Big Vince continues to defy the odds and look remarkable

Good news everyone!

Vince Wilfork takes big steps | Boston Herald

My question is, is this level of recovery nearly unprecedented? I've never heard of such rapid recovery from a torn achilles to my recent memory. Of course we don't know the full extent or complete circumstances of the injury, but this seems extremely positive and almost frickin' miraculous. Am I mistaken, or have new surgery techniques and/or rehab regimens reduced recovery time more than I could realistically foresee? Cue: I'm no doctor, but I did stay at...

pdangle said:

Good news everyone!

http://bostonherald.com/sports/patriots_nfl/new_england_patriots/2014/07/

My question is, is this level of recovery nearly unprecedented? I've never heard of such rapid recovery from a torn achilles to my recent memory. Of course we don't know the full extent or complete circumstances of the injury, but this seems extremely positive and almost frickin' miraculous. Am I mistaken, or have new surgery techniques and/or rehab regimens reduced recovery time more than I could realistically foresee? Cue: I'm no doctor, but I did stay at...

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I don't know enough about orthopedic reconstructive techniques to answer your question, but certainly so far Wilfork's recovery has been remarkable, and far more than I anticipated. I'm still quite cautious and want to see how he holds up when the tendon is put under stress, and over the course of the season, but I'm incredibly impressed with how quickly Wilfork seems to have progressed.

Reiss says that he appears to have shed some weight, which will help, a lot. I'd like to see him do an Allan Page and drop another 50. He's going to have a difficult and shorter last half of his life if he doesn't do some work there, plus put all that stress on every ligament and tendon in his body.

betterthanthealternative said:

Reiss says that he appears to have shed some weight

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If true, that's even more impressive to me. For a guy his size to be off his feet for as long as he was, and still come in lighter than last year is a testament to his work ethic and a commitment to healthier eating habits. Still remains to be seen whether his effectiveness on the field will be as amazing as his apparent recovery, though.

ConVINCEd!

They haven't put pads on yet. That he's come this far considering everything is very impressive. But let's temper the enthusiasm until we see how he does in full contact situations when he has to anchor and hold up against the C and G.

I am still concerned that Vince will not be anywhere near what he was pre-injury, I have to say he really surprised me for not showing up on the PUP list. So I am cautiously optimistic that he could be close to the pre-injury Vince.

Remember that Vince's favorite stated off season workout regimen is swimming laps. It builds conditioning which he was noted for, burns calories allowing him to consume those favorite tasty ribs, and keeps stress off the achilles early on as it heals. Looks like that's part of how he did it.

I hate laps. Too difficult & reminds me of asthma attacks I had as a kid.

pdangle said:

Good news everyone!

http://bostonherald.com/sports/patriots_nfl/new_england_patriots/2014/07/

My question is, is this level of recovery nearly unprecedented? I've never heard of such rapid recovery from a torn achilles to my recent memory. Of course we don't know the full extent or complete circumstances of the injury, but this seems extremely positive and almost frickin' miraculous. Am I mistaken, or have new surgery techniques and/or rehab regimens reduced recovery time more than I could realistically foresee? Cue: I'm no doctor, but I did stay at...

Click to expand...

Surgery has come a long way. My dad (NFL ref) tore his achilles and had surgery in May of last year. He reffed the final 2 preseason games, season and playoffs. Granted, my dad is not 350 pounds but still. That is a 3.5 month recovery. He wasn't 100% of course at 3.5 months, more like 5-6 but could still run and lift (he is actually in excellent shape for his age). He did thin out, like they are saying Vince did, which accelerates the process. It really depends on which surgery he had.

I thought vince was supposed to get his leg amputated due to his family history of diabetes. What happened?

PatsWickedPissah said:

Remember that Vince's favorite stated off season workout regimen is swimming laps. It builds conditioning which he was noted for, burns calories allowing him to consume those favorite tasty ribs, and keeps stress off the achilles early on as it heals. Looks like that's part of how he did it.

I hate laps. Too difficult & reminds me of asthma attacks I had as a kid.

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I wonder if their were any killer whale sightings there?

"Ahhhhhh, it was huge and swimming right at me!"

PatsWickedPissah said:

Remember that Vince's favorite stated off season workout regimen is swimming laps. It builds conditioning which he was noted for, burns calories allowing him to consume those favorite tasty ribs, and keeps stress off the achilles early on as it heals. Looks like that's part of how he did it.

I hate laps. Too difficult & reminds me of asthma attacks I had as a kid.

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Dork.

You can bet other teams will be testing him early in the season...I think more rotations in and out of series will be the best option...

Go Vince Go.

I'm really happy with the reports, to be honest I was not even counting on Vince. If he makes it will be a nice addition to the defense. I say addition because I thought he would not restructure or even recover from that injury. If he is full go for training camp he is already recovered, the only question now is whether his tendon is going to hold.

pdangle said:

Good news everyone!

http://bostonherald.com/sports/patriots_nfl/new_england_patriots/2014/07/

My question is, is this level of recovery nearly unprecedented? I've never heard of such rapid recovery from a torn achilles to my recent memory. Of course we don't know the full extent or complete circumstances of the injury, but this seems extremely positive and almost frickin' miraculous. Am I mistaken, or have new surgery techniques and/or rehab regimens reduced recovery time more than I could realistically foresee? Cue: I'm no doctor, but I did stay at...

Click to expand...

It sure seems that way - coming back anywhere close to 100% from an Achilles tear used to be effectively impossible, even if you weren't 330 pounds and over 30. Surgeries and rehab have come so far in just the past decade, though, so who knows. Maybe this kind of recovery will be commonplace in the not not-too-distant future, kinda like ACL tears now.

KontradictioN said:

They haven't put pads on yet. That he's come this far considering everything is very impressive. But let's temper the enthusiasm until we see how he does in full contact situations when he has to anchor and hold up against the C and G.

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I understand the caution but there is not one person here who believed he would be good to go right out of the gate so I certainly understand why people are so psyched by these reports.

Ivan said:

I understand the caution but there is not one person here who believed he would be good to go right out of the gate so I certainly understand why people are so psyched by these reports.

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I'm one of those people as well. As a matter of fact, I thought there was a big chance the team could simply part ways with him. So I've been so far off on this that it's not even funny and, quite frankly, a little embarrassing. But still, the team has to put the pads on. That's when a lot of true tests will happen, not only with Wilfork, but for Thompkins as well (who is drawing rave reviews and who I've repeatedly insisted this entire offseason is making the team).

betterthanthealternative said:

Reiss says that he appears to have shed some weight, which will help, a lot. I'd like to see him do an Allan Page and drop another 50. He's going to have a difficult and shorter last half of his life if he doesn't do some work there, plus put all that stress on every ligament and tendon in his body.

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I hope so for a few reasons, Vince's health being one, but also, the need for a true NT is slowly vanishing, especially with our 4 man front.

In 2011 Vince was incredibly disruptive even while two-gapping. If he loses a few lbs and becomes quicker on his feet he can possibly be a 4th disruptive player on the line (Jones Jones/Easley, Wilfork/Kelly, Ninko).

The weight loss should also have a trickle down effect on conditioning, allowing him to be able to play whatever snaps he's asked (which is hopefully reduced still from the 2011-12 numbers).

KontradictioN said:

I'm one of those people as well. As a matter of fact, I thought there was a big chance the team could simply part ways with him. So I've been so far off on this that it's not even funny and, quite frankly, a little embarrassing. But still, the team has to put the pads on. That's when a lot of true tests will happen, not only with Wilfork, but for Thompkins as well (who is drawing rave reviews and who I've repeatedly insisted this entire offseason is making the team).

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I'm with you about Thompkins i think he is very underated. but about wilfork why does this board keep acting like he was ted washington 2.0? he was different ive never seen a guy that size move like he did maybe only other big guy that was more freakish is brock lesnar when he was in the ufc for a guy that size they should not move that quick.