'13 IN ATH Jaylon Smith (Notre Dame Man & Graduate)

[IrishLion]

I don't know..........

Jared Lorenzen has a Super Bowl ring.

JARED EARNED HIS RING, OKAY?

That was for big guys everywhere, even though he was kind of in-shape when he was with the Giants.

 

[Irish Insanity]

I can't speak to this particular situation, but I had surgery that required the cutting and reattachment of nerves. It took right at a year before things were close to normal. Within a couple more months I was 99%. It will happen when it happens.

100% accurate. But sometimes, in the end, it doesn't happen. Or if it does, or doesn't happen to the degree it did originally. I suffered and injury where my nerve was severed and eventually transposed and protected to try and get it to as close to functional as possible. It's been13 years and I still have little, or no, feeling from the injury location to the end of the extremity, and limited mobility. At the beginning of the situation I had no mobility or feeling. So it did improve and repair itself, but not fully.

 

[phgreek]

100% accurate. But sometimes, in the end, it doesn't happen. Or if it does, or doesn't happen to the degree it did originally. I suffered and injury where my nerve was severed and eventually transposed and protected to try and get it to as close to functional as possible. It's been13 years and I still have little, or no, feeling from the injury location to the end of the extremity, and limited mobility. At the beginning of the situation I had no mobility or feeling. So it did improve and repair itself, but not fully.

I know all of these progress differently...but lets say he has to use a brace...I mean I looked at some of the newer ones, and they don't look bad.

They appear less invasive than the lace-up ankle braces I wore. Now I realize when we are talking about a guy playing in the NFL, a "little" interference could impact his play a bit. But after looking up the braces, I feel pretty good about his chance to be a difference maker either way.

 

[brewdog_14527]

Why Jerry Jones Remains Confident Jaylon Smith Can Be An “Impact Player” | Dallas Cowboys

 

[Shamrock Theories]

"During a Friday appearance on 105.3 The Fan, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said that Smith should be ready for OTAs and minicamp this year and that the team still has high hopes for his future with the franchise.

“He’s doing great,” Jones said, via Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. “He’s making great improvements. We’re more fired up than ever we picked him last year."

Cowboys “more fired up than ever” about Jaylon Smith | ProFootballTalk

 

[aubeirish]

"During a Friday appearance on 105.3 The Fan, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said that Smith should be ready for OTAs and minicamp this year and that the team still has high hopes for his future with the franchise.

“He’s doing great,” Jones said, via Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. “He’s making great improvements. We’re more fired up than ever we picked him last year."

Cowboys “more fired up than ever” about Jaylon Smith | ProFootballTalk

No doubt. easily one of the steals of the draft. I hope he is anyways... Go Jaylon.

 

[T-Boone]

Jeez, ESPN were even low on Jaylon.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Jeez, ESPN were even low on Jaylon.

Yeah they had Thomas as the top OLB. Thomas was a stud and probably a 5 star also...but never should have been ahead of Jaylon.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ResLife Hero]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Nerve in Jaylon Smith's knee regenerating; Cowboys LB slowly gaining muscle control, <a href="https://twitter.com/RapSheet">@RapSheet</a> reports<a href="https://t.co/5DlBHpZrIu">https://t.co/5DlBHpZrIu</a> <a href="https://t.co/ikPcssaHrm">pic.twitter.com/ikPcssaHrm</a></p>— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/AroundTheNFL/status/856536304607154177">April 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
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[zelezo vlk]

Please

 

[NorthDakota]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Nerve in Jaylon Smith's knee regenerating; Cowboys LB slowly gaining muscle control, <a href="https://twitter.com/RapSheet">@RapSheet</a> reports<a href="https://t.co/5DlBHpZrIu">https://t.co/5DlBHpZrIu</a> <a href="https://t.co/ikPcssaHrm">pic.twitter.com/ikPcssaHrm</a></p>— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/AroundTheNFL/status/856536304607154177">April 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Hey-oooooooo!

 

[Luckylucci]

Exciting stuff!

 

[phgreek]

uh oh...here he comes...WooHooo!

The one and only time I'll root for something good to happen to the Cowboys.

 

[BobbyMac]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said it's his understanding LB Jaylon Smith will be allowed to participate in team's rookie mini-camp in 2 weeks</p>— Brandon George (@DMN_George) <a href="https://twitter.com/DMN_George/status/858086834953388033">April 28, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[yankeehater]

I hope I am not reading too much into this, but don't see this as a good sign.

Cowboys 'don't anticipate' Jaylon Smith doing much on-field work during rookie minicamp

 

[Irish#1]

I hope I am not reading too much into this, but don't see this as a good sign.

Cowboys 'don't anticipate' Jaylon Smith doing much on-field work during rookie minicamp

Just from reading, I'd say they were just being cautious.

 

[woolybug25]

I hope I am not reading too much into this, but don't see this as a good sign.

Cowboys 'don't anticipate' Jaylon Smith doing much on-field work during rookie minicamp

I think you are reading too much into it. He's not a rookie, he's not battling for a roster spot and he is coming off a major injury. How well do you think it would go over if he re injured himself by getting cut blocked by an UFA in a practice he isn't even supposed to be at?

 

[ab2cmiller]

One thing I'm confident of, Jaylon has definitely been spending all his time rehabbing and has not been on the golf course.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/EzekielElliott">@EzekielElliott</a> How about <a href="https://twitter.com/thejaylonsmith">@thejaylonsmith</a>... <a href="https://t.co/DzoKOaQLeq">pic.twitter.com/DzoKOaQLeq</a></p>— Mike Leslie (@MikeLeslieWFAA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeLeslieWFAA/status/862369381090807808">May 10, 2017</a></blockquote>
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[ACamp1900]

That's me all day

 

[ClausentoTate]

A regular Charles Barkley lol

 

[Big23Head]

Hopefully this article is 100% true
An in-depth report on why Cowboys are now so optimistic about Jaylon Smith's recovery

Jerry Jones loves to say that Jaylon Smith's arrow is pointing up.

A more significant piece of information is that the linebacker can now flex his left toes up.

Optimism about Smith's return from a devastating knee injury continues to build at The Star. The next step in his long road back took place Tuesday when the linebacker went through his first practice since being drafted by the Cowboys 13 months ago.

Is it realistic to expect that Smith's nerve will regenerate 100 percent? How effective can he be if it doesn't? Does he open himself up to other injuries if he must play with an ankle-foot orthosis (AFO)?

Based on conversations with multiple Cowboys officials in recent weeks, here's a more concrete look at the reasons behind the club's growing confidence and what lies ahead for Smith.

Smith did more than rip his anterior cruciate ligament in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl. He damaged his peroneal nerve to the point it no longer functioned, leaving him unable to lift his left foot toward his shin.

It's true that the longer it takes the nerve to regenerate, the less likely it will come back completely. Since Smith is 17 months removed from the injury and the nerve has only partially regenerated, those who express skepticism that it ever will are justified.

The Cowboys know this and are prepared for that probable reality. But their optimism stems from what has taken place over the last two months.

Little to no regeneration was evident over the first nine months. That was followed by only incremental improvement.

But what has taken place over the last two months has been dramatic. One club official describes it as exponential. The pace of regeneration shows no signs of slowing.

Now, could that regeneration stop at any moment, leaving Smith to manage at that percentage for the remainder of his career? Yes. But there has been such significant improvement in recent weeks the Cowboys are encouraged it will continue.

Sensory perception has returned for Smith, a feeling not unlike water running downstream from his knee to his toes. Full range of motion hasn't returned, but he's now able to lift his toes toward his shin. Those who observe Smith walk without a brace will tell you he doesn't drag his foot the way he did even a few weeks ago.

That sensation is the precursor to improving his motor function. "Maximum potential'' is the phrase Smith repeats when asked if a full recovery is still possible.

The linebacker must continue to wear an AFO in practice. While his foot can now flex up partially, it can't slap down. The brace starts just above the left knee with a plate positioned under the foot. An assist spring makes the brace more flexible and dynamic.

For the sake of argument let's say the nerve only regenerates to 80 percent. The tension of the brace can be adapted to compensate for that percentage. If Smith experiences regeneration at say 60 percent, the brace would need to be stiffer to offer more support.

Again, those percentages are only thrown out as an illustration. No one knows yet to what level Smith's nerve will continue to regenerate.

Jones, always the optimist, has said he's not sure if Smith will need a brace to start the season. At this stage, it's best to assume that he will.

"It just depends on the growth of the nerve,'' said Smith, who has vowed that he will play in the opener in September. "Right now it's on the up and I'm playing with it now and looking tremendous, so I'm happy to be back out.

"I really am.''

A few doctors who once worked for NFL teams have speculated about the loss of speed and power Smith will endure. Dr. Thomas Gill, who worked for the New England Patriots through the 2013 season, has indicated if Smith returns with a brace he could be more susceptible to high ankle sprains.

Cowboys officials don't believe that's the case.

Smith understands the doubts of those who haven't seen him. He told reporters earlier this month that, "it's really just a matter of you guys getting out there and seeing.''

That won't happen Wednesday. Smith doesn't practice on consecutive days at this stage of his return. Since organized team activities began Tuesday, he will use Wednesday to concentrate on his rehabilitation before returning to the practice field Thursday.

Wednesday is the only day open to the media during OTAs. If the current schedule holds, the first time he'll practice in front of the media will be June 7 -- the final practice of OTAs -- and minicamp June 13-15.

The arrow is pointing up for Smith. How far up remains to be seen.

But there's reason for optimism.

 

[IrishLion]

 

[dublinirish]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/thejaylonsmith">@thejaylonsmith</a> updates the media on the progress he's making during the first week of OTAs.<br><br>&#55356;&#57253;:<a href="https://t.co/j1IVsPMT4m">https://t.co/j1IVsPMT4m</a> <a href="https://t.co/bkmjpDX1iL">pic.twitter.com/bkmjpDX1iL</a></p>— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) <a href="https://twitter.com/dallascowboys/status/867524920309370880">May 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
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[Big23Head]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jaylon Smith in full beast mode at OTA's! 👀 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ClearEyeView?src=hash">#ClearEyeView</a> <a href="https://t.co/ArzvDSN4oH">pic.twitter.com/ArzvDSN4oH</a></p>— ✭Cowboys News✭ (@DemBoyz_News) <a href="https://twitter.com/DemBoyz_News/status/872267822914830336">June 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Let's Go <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DallasCowboys?src=hash">#DallasCowboys</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/dallascowboys">@dallascowboys</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CowboysNation?src=hash">#CowboysNation</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FinishThisFight?src=hash">#FinishThisFight</a> 💯🏈👍👀👀👀<a href="https://twitter.com/thejaylonsmith">@thejaylonsmith</a> Coming Back Strong For Us <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ClearEyeView?src=hash">#ClearEyeView</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OTAS?src=hash">#OTAS</a> <a href="https://t.co/lIuFzerFEe">pic.twitter.com/lIuFzerFEe</a></p>— #DallasCowboys #GYM (@ChampagneYanky) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChampagneYanky/status/872416789141090304">June 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
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[IrishLion]

He seems to be moving pretty damn well with that brace that helps with the drop foot

 

[Wild Bill]

It'll be interesting to see how he handles contact. There's no way he won't be hesitant at first. I hope he can shake it and play to his potential.

So many players have had their careers cut short b/c of injury but this one really bothers me. I find myself almost cheering him on as if I'm personally invested in his recovery.

 

[BeauBenken]

Don't think I've ever wanted a player to succeed more than this kid. He deserves it.

 

[Big23Head]

Progress report: Jaylon Smith didn't look limited at all during OTAs - NFL Videos

 

[NorthDakota]

Don't think I've ever wanted a player to succeed more than this kid. He deserves it.

95% of the time i quit caring abput ND guys in the league. Hope he lights up the league. Definitely gonna snag him in fantasy for nu linebacker spot if i can.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

95% of the time i quit caring abput ND guys in the league. Hope he lights up the league. Definitely gonna snag him in fantasy for nu linebacker spot if i can.

ND guys are my only interest in the league.