ATHENS — “I wouldn’t say there’s been a lot of limitations.”
That was Kirby Smart’s latest assessment of Georgia quarterback JT Daniels. He offered it after the Bulldogs’ second practice of the week Tuesday night.
So, whether Daniels returns to his post as Georgia’s starting quarterback Saturday against Florida in Jacksonville or becomes Stetson Bennett’s understudy, that’s encouraging news. Smart offered no hints about those plans.
But he has liked what he’s seen from Daniels so far this week.
“He’s looked good. He’s done a good job,” Smart said of Daniels, who has missed the last three games with a strained back muscle. “I would be remiss to tell you everything he did today. … When I hang up this call, I’ll go in and watch (video) and see it visually with my eyes.”
Smart said he tends to focus more intently on the defense during practices. Then he reviews video edits of the offense at night.
“I also talk to (quarterbacks coach Todd) Monken and the offensive staff about it,” he said. “But (Daniels has) done a good job. I wouldn’t say that there’s been a lot of limitations. It doesn’t seem like there’s been limitations in terms of what he can and can’t do.”
Daniels is right on time for a return to play. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound junior has not played in a game since the first quarter of the Vanderbilt game Sept. 25. He was diagnosed with a grade 1 strain of the latissimus dorsi muscle the next day, then was basically shut down for the next week. The progression from there has been short toss to long toss to short throw to long throw.
This week, Daniels appears to have been fully cleared. He’s moving in the pocket and making every throw not only in route-tree drills but also in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 situations.
Credit: Tony Walsh
Credit: Tony Walsh
That follows the rehabilitation script to the tee. The latissimus dorsi is the broadest muscle of the back, extending from the top of the hip to the mid-back vertebrae and up to the top of the humerus at the front of the shoulder. A Grade 1 is considered the mildest of muscle strains and usually requires 2-3 weeks of supervised rehabilitation, according to sports medicine protocol.
Saturday’s game against Florida (3:30 p.m., CBS) will represent exactly five weeks since Georgia left Nashville.
For now, the plan is to have both quarterbacks ready to play the whole game if needed. That’s harder to do than some might think. Getting enough live repetitions for the two potential starters as they rotate with the No. 1 offense has meant fewer live reps for third-string quarterback Carson Beck.
“You can get plenty of reps for two quarterbacks,” Smart said. “Our 1′s get a little more than our 2′s. You can go 50-50, you can go 70-30, 60-40. We prescribe that as the week goes on. Carson Beck is taking less reps this week because JT is taking more reps. The combination of Stetson and JT is to get them both prepared, because they’re our two quarterbacks right now.”
The last hurdle is for Daniels to prove he can confident and effective in uncontrolled situations and be able react to the speed of competitive play. The Bulldogs’ ramped-up efforts in that regard will have to conclude Wednesday.
But, again, early returns are favorable.
“Watching Monday’s practice (on video), I thought he handled that well,” Smart said. “As far as (Tuesday), I want to reserve judgment until I see it from the actual tape. But there’s nothing there that I noticed as a problem for him. He moved around in the pocket, made some throws. … (We’ll) see how he does tomorrow, too.”
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