We’ll be fine.
LikeLike
I don’t see much of anything good that playing Gurley in the spring does. Let him rest.
LikeLike
Gurley mental fortitude < Chris Conley mental fortitude…thus, making I nervous
LikeLike
If there’s any question, we should rest Gurley. He doesn’t need spring practice. Save him for the season.
LikeLike