Leary's Knee Problem

[Doc50]

:geezer: On the cows' website, Mickey Spagnola has an article about Ron Leary, the FA OL prospect who has apparently been diagnosed with a degenerative knee condition. Mickey reports that this has been a problem with the kneecap, but he then talks about degenerative meniscus disease. These are completely different diagnoses, and we should hope for the former rather than the latter.

Degeneration of the underside of the kneecap is called chondromalacia patella, and that usually does not cause problems with the weight-bearing surfaces of the joint. Meniscal degeneration does involve the main load-bearing surface, the tibial plateau, but that (as well as chondromalacia patella) is routinely and successfully managed by arthroscopic debridement.

If the degenerative condition involves the tibial plateau or femoral condyles, then the knee really does have a limited football lifespan. But if it's the patella, he could conceivably play for several years.

Anyone catch a peek at the MRI?

 

[speedkilz88]

IRVING, Texas -- Undrafted rookie free agent guard Ronald Leary from Memphis met with Cowboys doctors Thursday to review the results of an MRI on his left knee that revealed he has osteochondritis dissecans (os-tee-o-kohn-DRY-tis DIS-uh-kanz).

Known as OCD, it's a joint condition where a piece of cartilage, along with a thin layer of the bone beneath it, comes loose from the end of a bone.

According the Mayo Clinic, it's caused by reduced blood flow to the end of a bone. OCD occurs most often in young men, particularly after an injury to a joint. The knee is most commonly affected, although OCD occurs in other joints such as the elbow, shoulder, hip and ankle.

http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/cowboys/post/_/id/4692589/ronald-leary-undergoes-an-mri

 

[xwalker]

 

[zrinkill]

I bet the guy has a long career.

 

[TheCount]

:geezer: On the cows' website, Mickey Spagnola has an article about Ron Leary, the FA OL prospect who has apparently been diagnosed with a degenerative knee condition. Mickey reports that this has been a problem with the kneecap, but he then talks about degenerative meniscus disease. These are completely different diagnoses, and we should hope for the former rather than the latter.

Degeneration of the underside of the kneecap is called chondromalacia patella, and that usually does not cause problems with the weight-bearing surfaces of the joint. Meniscal degeneration does involve the main load-bearing surface, the tibial plateau, but that (as well as chondromalacia patella) is routinely and successfully managed by arthroscopic debridement.

If the degenerative condition involves the tibial plateau or femoral condyles, then the knee really does have a limited football lifespan. But if it's the patella, he could conceivably play for several years.

Anyone catch a peek at the MRI?

I'm sure Mickey is just repeating fragments of what he's heard, when it comes to prospects, I don't take anything he has to say seriously. He knows almost nothing about any of these guys.

It's been funny listening to people call into Talking Cowboys to ask about these guys, he never has anything insightful to contribute because he does zero research on them.

 

[Doc50]

So, OCD is fairly significant, considering the fact that repeated trauma may exacerbate the condition if the underlying blood supply is chronically insufficient. It's most likely located on the femoral condyle, where irregular cartilagenous sufaces could eventually damage the tibial plateau and patella. Managed properly, and with a little luck, the area of injury may heal completely, and pose little if any further problem.

The cows' orthopedic staff has obviously felt that Leary's specific condition could remain stable -- we'll just have to hope for the best.

 

[speedkilz88]

According to Leary, his doctor told him that if he was going to have a problem with the knee it would have happened during his senior year after the surgery and that he thinks its going to be fine. But who really knows.

 

[sago1]

Glad we signed him as an UDFA rather then running the risk of drafting him. Hopefully he has a long & successful career as a future starting OG for us. If he's smart, he has to realize it's entirely possible he wouldn't have a long career in the NFL. Frankling if I'm him, I sign a 3-4 year deal for best I can't get & since Cowboys viewed him as a legit 3rd rounder, hope they give me a 3rd round paycheck with some incentives built in.

Then beyond paying my agent, I don't do foolish things with the money including buying big homes I couldn't afford once my career is over; same goes for cars & wild parties, gambling. Know that sounds dull for some of you but this kid can't run those kind of risks. Reality is that even if he survives 4 years in the NFL, it's doubtful any NFL team would risk huge contract on him given the knee potential problem. But if at worst he has to walk away from his NFL career after only 4 years, I'd hope he had at least $3-500,000 set aside to help rest of his life with career plans in mind that he could move into. OTOH, kids his age usually aren't planning for the future.

 

[WoodysGirl]

Glad we signed him as an UDFA rather then running the risk of drafting him. Hopefully he has a long & successful career as a future starting OG for us. If he's smart, he has to realize it's entirely possible he wouldn't have a long career in the NFL. Frankling if I'm him, I sign a 3-4 year deal for best I can't get & since Cowboys viewed him as a legit 3rd rounder, hope they give me a 3rd round paycheck with some incentives built in.

Then beyond paying my agent, I don't do foolish things with the money including buying big homes I couldn't afford once my career is over; same goes for cars & wild parties, gambling. Know that sounds dull for some of you but this kid can't run those kind of risks. Reality is that even if he survives 4 years in the NFL, it's doubtful any NFL team would risk huge contract on him given the knee potential problem. But if at worst he has to walk away from his NFL career after only 4 years, I'd hope he had at least $3-500,000 set aside to help rest of his life with career plans in mind that he could move into. OTOH, kids his age usually aren't planning for the future.

Apparently he's paid like a 5th rd pick - http://cowboyszone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=236470

 

[myslamsareolder]

Apparently he's paid like a 5th rd pick - http://cowboyszone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=236470

Yeah, but that is still "chump change." What is important is that we didn't "waste" a pick in him. If his career is 3 years then all we lost was money and if he starts those three years it's not a loss at all. If we only got 3 years out of a pick that would suck.

 

[DBOY3141]

I like the pick-up, but still don't know why they didn't draft him in the 7th. They probably had a better chance of picking up McNasty as an UDFA than Leary.

The gamble paid off, but if he signed somewhere else I'm sure JJ would have been kicking himself.

 

[DeaconBlues]

:geezer: On the cows' website, Mickey Spagnola has an article about Ron Leary, the FA OL prospect who has apparently been diagnosed with a degenerative knee condition. Mickey reports that this has been a problem with the kneecap, but he then talks about degenerative meniscus disease. These are completely different diagnoses, and we should hope for the former rather than the latter.

Degeneration of the underside of the kneecap is called chondromalacia patella, and that usually does not cause problems with the weight-bearing surfaces of the joint. Meniscal degeneration does involve the main load-bearing surface, the tibial plateau, but that (as well as chondromalacia patella) is routinely and successfully managed by arthroscopic debridement.

If the degenerative condition involves the tibial plateau or femoral condyles, then the knee really does have a limited football lifespan. But if it's the patella, he could conceivably play for several years.

Anyone catch a peek at the MRI?

"cow's"??? Really????

 

[CATCH17]

I like the pick-up, but still don't know why they didn't draft him in the 7th. They probably had a better chance of picking up McNasty as an UDFA than Leary.

The gamble paid off, but if he signed somewhere else I'm sure JJ would have been kicking himself.

I doubt it.


"McNasty" lived all the way up in Montana. He probably would've stayed up north if he had the opportunity.

 

[cowboy_ron]

:geezer: On the cows' website, Mickey Spagnola has an article about Ron Leary, the FA OL prospect who has apparently been diagnosed with a degenerative knee condition. Mickey reports that this has been a problem with the kneecap, but he then talks about degenerative meniscus disease. These are completely different diagnoses, and we should hope for the former rather than the latter.

Degeneration of the underside of the kneecap is called chondromalacia patella, and that usually does not cause problems with the weight-bearing surfaces of the joint. Meniscal degeneration does involve the main load-bearing surface, the tibial plateau, but that (as well as chondromalacia patella) is routinely and successfully managed by arthroscopic debridement.

If the degenerative condition involves the tibial plateau or femoral condyles, then the knee really does have a limited football lifespan. But if it's the patella, he could conceivably play for several years.

Anyone catch a peek at the MRI?

cows' website??

 

[speedkilz88]

I like the pick-up, but still don't know why they didn't draft him in the 7th. They probably had a better chance of picking up McNasty as an UDFA than Leary.

The gamble paid off, but if he signed somewhere else I'm sure JJ would have been kicking himself.

They actually talk to these guys and they have a decent idea of what other teams are interested and who the player and agent are likely to sign with, so they must have felt that McAwesome was going to be difficult to get or that he would get drafted in the 7th by someone.

On Leary they had a good handle that everyone was going to pass on him in the draft because of the injury and that apparently they were prepared to guarantee salary to get him. Going into udfa knowing you would do that is quite an ace in the hole on getting who you want.

 

[JBS]

Yeah, but that is still "chump change." What is important is that we didn't "waste" a pick in him. If his career is 3 years then all we lost was money and if he starts those three years it's not a loss at all. If we only got 3 years out of a pick that would suck.

What are you saying? You think we should and we do get 3 years of service from all of our draft picks? Im not comprehending your argument

3 years out of a 5th rounder is definitely not expected..