The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Arriving in New Orleans, Smart’s tenor is distinct
Coach steers focus away from lingering NFL draft questions and injuries.
NEW ORLEANS — If there are other Georgia players besides Andrew Thomas and Isaiah Wilson who are skipping the Sugar Bowl, coach Kirby Smart is going to neither confirm it nor talk about it.
Speaking at a brief news conference at Louis Armstrong International Airport upon the team’s arrival Friday afternoon, Smart got busy setting the tone for the No. 5 Bulldogs’ five-day stay in the Big Easy to get ready for Wednesday’s game against No. 7 Baylor. That was, basically, there would be no talk about anyone who isn’t here.
“You’re going to hear this common theme probably among our players because for 11 practices they’ve been hearing about this trip, this team and this game, and that’s really it,” Smart said after his team was greeted by the entire Sugar Bowl committee and a second-line marching band on the airport’s tarmac.
“It’s a one-game season for us. It’s like a new season, and it’s a one-game season. We’re focused on the trip, the team and the game, and those are the three things that we’re focused on most importantly.”
Those comments became more telling when reporters followed with specific questions about specific players:
■ Did senior running back
Brian Herrien make the trip?
“We’re going to focus on the players playing in the game,” Smart snapped.
Later Friday, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Herrien did not travel to New Orleans, and was back home preparing for the NFL draft.
■ What about senior defensive tackle Tyler Clark?
“We’re going to focus on the players playing in the game.”
■ Asked in a more generalized way if any draft-eligible underclassmen or seniors were skipping the bowl of their own volition, Smart continued the deflection.
“Rather than go over that, we’re going to focus on the players who are here, and you guys are going to get to see that firsthand tomorrow. We’re excited about the ones that are here.”
As mandated by the Sugar Bowl, Georgia will have an extended media viewing period (15 minutes) of their practice today at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, at which time it will be obvious which players are here and which are not.
This much could be verified in the couple of minutes of the Bulldogs deplaning two Delta charter jets that arrived almost simultaneously:
■ Quarterback Jake Fromm is present and accounted for.
■ So is junior guard Solomon Kindley.
■ Freshman receiver George Pickens made the trip with the team.
■ So did running back D’Andre Swift.
On the latter matter, Smart offered encouraging comments regarding the possibility of the offensive star being willing and able to play against Baylor. But his carefully chosen words left a lot of room for interpretation.
“He’s been able to do more and more each practice, the last two doing the most,” Smart said of Swift, a junior who is receiving favorable NFL draft grades.
“He’s been doing the most (in) recent practices. We’re hopeful he’s able to go at 100% for the game. He wants to play in the game. If he’s able to go 100%, he’ll be able to play.”
So, only if he’s 100%? Or is Swift going to play regardless of his level of health?
Swift was limited to five plays in the SEC Championship game because of a bruised shoulder.
Smart again: “D’Andre says, ‘I have a role as a captain. I want to be there to support the team, I want to be there to play, I want to be there to help.’ Again, he’s practiced more in the last two practices than he did the entire time leading up. He was healing the shoulder, trying to get better, and we’re hopeful he’s 100% and he’s going to be able to play. I know he wants to play. That’s important to him.”
If Swift can’t go, the Bulldogs will turn to James Cook, and Kenny McIntosh.
Cook was cleared to play in the Sugar Bowl, Smart said, despite an Athens-Clarke
County police report in which he admitted to police officers that he was smoking marijuana shortly before he was pulled over by officers in a traffic stop Dec. 14.
However, Georgia said Friday that Cook tested negative for marijuana, so he was not subject to an athletic department policy that would have led to a suspension of at least one game if he had tested positive.
“We don’t discuss details publicly, usually, but we thoroughly reviewed the situation and, in compliance with our drug policy, we tested him immediately after he had an arrest,” Smart said after arriving at the airport. “The test was negative, and James is cleared to play. It’s that simple.”
Cook has rushed for 176 yards on 28 carries this season, an average of 6.3 yards per carry, and has scored two touchdowns.