This is what superior depth gets you.
“I’m in a defensive line room where every single player can play all four positions,” said Rochester, a junior defensive tackle. “We try to stay in the best shape we can and let coach Scott (Sinclair) handle it.”
Sinclair, Georgia’s strength and conditioning coach, works to ensure Georgia’s linemen fit the desired mold of head coach Kirby Smart — in the weight range of 295 to 305 pounds and to possess speed.
Then, Sinclair carries the trust over to the practice field.
Georgia has 13 defensive linemen on its preseason camp roster, despite losing two veteran assets in John Atkins and Trenton Thompson after last season.
Whether hitting against live competition or dummies in practice, a group of three didn’t see more than two consecutive plays. Sinclair carries a systematic balance between aggressiveness and rest — regardless of the situation.
“Good, good, good,” Sinclair yelled during Tuesday’s practice at the indoor practice facility, sometimes giving distinct advice to a certain player. “Now get out of here.”
Smart envisions eight to nine different players rotating on the defensive line this season and is unsure who will fill out the group aside from the returning core (including Rochester, Tyler Clark, Jonathan Ledbetter and Jay Hayes). He carries the belief that a successful defensive front has to “play a lot of guys” due to players becoming worn down, and Georgia has the assets to do so.
Get after those assets.
How many teams will Georgia face this season that can match the Dawgs in the trenches? And when’s the last time Georgia was set like that?
You must be logged in to post a comment.