Smart discusses Pickens’ injury, defensive display
Georgia coach Kirby Smart met with the media during a virtual press conference Thursday.
Smart reflected on the George Pickens injury, talked about how the team will adapt and provided feedback on how the young defense is progressing.
Loss of Pickens
The headline through the second week of spring of spring practice is the loss of star receiver Pickens.
The junior receiver tore his right knee on a non-contact play at practice this week and will have surgery to repair his ACL.
Pickens caught 36 passes in eight games last year for 513 yards and six touchdowns proving himself as a key piece to the Bulldogs offense. Smart understands the weight of losing such a valuable weapon.
“George will be dearly missed out there, because he’s talented, he works really hard,” Smart said. “He makes our whole team better.”
Injuries are a part of the sport and Smart is ready to get his team rolling and adapt to this uncontrollable setback.
“That part, we don’t control, but what we do control is how we respond to it,” Smart said. “George knows that, and we’ll have other guys step up. I’m very hopeful that George gets well and is able to come back.”
Next man up
The “next man up” mentality is something Georgia
has become accustomed to over the past few years. Whether it was transfers, graduates or injuries, the Bulldogs are always ready and that starts in spring practice.
With the offensive superstar Pickens going down, a few Georgia receivers will have to step up. Sophomore Jermaine Burton and junior Kearis Jackson are likely to be the main pass catchers for the Bulldogs in Pickens absence.
“Those guys played well last year, and I’d like to think both of them are going to be better this year,” Smart said. “They’re more experienced. Certainly, in Jermaine’s case, he’ll be more
experienced. We’ve got to find a supporting cast around him, and we’ve got the players to do that. That’s the most important thing.”
Finding success offensively without Pickens on the field is not new to Smart and the Bulldogs as they played multiple games without the star pass catcher last year.
“We played last year without George for several games. I thought offensively, we had a good plan for Florida and happened to lose another receiver in that game,” Smart said. “We had our opportunities against Florida, and he wasn’t out there.”
Smart will focus on sculpting the offense around the personnel he has. Georgia will have to get the ball into the hands of a playmaker in creative ways in the fall. The injury coming so
early in the spring gives Smart a good amount of time to have his team and playbook prepared.
“We lost a guy who’s a pretty good playmaker, but we’ve got other guys we think are good playmakers, and we’ll just find more ways to get them the ball,” Smart said
Defense still a step
behind
The offense is “winning” in the eyes of coach Smart as spring practice moves through its first week of pads.
Smart sees the offense at a good spot while his defense still has plenty of room to improve. He has confidence he will get the players where they need to be this spring.
“The defense has got to get better,” Smart said. “They’ve got
to grow up. I don’t think it is a lack of effort. The offense is just ahead right now, and that’s OK.”
Replacing players like Azeez Ojulari and Monty Rice will take time and coaching. Smart thinks the defense will be ready by the spring scrimmage and knows the offense can help with that.
“Who better to get you better than a team who is talented with an experienced quarterback and pretty good skill players?” Smart said.
Although the units go against each other everyday at practice Smart is preaching a family mentality as the spring progresses.
“It’s not like it’s an ‘us and them’ thing, it’s a ‘we,’” Smart said. “And we will get better.”