Pollard's Injury

[Sydla]

Ignoring the injury, Pollard is at an age when many RB's have a drop-off anyway. Look at Zeke in years 5+. True, Pollard has fewer carries than he might have up until now. But combine his age with the fact that he's a speed pack coming off a significant injury, and you better be concerned.

Dallas has handled this correctly by covering their bases with a vet, and certainly will draft a RB too.

Pollard doesn't have the usage that Elliott had at this age.

At 25 years old Pollard has had 510 carries and 121 receptions.

At 25 years old Elliott had 1413 carries and 241 catches.

It's a significant difference in usage. I worry little about age or usage hurting Pollard or that he will drop off starting this year. If anything stunts him it will be the injury only.

 

[Sydla]

Again...that's not really the point. It was a significant injury that people have some concern about. Rightly so. Let's hope for a full recovery. Everyone likes him...and now is his rightful time.

But it is the point. Not all injuries are the same.

Sure there should be some concern any time a guy gets hurt but the reality is that trying to equate Pollard to Dak is silly because the injuries were different, the required surgeries were different, the time lines for recovery were different.

I am less concerned about Pollard coming back than I was about either Dak or Gallup because both of those guys had worse injuries that required more down time to recover.

 

[75boyz]

Can this team really trust a guy who had his leg broken for him during the second quarter of the last game of the year?

Dak broke his ankle and it took two off seasons and a full season before he was steady enough to now worry about the ankle.

What makes anyone think you can just plug in Pollard and things will be okay?

And on top of that, he's been tagged and paid a premium price to rehab with nothing guaranteed next season. And sitting behind him on the depth chart are just guys.

It's a fair line of questions imo. Plus I'll add the fact that I thought they "might" have rushed Gallup back too fast last year in order to shore up WR room deficiencies that ultimately showed Gallup not being fully ready.

I hope they wouldn't make the same mistake twice doing this with Pollard.

 

[Sydla]

It's a fair line of questions imo. Plus I'll add the fact that I thought they "might" have rushed Gallup back too fast last year in order to shore up WR room deficiencies that ultimately showed Gallup not being fully ready.

I hope they wouldn't make the same mistake twice doing this with Pollard.

Gallup's recovery time given his injury and doctor's advice had his recovery likely ending around the start of season (he had surgery in February and recovery time can be 8-10 months).

Pollard's recovery time given injury and doctor's expertise had his recovery timeline ending in May, which is only 4-5 months post surgery.

We need to stop comparing Pollard to Dak or Gallup's injuries and their timelines. Doesn't mean Pollard won't struggle or take time to get back to himself (if even can get back to himself) but trying to pull anything from looking at Dak or Gallup doesn't make a lot of sense.

 

[OmerV]

SO yes...okay...I am set straight. Dallas Cowboys have an IMPECCABLE injury management history. Good call.

He didn't say anything even remotely like that. Not even a shred of anything in the comment that even discussed the Cowboys history with managing injuries. He just said Dak and Pollard had different injuries.

 

[Proof]

Even on College He wasn't used that much as a RB . . . There's still a Ton of wear on those Tires

do you mean tread?

 

[Fla Cowpoke]

Every ankle sprain is tendon damage to some degree.

My understanding is that the doctor’s went in and tightened up his tendons surgically, which will lessen the chances for further sprains.

I had a chronic ankle sprain while I was playing in college and the doctor told me that he could go in and tighten those tendons, which would help keep my ankle from rolling so much.

I opted not to do it because I didn’t want to deal with the heal time and I certainly wasn’t good enough to go on to the next level… so I just played on it.

Even later, playing intramural flag football tournaments, I would still turn that damn ankle every other game.

Been there done that. I still roll my ankles all the time from basketball and intramural football injuries

 

[75boyz]

Gallup's recovery time given his injury and doctor's advice had his recovery likely ending around the start of season (he had surgery in February and recovery time can be 8-10 months).

Pollard's recovery time given injury and doctor's expertise had his recovery timeline ending in May, which is only 4-5 months post surgery.

We need to stop comparing Pollard to Dak or Gallup's injuries and their timelines. Doesn't mean Pollard won't struggle or take time to get back to himself (if even can get back to himself) but trying to pull anything from looking at Dak or Gallup doesn't make a lot of sense.

Published reports of injuries and their correlating healing timelines with Cowboys has been consistently proven as an inexact science at best.
Advance apologies to you if you hold a medical degree of course.

 

[Fla Cowpoke]

He didn’t “break his leg”.

If this is your “expert analysis” of this situation, please just confirm so I can put you on ignore.

So. .which part is he wrong about? From the knee to the ankle is still part of the leg, and there was a broken bone.

 

[Fla Cowpoke]

Pollard may take time to get back to normal but no worries. We got Malik Davis and Rico Dowdle. Both very solid RBs that haven't been given much of an opportunity because of a very selfish Zeke.

Selfish Zeke? He comes out of games all the time.

 

[thunderpimp91]

They carried him.

PIC Tony carried off the field

Yup, just as they would for most leg injuries. You tried to compare him to Dak, but Dak required an air cast and a cart to get off that field so I just don't see the comparison at all. You can see from the video of the injury that Pollard, while in a lot of pain was moving, gingerly put weight on the leg, was able to craw and drag his foot, went to a knee, seemed to have no issues moving at either the knee or the ankle.

Not saying this isn't a real injury, it clearly is. It's a serious injury that needs months to heal. With that said though this is nowhere near a Dak Prescott level injury, nor even a Michael Gallup injury from a recovery standpoint.

I can completely understand being pessimistic and not having faith in the Cowboys medical staff, that's fine. I don't understand making bold claims that his speed is likely gone and will never be the same when we have tons of case studies from athletes with the same type of fracture, same type of ankle sprain, and same type of surgery who have made complete recoveries.

 

[Sydla]

Published reports of injuries and their correlating healing timelines with Cowboys has been consistently proven as an inexact science at best.
Advance apologies to you if you hold a medical degree of course.

Maybe but if you look and research, the stated timelines are pretty "standard" not just Cowboys driven.

It's not like the Cowboys said Gallup's recovery was going to be 7 months and the real average timeline for recovery is 9-12 months. Or that the Cowboys are stating Pollard would be healed in 4-5 months and yet standard medical guidance is 8-10 months.

But again, the injuries are totally different. Even if you think the Cowboys oversell how quickly someone would be back, there still is a significant difference in the Cowboys saying Pollard will be back in May and Gallup would be back maybe in September. Even if you add a month to each timeline to compensate for the Cowboy's aggressive timelines, Pollard's injury is likely to be healed well before Gallup and Dak were cleared (and again, just researching the type of injuries and recoveries would back this up).

 

[75boyz]

Maybe but if you look and research, the stated timelines are pretty "standard" not just Cowboys driven.

It's not like the Cowboys said Gallup's recovery was going to be 7 months and the real average timeline for recovery is 9-12 months. Or that the Cowboys are stating Pollard would be healed in 4-5 months and yet standard medical guidance is 8-10 months.

But again, the injuries are totally different. Even if you think the Cowboys oversell how quickly someone would be back, there still is a significant difference in the Cowboys saying Pollard will be back in May and Gallup would be back maybe in September. Even if you add a month to each timeline to compensate for the Cowboy's aggressive timelines, Pollard's injury is likely to be healed well before Gallup and Dak were cleared (and again, just researching the type of injuries and recoveries would back this up).

Well, right off the top of my head a couple seasons back Gallimore had an elbow injury that initially was reported as a few weeks healing time that turned into months.
Not gonna go player by player and offer more past examples of what was first publicly reported as a Cowboys injury healing timeline and then the actual result ending in far more time lost but I'll stick by my opinion that in the past the initial reports and subsequent healing times for this team has been inconsistent at best and mostly inaccurate imo.

Just my opinion.

 

[Reid1boys]

I love Internet doctors. A broken Fibia is not a broken foot. You can actually walk on it.

exactly..... [this is not a big deal.... but wo knows, I mean, the OP must have spoken with Dak to know what was in his head.

I broke my ankle in 4 or 5 places when I was a kid. My surgery required pins to be put in to hold everything together and then removed later. I playerd sports my entire life and never thought twice about that ankle.... and my surgery was in the 70s.
These Drs today are exponentially better than what was out there back then.

Pollard will be fine.

 

[blueblood70]

Can this team really trust a guy who had his leg broken for him during the second quarter of the last game of the year?

Dak broke his ankle and it took two off seasons and a full season before he was steady enough to now worry about the ankle.

What makes anyone think you can just plug in Pollard and things will be okay?

And on top of that, he's been tagged and paid a premium price to rehab with nothing guaranteed next season. And sitting behind him on the depth chart are just guys.

its so far apart its not a debate... jeez

the injuries are not the same it was small fracture not a break..the high ankle sprain was far worse and both are 100% healed in 3months with no setbacks..seriosly he will be 100% ready for camp..

 

[Reid1boys]

Well, right off the top of my head a couple seasons back Gallimore had an elbow injury that initially was reported as a few weeks healing time that turned into months.
Not gonna go player by player and offer more past examples of what was first publicly reported as a Cowboys injury healing timeline and then the actual result ending in far more time lost but I'll stick by my opinion that in the past the initial reports and subsequent healing times for this team has been inconsistent at best and mostly inaccurate imo.

Just my opinion.

pretty sure everyone cried about Dak last year saying Dallas should have put him on IR and no way would he be back on the timeline Dallas was giving.

Well, what happened?

 

[blueblood70]

What was the problem with Dak's leg the year he came back? Do you recall the games he missed because of the ancillary stress which caused thecalf strain?

Thanks, Doc, for your insight. Good thing you post here.

but hes correct one is very small bone needed to brace on and was complete break a horrific injury to basic fracture that heals in 4-6 weeks with no surgery..the sprain was worse but no pins or screws, it not an issue AT ALL..

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

He didn't say anything even remotely like that. Not even a shred of anything in the comment that even discussed the Cowboys history with managing injuries. He just said Dak and Pollard had different injuries.

I Know.....thats why i addressed it. Not everything is some big pissing match. It wasnt an argument but a conversatio.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

But it is the point. Not all injuries are the same.

Sure there should be some concern any time a guy gets hurt but the reality is that trying to equate Pollard to Dak is silly because the injuries were different, the required surgeries were different, the time lines for recovery were different.

I am less concerned about Pollard coming back than I was about either Dak or Gallup because both of those guys had worse injuries that required more down time to recover.

YOuve made it the point. Jyst because you think people dont understand the medical details does not mean it supercedes the concern for full recovery. THAT....is the real overall point.

 

[75boyz]

pretty sure everyone cried about Dak last year saying Dallas should have put him on IR and no way would he be back on the timeline Dallas was giving.

Well, what happened?

If you're saying for every delayed healing timeline that there is a corresponding example of a player healing quicker then all I can say again is that initial public healing report timelines on Cowboys are inconsistent at best.