Over the holiday break, there’s been a fair amount of background chatter about the team’s health, specifically that there are a significant number of kids who are under the weather as the team travels to Miami. What I can’t get a good handle on is whether that’s due to COVID, good ol’ fashioned flu, or something else.
In any event, where there’s smoke, there’s head counting to see who stepped off the planes/buses upon arrival.
Hard to say how serious this is — I would assume since it sounds like a significant majority of the team showed up that it’s not anywhere near the point of cancelling the game, which has happened now to something like four bowls already — but it’s worth keeping an eye on. No doubt Ron Courson’s got his hands full this week. Hell, he may be the most important person on Smart’s staff right now.
Get The Picture 
Does anybody know the isolation/quarantine time requirement(s) for players who test positive?
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I think it is 10 days
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5 days now
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I have made no secret of favoring Daniels over Bennett. But in a different vein (lot of ifs here) if I’m J.T. Daniels and I have finally recovered from a bad knee injury and a nagging muscle injury just to miss another chance because of an asymptomatic COVID infection, I’m gonna get real discouraged. I might be calling somebody like Justin Scott-Wesley and asking him a few things. Oy! Might be calling Malcolm Mitchell for the counterpoint.
Conversely, if I’m Kirby Smart and after all that J.T. Daniels decides to transfer after this season, it would be a fairly healthy attitude for me to feel like “J.T., we’d love to keep you but I can’t blame you for wanting a fresh start somewhere else, as long as it isn’t [the usual suspects].”
Query: since J.T. already transferred once, does he still get one “no sit out” transfer opportunity?
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If he has graduated, yes. If not, I think he has to appeal.
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I find it very curious that JT, who is vaccinated, is the “only” QB who tested positive. Is it possible that Kirby didn’t want JT to make the trip? Conspiracy theory, I know, but I cannot help but think that the whole JT situation is so bizarre that it boggles my mind. Would Kirby let him come in the day before the game if his quarrantine is over?
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This is very curious indeed Army. Of all the players on the team, JT Daniels is the only player to pop positive? Where there is smoke, you will typically find fire.
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The US Navy just pulled a ship out of duty because the crew is decimated with Covid. That crew is 100% vaccinated.
So, yeah..JT could have Covid very easily.
And IS he the only one? I haven’t heard that.
I think it’s all Top Secret.
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Meanwhile the USS Alabama keeps steaming ahead with not a single COVID positive player.
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That we know of.
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Yeah, that’s my point. I don’t believe it for a minute.
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But why did they tell us this instead?
https://whnt.com/sports/two-alabama-coaches-test-positive-for-covid-19/
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Misdirect.
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Original, it is not the fact that a vaccinated player tested positive that find curious. I understand the vaccine is solely intended to reduce the severity of Covid. What I find curious is that the ONLY player to test positive it JT Daniels.
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If he’s really the only one, I have to admit it’s something to be curious about.
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SEC rules are that if you’re vaxxed, no testing is required unless you’re symptomatic.
If JT is (a) vaxxed and (b) asymptomatic, it would be weird for him to be tested.
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How do you live with yourself?? Really, you are among the most conspiritorial of all people…do you enjoy football at all or just the “mystery” of it all?
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It appears that there wasn’t an outbreak. That’s good, I’m happy for the players.
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If the mayor of miami could have, she would have cancelled the orange bowl game this weekend….
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The stadium isn’t in Miami. And “she” is a guy.
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Is it in Dade or Broward?
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The stadium is in Miami Gardens FL which is located in Miami-Dade County.
Both the County and the City have mayors which is confusing. I’m guessing non-incorporated areas follow County ordinances while areas inside of Miami Gardens follow City ordinances.
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Isn’t his name “Daniella”?
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Hope everyone on all the playoff teams stay as healthy as possible over the next 2 weeks.
I would hate for anyone to miss this opportunity.
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I agree fully. I want to beat a full strength Michigan team, and then crush a full strength Bama (or Cincy, but I’d prefer Bama).
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I imagine that’s the last we will see of JT… Nothing has made sense with him all year, whether he’s hurt, sick or mentally checked out he does not appear to be an option to replace Stetson in a tight spot…Heading out to Oregon with Lanning would be a soft spot to land.
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I’m sure Bo Nix would love that.
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So far in the comment threads we have conspiracy theories about a fake covid positive, speculation that a he/she mayor would cancel the game, and someone wondering if JT would transfer to Oregon, who just picked up a transfer from a rival.
Put down the egg nog guys!
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And it’s only 9:56am! Just wait until some Dawgvent commenters show up.
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I’m with you SCDawg, I don’t think there’s some kind of conspiracy or any skullduggery going on, but there has been one hell of a smoke screen for most of the season. I just keep thinking that it will all make sense when we can examine it in retrospect…if we ever get to.
It’s very, very possible that something is going on that is personal to JT and is none of our business…and as mean as some of the asshole posters on here can be, it would be better to keep it that way.
I still trust Kirby.
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My not-exactly-“out-there” theory. JT’s injuries have really made it where he’s got to recover form and mechanics after the injury. Hell the muscles he hurt are basically the core torso muscles involved in throwing the ball. It’s like a golfer and a back injury.
Kirby looks at his own job as not just coach of the team but someone who chaperones these kids into the biggest contracts they can possibly get. Regardless of what JT does now, at the time this story first started Kirby was not about to go out there and tell the NFL world that JT is having mechanics issues. Kirby looks at this issue exactly the way a lawyer looks at client confidentiality.
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I do think the golfer / back injury analogy might be apropos. Think of how many golfers try and play and then withdraw from tournaments or don’t play in the next one. Football players, golfers, they’re all competitors.
There’s your South Carolina and first half Vandy games.
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I am not in my early 20s and am certainly not an elite athlete, but I have had a shoulder/lat injury (from an auto accident) for over a year. It has changed how I do everyday chores and has been quite challenging to attack in physical therapy. Every time I think I’ve conquered it, I do something to set it back again. I have no knowledge whatsoever about JT’s health, but I can easily believe that he’s had a difficult time getting past a lat injury when his main job is throwing a ball.
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They arent testing again unless someone has symptoms. It’s gonna be a long week. We will know by the end of the day if anyone is out because the beat writers get a 15 minute session to watch the team workout today. They are gonna work together to see who is there and who isn’t.
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Better get yo’ ass some NyQuil and a heavy dose of STFU if you feelin’ bad.
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Yea the accuracy of player count reporting is going to be interesting leading up until gametime- even Vegas spreads gonna have a hard week. Exhibit 1: up Scroll down below Seth’s Twitter feed, Fox College Footballs list of Top 10 recruits in the CFP shows Arik Gilbert from UGA. So glad Fox is all over it! https://twitter.com/CFBONFOX/status/1475202255209082887?s=20
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All 4 teams in the playoffs have to deal with COVID right now. Kirby is great at managing this type of stuff though. Am I saying we won’t have positives? Nope, but I do think we will be in a better position than UofM.
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It’s gonna be really shitty if people get Covid doing some type of community / bowl required appearance.
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They’ve toned media access waaaay down; I’m assuming a lot of that stuff won’t happen this year.
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couple of my well meaning fellow
Georgia friends have said that “JT is going through depression and anxiety” and the other thought is that “Kirby does not like him because he cannot get over injury.” Morons
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