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Triage Time: From Time to Time
By Will Carroll | October 1, 2008
Since we’ve heard enough from the talking heads in Congress debating to bailout or not to bailout, I’ll skip the small talk and get straight to the injuries:
Kory Sheets RB PURDUE
It’s time for that most fun game — “TRANSLATE THAT COACHSPEAK!” Joe Tiller said that Kory Sheets “has a shoulder that will do this from time to time.” When Sheets left the Notre Dame game with four minutes to go, the reason was simple. He has a lax shoulder that will occasionally subluxate. That’s not quite a separation and much less than a dislocation, but having the head of the humerus coming a bit out and moving around does cause pain, swelling, and can highlight some underlying structural problems.
There’s not much that can be done for it at this stage of the season, so Sheets will just need to take as much treatment as he can and hope that he doesn’t have too many of those “time to time” situations in Big Ten play.
Knowshon Moreno RB GEORGIA
First, I want to know the story behind the name “Knowshon.” Google let me down on this one, but there has to be a good story, right? Moreno, who will be a YouTube hero if not an NFL star for years to come, might have thought about leaping whoever it was at Bama who bashed his elbow. A helmet hit him on the point of the elbow, leaving him with a Riddell-shaped bruise in the bone and muscle of the area. The swelling and pain was significant after the game, so he’ll be spending a lot of his free time with the trainers. Luckily, the Bulldogs don’t play again until the Vols come to town on the 11th. Moreno is questionable right now, even with the time off, so that should tell you that this has to be taken seriously.
Jake Locker QB WASHINGTON
“Jake Locker” — with a name like that, you almost have to grow up to be a quarterback or the local sports anchor. Locker made the smart move, but now he may have to consider his options. Locker broke his thumb after hitting a helmet on his follow through and is expected to miss six weeks. For QB’s, the thumb is even more important as its the “weak link” in grip strength during throws. It’s also the key for applying ‘touch’ to a pass, so even a late November return is in some question for Locker. The Huskies have been crushed by injuries on both sides of the ball this season, so maybe the 0-4 record isn’t quite as bad as it seems, though it’s not likely to get better either for Ty Willingham’s crew
Jahvid Best RB CALIFORNIA
Dislocations are among the most painful injuries there are, so you can only imagine Jahvid Best was in a lot of pain when his elbow was knocked out of place. That he’ll miss only a week is testament both to his toughness and the care he received on the field. He’ll be spending a lot of time with the Cal trainers over the next weeks and will likely need a brace to protect the elbow. These braces do make it tougher to hold the ball, so he’ll need some practice time to make sure that he gets the feel for it. Once you see he’s back at practice, you can assume that he’s safe to play in next week’s game.
Daniel Dufrene RB ILLINOIS
Dufrene had much the same situation late in the Illini’s game as Kory Sheets had. The injury is the same, according to sources, and the outcome is likely to be the same. Dufrene is expected to be ready for the Michigan game this week and should be a big part of the game plan. Injuries at this level tend to cause some risk aversion in coaches, getting backups more into the game plan, shifting to some extra passing when a runner is hurt, so there’s a cost, even if Dufrene is healthy and ready to start. This isn’t just in this case, but across college football, so it’s a good one to note. The exception, of course, is with exceptional talent returning from any injuries.
Jordan Norwood WR PENN STATE
After missing the Illinois game, Joe Paterno could use Jordan Norwood to help the passing attack as the Nittany Lions head to Purdue. Unfortunately, that’s a big question. It’s still early in the week, but as of Tuesday, sources were telling me that Norwood was “going to be limited, if he’s on the field at all.” Norwood’s hamstring strain was a Grade II (or moderate) one, but healing is different for everyone and Norwood, a guy who makes hard cuts, taxes the hamstrings on both stops and starts. He doesn’t have the blazing speed to just run past corners at less than 100%, though Penn State could make some adjustments to his routes. If nothing else, he needs safety help to be covered and his presence has to be accounted for. Watch to see if he’s practicing later this week before starting him.
Joe Webb QB UAB
I remember the glory days of Gene Bartow and the Blazers’ mid-80’s basketball run. They didn’t have their own hoops arena and they certainly didn’t have a football team. Don’t get me started about them, or Troy, and certainly not South Alabama starting up a program. With a Thursday game against Memphis, Joe Webb doesn’t have time to heal up. He limped his way through much of the game against South Carolina and he’s not a good enough passer to succeed without the threat of the run. Look for Memphis to try and test him, daring him to run early. It’s a tough call to know whether he can, but sources say he’s going to play regardless.
Chris Garrett RB OHIO and Donte Harden RB OHIO
After missing the attack on VMI, Bobcats RB Chris Garrett is going to be back in the committee that Ohio has been using. Given their running game, this is one of those situations where health ends up being a good thing for a team and a bad thing for fantasy players. Many liked the stats that Donte Harden put up against the Keydets (one of my fave nicknames, almost as good as Ohio QB Boo Jackson), but he’s banged up as well. Harden is said to be unlikely to play in the Bobcats next game, back in the MAC, after leaving his great performance with an undisclosed injury. Trying to sort Ohio’s RB situation is near impossible at this stage, so avoid it.
Mike McCoy WR BAMA
Nick Saban said that Mike McCoy injured his hamstring on a play against Georgia last week, but when you see the play, it’s unlikely that’s the case. McCoy took a big hit on the sideline and never came up. While he was on the ground, he was grabbing at his leg, but there’s no way to tell from the angle where he was hit or where he was grabbing. YouTube didn’t help on this one, so we’ll have to go along with Saban here and watch to see how McCoy comes back to see if it was a muscle strain or something more serious. He’s out for the Kentucky game this weekend.
Topics: College Football, Triage Time, Will Carroll |
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