Dedrick Mills Reflects

Supersizethatorder-mutt

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A Tweet by Dedrick, giving credit where it is due ---

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ThatGuy

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My wife is a Husker, so I've been following Mills more closely than I would have otherwise. Was always a favorite of mine at GT. Understand why he had to go, but it doesn't make it easier. I'm all for holding our athletes to high standards, but some may be just too high (or at least should have a way to help them reach those standards, instead of a "2 strikes you're out, figure it out on your own" approach).

That being said, I've enjoyed watching his journey over the years. I often think "what might have been" when looking at GT, but the same for Nebraska, where the offense has simply not been able to get anything going for the past couple of years under Frost. As the secondary back last year, he put up 700+ yards. This year he only played 6 games and put up almost 400 yards, but didn't show the sort of growth expected due to the team overall having issues (and his own injuries). I don't think he got the spotlight I think he could have warranted under other circumstances, but he made the most of his opportunities.

Excited to see him declare for the draft. Hope he gets his shot.
 
Techster

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Wish Mills the best. From what I understand, Mills LOVED GT, but he just had too many bad influences around him and was too nice of a kid to turn those influences away. He did well leaving GA and all the bad influences.

I hope he gets drafted and does positive things with the opportunities that come his way. All he needs to do is look at Darren Waller to see what he can do with second chances.
 
BurdellJacket

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ThatGuy said:
My wife is a Husker, so I've been following Mills more closely than I would have otherwise. Was always a favorite of mine at GT. Understand why he had to go, but it doesn't make it easier. I'm all for holding our athletes to high standards, but some may be just too high (or at least should have a way to help them reach those standards, instead of a "2 strikes you're out, figure it out on your own" approach).

That being said, I've enjoyed watching his journey over the years. I often think "what might have been" when looking at GT, but the same for Nebraska, where the offense has simply not been able to get anything going for the past couple of years under Frost. As the secondary back last year, he put up 700+ yards. This year he only played 6 games and put up almost 400 yards, but didn't show the sort of growth expected due to the team overall having issues (and his own injuries). I don't think he got the spotlight I think he could have warranted under other circumstances, but he made the most of his opportunities.

Excited to see him declare for the draft. Hope he gets his shot.
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I'm all for Dedrick and hope he has a great NFL career, but how many strikes does one need - 3, 4, 5, 6? Maybe striking out at Tech might have waked him up to what it takes to succeed.
 

684Bee

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Techster said:
Wish Mills the best. From what I understand, Mills LOVED GT, but he just had too many bad influences around him and was too nice of a kid to turn those influences away. He did well leaving GA and all the bad influences.

I hope he gets drafted and does positive things with the opportunities that come his way. All he needs to do is look at Darren Waller to see what he can do with second chances.
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Tale as old as time. My high school coach referred to “crabs in a bucket”.
 

Skeptic

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Techster said:
Wish Mills the best. From what I understand, Mills LOVED GT, but he just had too many bad influences around him and was too nice of a kid to turn those influences away. He did well leaving GA and all the bad influences.

I hope he gets drafted and does positive things with the opportunities that come his way. All he needs to do is look at Darren Waller to see what he can do with second chances.
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I'm sure there were no "bad influences" at Nebraska.
 
4shotB

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Skeptic said:
I'm sure there were no "bad influences" at Nebraska.
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moving away gives one an opportunity to start fresh. I know when my parents moved when I was a FR in HS I ended up in a better place and a better set of friends. I am not too sure that it started me on a completely new path. Prior to the move, neither myself or my friends were GT calibre material at that time. Some of my peers in my old hometown were using drugs even at that age.I found a group at my new school that was into academic and athletic achievement. So, from personal experience, moving can mean significant personal growth and change. Not always of course. But possible.
 

takethepoints

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I hope Mills gets his chance in the NFL and I think he will. His running style is what most NFL teams ar looking for and - always a plus - he can block.

Oh, and btw, if Dedrick had stayed at Tech, Paul would still be coach. I remember that when he was fired (that's what Dodd called it), I wrote that a 8 - 9 win team had just gone to a 6 - 7 win team. I was wrong, but with Mills on the field Tech would have won against UT, Miami, and UVA in 2017. We never had a back that thrived on bad weather like he did or who had a better nose for the goal line. He was the answer to the Paul Prayer: "Dear Lord, please, in your infinite mercy, send me another Adrian Peterson." Ah, well.

Good luck, Dedrick, and thanks for the memories.
 
RonJohn

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DeepSnap said:
That wasn't a GTAA by-law/rule/reg as described at the time, but a GT Hill one. CPJ didn't have a choice.
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Are you sure about that? I found the updated policy (2018). https://ramblinwreck.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/SA-Planner-SA-Alcohol-and-Drug-Program-Final.pdf

As I recall, the athletic policy before this one called for a meeting with SA and parents and substance abuse counseling on a first positive, a meeting with SA and parents and 20% season suspension on the second positive, and expulsion from athletics on the third positive. I recall reading the previous policy off of the website in 2016. There is also an AJC article describing the changes to the athletic department policy in 2018. https://www.ajc.com/sports/college/...e-policy-for-athletes/XfjvFGWn83Cd8ZmWLtw4mL/

EDIT: BTW, even though it was an athletics policy, I don't think CPJ had any choice. I don't think the athletic department had any choice. Whether the policy is good or bad, if it is the policy it should be enforced equally whether if affects a walk-on scrub or the best player on the team. Integrity hurts sometimes, but having integrity is much more important than temporary gains in my opinion.
 
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