Albert Breer on Jaylon Smith

[Cowboys22]

ok, i can accept jaylon passing the info to the FO.
but then why all the positive and negative stories when it should be a simple story
beyond writers needing something to write.

I have no idea about the different stories but I have a very hard time believing any writer would pen an article stating very precisely that the nerve is firing and he has begun to have foot activation if they were not told those things in those very terms. I don't think anyone would just make those things up and report them. Someone with the team must have told him. He is likely still a long ways from losing the brace, but hearing those two words was the next step we all were waiting for. Again, if it's true, then at least he appears on the right track and a good recovery is at least possible. If it never retired at all, I doubt he would ever play very long. Now there is a shot at a strong recovery and a nice career.

 

[tyke1doe]

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2017/03/06/myles-garrett-combine-cleveland-browns-nfl-draft

Jaylon Smith’s Drop Foot

Photo: Max Faulkner/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/TNS via Getty Images
Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith is still recovering from the serious knee injury he suffered in his final collegiate game at Notre Dame.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told Dallas reporters on Saturday that 2016 second-round pick Jaylon Smith would be able to play in the fall with the help of an AFO (ankle/foot orthoses) brace.

Now, the whole truth, as I understand it: The team very much views any and everything it gets from Smith in 2017 as a bonus. In last year’s draft, nerve damage and a resulting case of drop foot knocked Smith, previously a potential top-5 pick, out of the first-round altogether. The nerve has started firing again, and he’s gained foot activation, but he’s nowhere close to full strength and may never get there.

Can he be effective playing with the brace? This sounds harsh, but it’s unlikely.

The brace is designed to allow the most basic of things—your foot to clear the ground when you take a step forward. It’s designed to stabilize but it doesn’t recreate the energy you normally generate when you push off your foot. And that’s why Dr. Thomas Gill, the former Patriots team doc who saw ex-New England RB Robert Edwards go through this scenario almost two decades ago, is skeptical on Smith.

“A hinged AFO will allow you to have your foot flex up, but not have it slap down,” Gill said over the weekend. “So basically you wear a brace so when you’re running or walking, your foot can have clearance when you swing your leg forward. But it’s not built for speed.

“Robert Edwards, he played with it for a while but lasted less than a season doing that. And he was a running back. You have to be a freakish athlete where you can afford to lose 20 or 25 percent of your speed, at least, and 45 percent of your power, and still be able to compete in the NFL.”

And playing with the ailment isn’t without risk, either.

“The risk is that you’re going to be more prone to injury. Your foot’s going to get caught in an awkward position,” Gill continued. “So if you’re in a pile-up, you know the classic high ankle sprain mechanism where the guy falls on the back of your leg? That leg’s going to be a lot more prone to getting caught in an awkward position, because he can’t point his toe.”

Now there’s a chance the nerve improves over time and Smith gets back to full speed down the line. But Dallas isn’t counting on anything like that in the short term.

Thank you. Finally, an article with a doctor weighing in on the subject.

 

[Cowboys22]

I don't know how anyone could watch his last video and not be totally optimistic about his recovery.

Only because of the brace. I don't want him to play with the brace. I want him to continue his rehab and hard work until he no longer needs the brace. Then he can think about playing. Only until it comes down to retire or play with the brace should I think he should play with it. As long as he is improving, it's possible the day will come when he won't need it.

 

[waldoputty]

Only because of the brace. I don't want him to play with the brace. I want him to continue his rehab and hard work until he no longer needs the brace. Then he can think about playing. Only until it comes down to retire or play with the brace should I think he should play with it. As long as he is improving, it's possible the day will come when he won't need it.

if the brace does not have much impact, it would serve as some ankle protection.
even if it is a 100% recovery, i was told by researchers that the nerve could 'give' some times after too much exercise... - i know i am not saying it correctly...

 

[tyke1doe]

This is the first time an article specifically states that the nerve has begun to refire and that he is beginning to get some control of his foot. If that is true, it is huge news and nothing but positive. It means the nerve regenerated correctly reaching the proper spot in order to control the muscles needed. Now it is a matter of time to see how close to 100% he can get to. I would not let him play with the brace as long as he is continuing to improve. This article states what I have been saying. The other parts of his leg will be in serious jeopardy for a major injury simply because his foot will not have the proper range of motion necessary to absorb the many hits, twists, and turns that a NFL LBs body takes. If someone falls on him in a pile, that leg could snap or his knee could shred simply because his foot didn't move in a normal fashion. I would only let him play with the brace when his rehab hits a wall and it is nearly certain his leg will not improve anymore and that it's play with the brace or retire. Until it's put to that decision, he needs to keep working hard and let it get as close to 100% as possible. If that means he sits another year, so be it. I thinks that's what's best for him and the team. You already gambled with the pick so let the bet lay until it pays off. There is no need to double down and gamble even more when the original bet still has a chance to pay off in a big way.

Actually, an article I posted in the thread you and I had a beef in Jaylon indicated that the nerve is firing/regenerating. But I guess you too needed a doctor to confirm it.

 

[ConceptCoop]

The way I see it, the Cowboys, at worst, will have a very good player on the football field as opposed to a generational freak player. A very good player at LB is better than anyone not named Sean Lee. I'll take it.

This is pretty optimistic. Worst case is clearly that he's not an NFL level player. That's starting to feel likely, unfortunately.

 

[tm1119]

He's a non factor on the team until he plays in back to back weeks at a high level as far as I'm concerned. Training and going through the riggers of an NFL season are 2 completely different things. What happens the 1st time a RB cuts him or somebody rolls up his legs in a pile? Have my fingers crossed that the kid makes a full recovery, I'm just not optimistic for his career as a cowboy

 

[Cowboys22]

if the brace does not have much impact, it would serve as some ankle protection.
even if it is a 100% recovery, i was told by researchers that the nerve could 'give' some times after too much exercise... - i know i am not saying it correctly...

I just don't believe that the brace will not have an impact. I have been saying exactly what this article states. He will be at risk in pile ups due to his foot not having the typical range of motion. Other parts of his leg will have to absorb the twist and turns his ankle normally would. He may look great running and doing drills but what happens when a 300lb OL falls on his leg and his foot doesn't give like it normally would? That's my concern.

 

[cowboyblue22]

was a pick that should of never been made at the spot it was made should of took a player that could play now

 

[waldoputty]

I just don't believe that the brace will not have an impact. I have been saying exactly what this article states. He will be at risk in pile ups due to his foot not having the typical range of motion. Other parts of his leg will have to absorb the twist and turns his ankle normally would. He may look great running and doing drills but what happens when a 300lb OL falls on his leg and his foot doesn't give like it normally would? That's my concern.

no that is not what i meant. the foot may be structurally fine with the range of motion etc. it is something about the nerve giving up after heavy use that could increase the chance for an accident.

 

[gmoney112]

was a pick that should of never been made at the spot it was made should of took a player that could play now

When you take into account other 2nd round picks, like Gregory and Demarcus. Then add in Claiborne.

Kinda makes you want to throw up.

 

[tyke1doe]

These questions and items of opinion and debate have all been posted before; I realize you could spend all day reading up on those, but you can scan my previous posts on the subject and get additional detailed input.

There are several types of nerve injury that can be sustained. Despite the fact that JS's was evaluated and given good prognosis by his expert surgeon, there has continued to be speculation that the nerve was so severely damaged that distal nerve impulses would never return, hence the "firing" question. Well, that question has been answered -- there is sensation and movement in the distal peroneal innervation of the foot, so everyone can stop talking about not "firing".

Now it's just a matter of nerve the healing, slowly, over a period of possibly another year or 2. No one can say whether the healing will eventually be complete, but remember this is a relatively minor function of the foot.

If he has 50% peroneal function, then I'd estimate the function of the leg and foot with assist to be close to 93%, given his fluidity of movement I've seen without any asymmetry, limp, or cadence issues. If he gets to 75% or better on peroneal recovery, then leg function would be approx 95-96%.
I see no reason given his progress thus far to expect at least that, and he may well get to 90% nerve recovery, which would put his leg performance near 99%.

I think we will be pleased with what we see, and should probably worry about other things.

Consider this his rookie year, and I'd speculate that he'll have one of the best rookie Cowboy LB years ever.

You ... are ... da ... man!!! Thank you, Doc50!

 

[waldoputty]

Actually, an article I posted in the thread you and I had a beef in Jaylon indicated that the nerve is firing/regenerating. But I guess you too needed a doctor to confirm it.

i have reread the article.
i dont think the doctor was the one who said foot activation and firing etc.
it was the journalist, and he does not say where he got his info from.
he quotes the patriots doctor who talked about edwards with a worse injury 20 years ago.
though doc50 here has been consistently interpreting the reported results for us for the last few months and he says all systems go.

 

[tyke1doe]

i have reread the article.
i dont think the doctor was the one who said foot activation and firing etc.
i was the journalist, and he does not say where he got his info from.
he quotes the patriots doctor who talked about edwards with a worse injury 20 years ago.
though doc50 here has been consistently interpreting the reported results for us for the last few months and he says all systems go.

We're talking about two different articles. In the other thread, I posted an article where back in January Jaylon was asked if his nerve is regenerating. He said "yes." He also said the doctor told him it was regenerating and he was getting "feeling" back in it.
I think a debate ensued as to whether regenerating means firing. I was looking for a doctor to share this information because, to me, why would a nerve regenerate and not fire? The purpose of a nerve is to "fire" messages to activate a muscle to move. But I'm no doctor, which is why I was seeking an article or the comment of one of our REAL resident doctors.

I also said if Jaylon himself said way back in January that he was regaining feeling in his leg, who was I to question him?

 

[waldoputty]

We're talking about two different articles. In the other thread, I posted an article where back in January Jaylon was asked if his nerve is regenerating. He said "yes." He also said the doctor told him it was regenerating and he was getting "feeling" back in it.
I think a debate ensued as to whether regenerating means firing. I was looking for a doctor to share this information because, to me, why would a nerve regenerate and not fire? The purpose of a nerve is to "fire" messages to activate a muscle to move. But I'm no doctor, which is why I was seeking an article or the comment of one of our REAL resident doctors.

I also said if Jaylon himself said way back in January that he was regaining feeling in his leg, who was I to question him?

gaining feel back is the sensory neuron working. jaylon has been saying regaining feeling since april 2016.
it is the motor neuron's job to move the muscle.
it is not the same thing, but it is a good sign since the 2 neurons are in the same bundle.

 

[big dog cowboy]

When will Jerry learn. If he had taken someone that could rush the passer with the 2nd pick last year, maybe we make the SB.

Exactly who do you have in mind?

 

[Plumfool]

A Lot of angst for a speculation piece. The closing sentence was a total cya statement. Short term could mean a number of time tables. Nothing really new.

 

[bayeslife]

Interesting take and well explained.

The only comment I would make is that the technology of braces today is very likely far superior than the braces Edwards tried back in the day.

But he will never be the same playing with a brace. The best you can hope for is that he is an average player with the brace.

That's not the best you can hope for come on man

 

[waldoputty]

Exactly who do you have in mind?

there was no one except Spence who was off our board.

 

[bayeslife]

Fan Boys won't like this one bit.

I'm sure Plankton knows better than the medical staff