waldoputty
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Public reports with links provided
1. Archer / ESPN - "I saw Smith run late in the season as he went through drills with fellow rookie Charles Tapper. He went through pass-rush and change-of-direction drills, all while wearing the brace on his foot. Without the tape job, you wouldn’t know he could not lift his foot." ESPN - http://www.espn.com/blog/dallas-cow...ets-ezekiel-elliott-dak-prescott-jaylon-smith
So Jaylon is still wearing the brace. Also Jaylon (with brace) appears to be performing cutting (pass rush and change of direction drills) as if he was normal.
2. Jaylon - "I'm getting my 4.4 speed back, I'll tell you that," Smith said. "That's how well I'm moving. You wouldn't be able to tell if you saw me run." - same article as above
Jaylon said he is running 4.4/4.5 (straight ahead speed like before injury).
3. FO - saying they expect Jaylon will be fine for 2017. We have all seen these.
What do we know for sure
1. Jaylon still has foot drop at least to some level (wearing brace).
2. To a member of the Press (ESPN), Jaylon is cutting as well as if he was not injured.
3. The brace only prevents foot drop. The brace does not help push off and cutting. So he is improving at least in this aspect.
4. The surgeon said 9-15 months for recovery. 15 months get us to April. http://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/...n-coopers-expertise-in-selecting-jaylon-smith
If we trust what Jaylon said
1. 4.4/4.5 speed means his pushoff is back to what it was before injury.
If we trust that Archer can tell what is good agility and what is not
1. Jaylon's nerve is doing something, because the brace does not help Jaylon make cuts.
2. The same nerve that is important for cutting is responsible for foot drop. Though it is probably a different branch of the same nerve, it is unlikely one branch is improving while the other branch is not at all. Thus, Archer's statement would imply the foot drop condition should also be improving - though he still has foot drop.
3. This obviously assumes ESPN is not colluding with FO to make Jaylon seem more healthy than he is.
If Jaylon is never cured of the foot drop
1. If we trust Archer, then Jaylon seems to be cutting and pass rushing as well as if he was not injured. So it may not matter that much. Though it is hard to believe there is NO DIFFERENCE.
2. The need to the brace should not be an injury concern.
Personally as a non-MD, I am not sure if Jaylon will ever be rid of the brace though the evidence suggests he is improving. His recovery seems to be slower than some of the cases I have read about. Though there is a difference between NFL performance and everyday living. If Archer is right, it may not matter that much on the football field - though obvious it would matter to his quality of live.
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