Report: Nerve has begun to regenerate in knee of Jaylon Smith **merged**

[LandryFan]

Yeah that's all I want as well. I just want to hear that everything is firing before the season ends so he can go into the offseason with a normal routine. I'm a little concerned b/c according to all the mega-threads we had on this topic, the timelines prognosticated that it was supposed to happen btw October and November. December is around the corner so I'm a little worried.

I share your concern. That said, I'm hanging my hat on the fact that none of us on the outside looking in have more than a small fraction of the information needed to make any sort of judgment on his recovery probability. The tiny bits of info that have come out have, IMO, been slanted toward the positive side, so that beats the hell out of it being slanted to the negative side.

 

[pugilist]

 

[cowboys1985]

I believe there should be distinction between 3 crowds, the crowd that thinks: 1) Jaylon would play THIS year, 2) Jaylon would play NEXT year, 3) Jaylon WILL NOT play at all.

It's clear that Jaylon will not play this year at all. He's being activated off the NFI as a shot in the dark as well as to get him in the meeting room. However, with the reports slowly trickling in throughout the season, there has been improvements with Jaylon's nerve. It's been a long and slow, but that is what most here thought when they drafted him. He had a outside shot to get on the field this year, but the goal was next year. I personally think he's on track for next year. Maybe not in time for OTA's but I'm confident for training camp. And that has me giddy. All Jaylon needs is a clean bill of health and he will hit the ground running. CANT WAIT!

 

[waldoputty]

So it's almost been a year and the nerve is still not firing? Should we start to worry?

The info says EMG is improving so something about the nerve conduction is improving.
That is all we know.
I will try to get someone to digest what this could possibly mean.

 

[LandryFan]

Fisher is also reporting the nerve is NOT firing.

I question the validity of that JJ quote you cited. The thought process in that statement was much too coherent/decipherable for that to have come from his mouth.

 

[LandryFan]

I believe there should be distinction between 3 crowds, the crowd that thinks: 1) Jaylon would play THIS year, 2) Jaylon would play NEXT year, 3) Jaylon WILL NOT play at all.

It's clear that Jaylon will not play this year at all. He's being activated off the NFI as a shot in the dark as well as to get him in the meeting room. However, with the reports slowly trickling in throughout the season, there has been improvements with Jaylon's nerve. It's been a long and slow, but that is what most here thought when they drafted him. He had a outside shot to get on the field this year, but the goal was next year. I personally think he's on track for next year. Maybe not in time for OTA's but I'm confident for training camp. And that has me giddy. All Jaylon needs is a clean bill of health and he will hit the ground running. CANT WAIT!

I'm in the camp of "I hope he plays next year. I have no clue what to "think" will happen.

 

[pugilist]

I believe there should be distinction between 3 crowds, the crowd that thinks: 1) Jaylon would play THIS year, 2) Jaylon would play NEXT year, 3) Jaylon WILL NOT play at all.

It's clear that Jaylon will not play this year at all. He's being activated off the NFI as a shot in the dark as well as to get him in the meeting room. However, with the reports slowly trickling in throughout the season, there has been improvements with Jaylon's nerve. It's been a long and slow, but that is what most here thought when they drafted him. He had a outside shot to get on the field this year, but the goal was next year. I personally think he's on track for next year. Maybe not in time for OTA's but I'm confident for training camp. And that has me giddy. All Jaylon needs is a clean bill of health and he will hit the ground running. CANT WAIT!

i think what it all comes down to based on all the information we know currently is that the Cowboys are giving Jaylon's nerve 3 weeks to start adhering to the necessary locations on the muscle to "cure" the drop foot
Personally, i'm in camp 2 (Jaylon will play next year)

 

[waldoputty]

So it's almost been a year and the nerve is still not firing? Should we start to worry?

Shows you they are monitoring using EMG, which is improving.
If there was anything wrong with the nerve growing back (like blockage), they would have done surgery.

I will try to find out more later today on why the EMG is still improving 10 months into this.

 

[Cowboys22]

I believe there should be distinction between 3 crowds, the crowd that thinks: 1) Jaylon would play THIS year, 2) Jaylon would play NEXT year, 3) Jaylon WILL NOT play at all.

It's clear that Jaylon will not play this year at all. He's being activated off the NFI as a shot in the dark as well as to get him in the meeting room. However, with the reports slowly trickling in throughout the season, there has been improvements with Jaylon's nerve. It's been a long and slow, but that is what most here thought when they drafted him. He had a outside shot to get on the field this year, but the goal was next year. I personally think he's on track for next year. Maybe not in time for OTA's but I'm confident for training camp. And that has me giddy. All Jaylon needs is a clean bill of health and he will hit the ground running. CANT WAIT!

Activating him is not a shot in the dark. It is a 3 week extension for Jerry not to have to answer questions and for the team not to have to announce that his knee isn't improving. If he still has to feeling from the nerve then it is not improving. It has had more than enough time to regrow the 6 inches and once that is done it should begin to fire if it has grown correctly. Every day that goes by now that it doesn't refire is bad news and the percentage for it never refiring correctly goes up. You talk about confidence for next year but why? It hasn't refired at all and we are still looking at it possibly never refiring. There is nothing being reported that points to it ever refiring so no one knows anything at this point. If it doesn't start firing within a month or two, I'd say its better than 50-50 that he never plays again.

 

[Sepia]

Wasn't it Gil Brandt or someone else that ate with Jaylon a few months ago and said they expected him by Week 14-15? I'm curious as to why they said something so specific if the nerve had yet to fire.

 

[Zekeats]

I think we should draft a CB every year. Hit the lottery with Brown apparently, but that position is so hard to play and there are so many injuries. It's the defensive equivalent of WR. Can never have enough of them.

I look at it the other way. If you don't have guys up front who can block or beat a block than the wr and CB are useless so give me the guys upfront first

 

[waldoputty]

Activating him is not a shot in the dark. It is a 3 week extension for Jerry not to have to answer questions and for the team not to have to announce that his knee isn't improving. If he still has to feeling from the nerve then it is not improving. It has had more than enough time to regrow the 6 inches and once that is done it should begin to fire if it has grown correctly. Every day that goes by now that it doesn't refire is bad news and the percentage for it never refiring correctly goes up. You talk about confidence for next year but why? It hasn't refired at all and we are still looking at it possibly never refiring. There is nothing being reported that points to it ever refiring so no one knows anything at this point. If it doesn't start firing within a month or two, I'd say its better than 50-50 that he never plays again.

There is nerve regrowth and there is innervation into the muscle.
Based on all the estimates, the regrowth of 6 inches should be done by now.
How long the innervation takes is something I am not clear on.
Dr. Cooper gave 2 estimates:
1. Nerve regrowth - 1 month delay and 1 inch/month = August 8th or so.
2. 9-15 months for full recovery - so he bracketed the time from Oct 8th 2016 to April 8th 2017.

The difference between the time estimate between regrowth and full recovery is the time for individual differences, reinnervation of the muscle and rehab.

If the regrowth of the 6 inches had problems, they would know it and probably have done surgery to help. There was no surgery so I have got to think the regrowth is done.

Reinnervation is far less certain in terms of time and performance.

The update is they are using EMG and the EMG is improving. Here are the questions:
1. Does that mean the regrowth is still ongoing on for some reason?
2. Or does it mean the innervation is not complete?
3. Without inside info, one question you can ask is can EMG give you information on innervation or is it only regrowth information. This can help us possibly deduce questions 1 and 2.
4. That is what I am going to ask some experts.
5. Unless they share more details with us, we are still just reading tea leaves with some PhD guidance.

 

[Cowboys22]

There is nerve regrowth and there is innervation into the muscle.
Based on all the estimates, the regrowth of 6 inches should be done by now.
How long the innervation takes is something I am not clear on.
Dr. Cooper gave 2 estimates:
1. Nerve regrowth - 1 month delay and 1 inch/month = August 8th or so.
2. 9-15 months for full recovery - so he bracketed the time from Oct 8th 2016 to April 8th 2017.

The difference between the time estimate between regrowth and full recovery is the time for individual differences, reinnervation of the muscle and rehab.

If the regrowth of the 6 inches had problems, they would know it and probably have done surgery to help. There was no surgery so I have got to think the regrowth is done.

Reinnervation is far less certain in terms of time and performance.

The update is they are using EMG and the EMG is improving. Here are the questions:
1. Does that mean the regrowth is still ongoing on for some reason?
2. Or does it mean the innervation is not complete?
3. Without inside info, one question you can ask is can EMG give you information on innervation or is it only regrowth information.
4. That is what I am going to ask some experts.
5. Unless they share more details with us, we are still just reading tea leaves with some PhD guidance.

I think its means it hasn't grown the 1 inch/month like it should have but has recently shown some improved growth. That is why the team has been so quiet and Smith has been posting cryptic tweets.

 

[cowboys1985]

Activating him is not a shot in the dark. It is a 3 week extension for Jerry not to have to answer questions and for the team not to have to announce that his knee isn't improving. If he still has to feeling from the nerve then it is not improving. It has had more than enough time to regrow the 6 inches and once that is done it should begin to fire if it has grown correctly. Every day that goes by now that it doesn't refire is bad news and the percentage for it never refiring correctly goes up. You talk about confidence for next year but why? It hasn't refired at all and we are still looking at it possibly never refiring. There is nothing being reported that points to it ever refiring so no one knows anything at this point. If it doesn't start firing within a month or two, I'd say its better than 50-50 that he never plays again.

That's not true. There have been multiple reports showing nerve growth from Bryan Broaddus tweet that there have been positive EMG reports and Gil Brandt report that JJ and Jaylon both saying the nerve is regenerating. However, it just hasn't grown to the point where there's no more drop foot. That's why I'm confident. While its true that its possible it never gets to that point, but other than random message board posters there hasn't been any reports since Jaylon was drafted that it wont. Until I see a credible report from sources inside the organization that's worrying, I'm confident he will be on the field next year.

 

[waldoputty]

I think its means it hasn't grown the 1 inch/month like it should have but has recently shown some improved growth. That is why the team has been so quiet and Smith has been posting cryptic tweets.

I am starting a new thread on general info regarding this.

 

[Nightman]

I don't think they would mess with his or the team's emotions by playing games

If he has not shown any improvement then shutting him down is the right move so he doesn't try to over do anything

If he has shown improvement then the 3 week window is much more than symbolic..... it is the next step in his full recovery

and people that say 'whats the point' he isn't going to help didn't watch the WS.......Kyle Schwarber came back for the Cubs and gave them a huge emotional and strategic lift after tearing his ACL in April

 

[Silverstar]

To say I have learned a lot about this type of injury is an understatement.

 

[cowboys1985]

I don't think they would mess with his or the team's emotions by playing games

If he has not shown any improvement then shutting him down is the right move so he doesn't try to over do anything

If he has shown improvement then the 3 week window is much more than symbolic..... it is the next step in his full recovery

and people that say 'whats the point' he isn't going to help didn't watch the WS.......Kyle Schwarber came back for the Cubs and gave them a huge emotional and strategic lift after tearing his ACL in April

As a Chicagoan and Cubs fan, I can't like this comment enough. You never want to close doors, and boy am I glad Cubs didn't do that...

 

[JJHLH1]

As a Chicagoan and Cubs fan, I can't like this comment enough. You never want to close doors, and boy am I glad Cubs didn't do that...

And Dr. Cooper performed the surgery on both Kyle Schwarber and Jaylon Smith. He's the best in the business when it comes to multiple ligament knee reconstructions. It's very unlikely that Jaylon plays this year but I would be surprised and disappointed if he doesn't play next year, hopefully at a high level.

 

[MichaelValentino]

I don't think they would mess with his or the team's emotions by playing games

If he has not shown any improvement then shutting him down is the right move so he doesn't try to over do anything

If he has shown improvement then the 3 week window is much more than symbolic..... it is the next step in his full recovery

and people that say 'whats the point' he isn't going to help didn't watch the WS.......Kyle Schwarber came back for the Cubs and gave them a huge emotional and strategic lift after tearing his ACL in April

Nice post.

I'm trying to stay hopeful (but am a realist and not expecting Jaylon Smith's return this year). The Kyle Schwarber comparison has probably crossed a few people's minds. Schwarber suffered a serious knee injury (but w/out nerve damage) in April and came back to hit .412 in the WS, with a .500 OBP in 20 plate appearances, scored two runs, drove in two runs and even stole a base. His presence was a big lift to the Cubs.

When I escape from reality, I like to imagine the Cowboys are up late in the 4th quarter of SB 51 against NE, and Jaylon bursts past the left tackle, crushes Brady and forces a fumble that is returned for a TD, sealing victory for the Cowboys.

(Then again, my fantasy includes Claiborne at 100% health, Byron Jones draping Gronk like a tight-fitting sweater ..... and ...... Gregory wrecking havoc from the RDE position as the Cowboys go on a playoff tear.) So, there is that.

Incidentally, an EMG is not the most pleasant medical procedure. I speak from experience.

If Jaylon Smith comes back all the way next year and if the Cowboys retool the D-line, I think our Cowboys will be SB 52 favorites, and they could make some noise for several years.