DeAndre Smelter has a torn ACL

[Ggee87]

The one thing.about this injury that worries me is JTs trust in the other receivers. I see Deon Hill making alot of tough catches for us against FSU.

 

[orientalnc]

Here is the good news. He is a good student who will graduate with a degree from Georgia Tech. Even if he had never played football, that's not a bad option. For the team and us fans, it's a depressing bit of news. For Mr Smelter it's something he has to deal with.

 

[Yoda]

He'll come back from it and I'll buy my first jersey ever. It'll be a Smelter nfl jersey.

 

[Madison Grant]

#35 Aaron Davis is the one who pinned his leg and bent it the wrong way on the 'extra' tackle. Hope we remember him next year.

 

[awbuzz]

I blame this more on the crappy ref crew than the mutt who retackled him. I'm pretty sure no whistle blew between the two hits.

Around the 37:20 mark on the GT Rob YouTube I didn't hear a whistle until he went down the 2nd time. Link

 

[thebull35]

Damian Swann is a piece of warmed over feces. He needs to spend the rest of his existence on this Earth behind a Seven-eleven sucking on a bottle of cheap wine.

That's harsh...

 

[awbuzz]

I actually know Swann, coached baseball and football against him while the Head Baseball Coach at North Atlanta (his cousin also played for me which is how I got to know him). He's actually a really good kid and very respectful, heck of a competitor. This is kinda bittersweet for me because I know the kid and know it was just him being a competitor, and it was his actions that led to Smelter's injury. Get well Smelt. Praying for you to get back to full strength.

Was Aaron Davis that made the tackle not Swann, so you don't have to feel conflicted anymore.

 

[ybeenormal]

I just can't remember another receiver that ALWAYS finds a way to get open, especially when JeT had pressure and not to mention the devastating blocks he delivered. The best of luck on your recovery and road back to the NFL Mr Smelter

 

[jeffgt14]

I don't know how many times people have to point this out but it wasn't any of UGAs player's fault for Smelter's injury. You play until the whistle.

 

[awbuzz]

I don't know how many times people have to point this out but it wasn't any of UGAs player's fault for Smelter's injury. You play until the whistle.

Agree... DS appeared to continue to try running and was tackled again because the whistle had not blown to stop play.

 

[B Lifsey]

DS appeared to continue to try running

I don't think Smelter trying to continue running. He was standing still and facing the wrong direction. And, there were 4 or 5 other UGA defenders a few yards from Smelter that made no movement toward re-tackling him. I'm not saying whether #35 thought the play was over or not but no one else on the field appeared to think it was not over.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I don't think Smelter trying to continue running. He was standing still and facing the wrong direction. And, there were 4 or 5 other UGA defenders a few yards from Smelter that made no movement toward re-tackling him. I'm not saying whether #35 thought the play was over or not but no one else on the field appeared to think it was not over.

Except the refs who were not blowing the whistle. Just more fuel for my hate game against this officiating crew.

 

[Madison Grant]

I don't know how many times people have to point this out but it wasn't any of UGAs player's fault for Smelter's injury. You play until the whistle.

I'm sorry, but I don't agree with you. It has nothing to do with playing to the whistle. If you re-watch the play, the way Smelter's knee joint bent was ugly, almost at a 45 degree angle. Your leg doesn't do that just because your cleats got caught on the turf while you were falling. It does that because someone applied pressure to bend it that way. Just my opinion. Still could have been unintentional, but looked dirty.

 

[MWBATL]

The whistle was not blown because I believe Smelter was tackled on top of the defender. Didnt look like an ACL in real time or replay. Its weird how those things just pop up. I hate that for him. He is an absolute beast. I place complete blame on the refs not blowing the play dead SEVERAL times in this game. We sure did need him for the last 2 games. Waller and Co. Need to step it up big time.

This.

It is the same philosophy that led to the "fumble" at the goal line by JT.

I HATE this new interpretation of the rules. And it is getting kids hurt, like happened here. Needs to stop. CPJ talked about it on his radio show last night as well.

 

[vamosjackets]

Many things to hate Ugag about. Josh Nesbitt injury in '09. Eddie Lee Ivory. Leisure studies majors. The board of regents. Crooked refs. The list goes on.

This play should not be on that list. That guy was doing his job as were the refs. If the refs weren't sure if his knee touched, they shouldn't blow the whistle. His forward progress wasn't stopped. If the situation was reversed, I would be glad our tackler was doing what he was supposed to do to ensure the guy with the ball was on the ground.

 

[AE 87]

Many things to hate Ugag about. Josh Nesbitt injury in '09. Eddie Lee Ivory. Leisure studies majors. The board of regents. Crooked refs. The list goes on.

This play should not be on that list. That guy was doing his job as were the refs. If the refs weren't sure if his knee touched, they shouldn't blow the whistle. His forward progress wasn't stopped. If the situation was reversed, I would be glad our tackler was doing what he was supposed to do to ensure the guy with the ball was on the ground.

I don't think the issue is playing to the whistle but whether the form of tackle was intended to injure.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

He looked down the first time and it was plain to see, imo. Whistle should have blown. It wasn't the first or only time the refs swallowed their whistles.

 

[vamosjackets]

I don't think the issue is playing to the whistle but whether the form of tackle was intended to injure.

I didn't see anything malicious in the way he was trying to tackle DeAndre. DeAndre had just tried to run him over and the guy was on the ground with DeAndre basically on top of him (though off to the side somewhat). The guy grabbed DeAndre's legs because that's what he could grab. There's nothing wrong with grabbing a guys' legs to tackle him. That's what DB's do all the time. He grabbed DeAndre's legs and drove through him ... good tackle. It's a standard double leg takedown (in wrestling terms). 99 times out of 100 DeAndre doesn't get injured on a play like that. But, his cleat caught and them's the breaks. DeAndre may have relaxed a bit thinking the play is over and that may have contributed to the injury as well.

 

[Madison Grant]

I appreciate those of you who are attempting your best appeals to calm and reason, but re-watching the Smelter injury play, vamos and jeff, I have to again disagree. If you watch, the guy for UGA doesn't just grab Smelter's legs. It is clear from the replay that he TWISTS them. From the original side view of the play, on the 2nd tackle, his left shoulder starts off forward and rotates backward as he cinches down with his right arm on the side of Deandre's knees. If you just want to tackle a guy by his legs, your shoulder doesn't rotate back around. You grab the back of the knees, clinch and lean on his thighs while lifting up, and make him fall. You don't twist. Again, not saying this is premeditated with the thought to try and hurt because it obviously happens in a split second. But after the mutt fans and irresponsible coaches and everyone else in college football use the 'cut blocking is dirty and injures people' to stoke motivational fires against us, it wouldn't be surprising if there was intent. This is possibly, in my opinion, a dirty, Devon Edwards of Duke type tackle. Add to that the fact that UGAg was using their pointless body slam tackles against us all game, and it is clear there was a general attitude of unsportsmanlike play on their defense.

 

[DaddyBill]

I pray Mr. Smelter recovers completely from this setback and is able to complete classes and walk at graduation. I will say right now that if he chooses to go to the NFL he will have a spot on several of my fantasy leagues teams.