Nick Chubb - The Strong and Silent Type
If you like the strong and silent type, Nick Chubb is the man for you.
That was even more clear after the Cleveland Browns released a video this week where they put a microphone on their running back as he sliced through the Baltimore Ravens. Four minutes into the video it appeared that Chubb spoke four times for a grand total of 12 words.
“Facemask.”
“Thank you.”
“Hell yeah.”
“I am going to fight his ass.” - said jokingly about Browns tight end Pharaoh Brown.
The released video was interesting to watch because that’s mostly what you were doing - watching. Sounds were more likely to be grunts or teammates and coaches cheering Chubb on.
"I don't know what else you want in a football player." - Browns coach Freddie Kitchens said.
Chubb ended the game 165 yards and three touchdowns. The highlight of the game was an 88-yard sprint to the end zone.
“To see (Chubb) have success is a bright spot for our University because of how much he meant to us while he was here,” coach Kirby Smart said Wednesday.
Nick Chubb has always been about actions over words. That’s not anything new for the Cedartown native. In all his time at Georgia I don’t remember one interview where Chubb blew me away with what he said. I can remember numerous times when I was blown away with what he did on the field.
Chubb’s biggest play was it Run for the Roses against Oklahoma - a 50-yard slice and dice through the Sooner defense that put UGA squarely back into the game after trailing 31-17 going into the half.
Sony Michel ended up with more yards that night (181), but Chubb certainly didn’t seem to care. That duo never exhibited jealousy or selfishness their entire time at Gerogia. That they wear one another’s jerseys in Athens when they come back is an indicator of how a teammate should be.
Sunday’s three-touchdown performance was just the lately step in what has become a Herculean comeback for Chubb. His injury - one of many suffered by UGA running backs on the turf at Neyland Stadium through the years - was perhaps the most gruesome.
It’s hard to forget the sound of pain coming from Chubb that day - it was unforgettable. But Chubb has proved over the last few years that he’s a fighter more than anything else. He’s proven that mental toughness outweighs physical pain. Chubb has run for exactly 3,869 yards since he left Neyland Stadium in 2015, and it looks like he’s gaining steam.
He might not talk much, but Chubb has shown over time that he’s about the team over himself. It doesn’t seem overdone to suggest that Kirby Smart’s program is much further along today than it would have been had Michel and Chubb (and others) not returned for their senior seasons in 2017.
“He’s kind of a legend,” Kirby added.
That was the turning point in the program - not Jacob Eason; not Jake Fromm… Nick Chubb, Sony and others returning. That made the biggest difference to the program. That allowed Fromm to hand it off when he needed to. It gave Fromm about two months to find himself while Chubb was keeping to himself… at least when it comes to talking.