Bryant requires second foot surgery--impact Edelman return?

Mack Herron · Dec 30, 2015

Julian Edelman has apparently progressed well from his broken foot, and there has been lively discussion about when he should return. One precedent cited has been Dez Bryant's return from the same injury in a rapid time frame that would put Edelman on the field Sunday in Miami. The decision must weigh a risk of re-injury against getting in game condition. Today's news about Bryant requiring additional foot and ankle surgery is a reminder of the risk of rapid return.

The Dallas Cowboys announced on Wednesday that Dez Bryant will be placed on injured reserve and miss the Week 17 finale so he can have ankle and foot surgeries.
Bryant, 27, suffered a broken foot in Week 1 and underwent surgery to repair the injury before coming back in Week 8. He was never his usual self though, managing no more than five receptions in a game and eclipsing 100 receiving yards just once, although the Cowboys were also missing quarterback Tony Romo for most of the year.

His struggles to get going and further surgeries suggest that he may have returned too soon from his initial injury for a season that never got going for the Cowboys, although it likely won't be a problem for Bryant in 2016.

Dez Bryant's season to forget is ending early due to foot surgery

FourierSeries · Dec 30, 2015

"He was never himself."

No ****. He had awful QBs throwing him the ball, and the team was eliminated early from the playoffs with nothing to play for.

micronin127 · Dec 30, 2015

The team can't leave it up to the player to decide, because players want to play. It is incumbent on the medical staff to assess if Edelman going full speed will re-injure himself or if the broken bone in his foot is fully healed.

Edelman is going to change direction quickly. He is going to plant his foot really hard. He is going to play all out if you let him play at all.

venecol · Dec 30, 2015

Don't need JE against Miami, so might as well give him another two weeks off.

Ice_Ice_Brady · Dec 30, 2015

Every injury is different. The severity of the break, the healing process and bloodflow, the strength of the bones, and the impact placed on the injury, are all factors. Dez Bryant came back to play eight games.

Deus Irae · Dec 30, 2015

See you in the playoffs, Julian

micronin127 · Dec 30, 2015

venecol said:
Don't need JE against Miami, so might as well give him another two weeks off.

Re-injury can still occur in playoffs, but at that point it is all about playing for a championship and all the work that went into the 2015 season and wanting to give it a chance and see it through.

I think taking the extra two weeks can't hurt the healing process. You risk being rusty upon return. I prefer "rust risk" to "re-injury risk" or even "sub-optimal seeding risk".

Deus Irae · Dec 30, 2015

Ice_Ice_Brady said:
Every injury is different. The severity of the break, the healing process and bloodflow, the strength of the bones, and the impact placed on the injury, are all factors. Dez Bryant came back to play eight games.

He came back too early, was never the same, and now has to get more surgery. Teams are better off being slower than normal with these injuries than they are trying to push the envelope.

Ice_Ice_Brady · Dec 30, 2015

Deus Irae said:
He came back too early, was never the same, and now has to get more surgery. Teams are better off being slower than normal with these injuries than they are trying to push the envelope.

Possibly...I often wonder if the Pats would have won SB46 had they just kept Gronkowski on the bench and replaced him with another option. That interception by Blackburn in the 4th was a killer and the result of trying to force the ball to someone who should not have been in that situation. I don't think the Giants really bought the whole "decoy" idea after it was apparent Gronk was not healthy, and I can't speak intelligibly about his blocking.

PatriotsPimp136 · Dec 30, 2015

Idk. They will be risk envolved but u have to rolled the dice. Bryant had awful QBs so it's stupid when they say he wasn't the same.

My concern with edelman will be his rust
if he doesn't play against miami. Even a 75 percent edelman's better. Some of these other guys haven't gotten the job done. Lafell

IllegalContact · Dec 30, 2015

Edelman has already been practicing for a couple of weeks ..... I think he will be fine when he steps onto the field

aluminum seats · Dec 30, 2015

IllegalContact said:
Edelman has already been practicing for a couple of weeks ..... I think he will be fine when he steps onto the field

Absolutely. He and Brady have a great rapport that they'll pick up right away. Two more weeks of rest is much more valuable than shaking off rust.

FibSeq13478 · Dec 30, 2015

Ice_Ice_Brady said:
Possibly...I often wonder if the Pats would have won SB46 had they just kept Gronkowski on the bench and replaced him with another option. That interception by Blackburn in the 4th was a killer and the result of trying to force the ball to someone who should not have been in that situation. I don't think the Giants really bought the whole "decoy" idea after it was apparent Gronk was not healthy, and I can't speak intelligibly about his blocking.

Bad example, IMO. On that play Gronk was open deep but Brady who was hurt on a JPP tackle in the first quarter didn't have enough on the throw. So the player injury that contributed to interception was Brady's.

Ring 6 · Dec 30, 2015

micronin127 said:
Re-injury can still occur in playoffs, but at that point it is all about playing for a championship and all the work that went into the 2015 season and wanting to give it a chance and see it through.

I think taking the extra two weeks can't hurt the healing process. You risk being rusty upon return. I prefer "rust risk" to "re-injury risk" or even "sub-optimal seeding risk".

This weeks game is part of playing for a Championship.
Being home for the AFCCG could very well be the difference between winning and losing.
On top of this Edelman will be better in the Divisional round if he prepares, starts and plays a lot reps in this game than if he sits until then. Of course this assumes he is ready to play, which we are guessing about.

Hammer of Thor · Dec 30, 2015

Mack Herron said:
Julian Edelman has apparently progressed well from his broken foot, and there has been lively discussion about when he should return. One precedent cited has been Dez Bryant's return from the same injury in a rapid time frame that would put Edelman on the field Sunday in Miami. The decision must weigh a risk of re-injury against getting in game condition. Today's news about Bryant requiring additional foot and ankle surgery is a reminder of the risk of rapid return.

Dez Bryant's season to forget is ending early due to foot surgery

As noted, the specific details of the breaks and the healing progress of each person is different. That said, Edelman broke his foot in Week 10, so if he plays Sunday he'll have been out for the same amount of time that Bryant was. If the choice is the number 1 seed but Edelman playing at 70% in the playoffs, or the number 2 seed and Edelman playing at 90%, I'll take my chances in Denver if necessary (despite it being our house-of-horrors). The issue is that none of us really know what the percentages are in each case.

PatriotsPimp136 · Dec 30, 2015

We need to win on sunday. I like what i have seen from martin. I hope he gives having that connection with tommy.

PatriotsPimp136 · Dec 30, 2015

Hammer of Thor said:
As noted, the specific details of the breaks and the healing progress of each person is different. That said, Edelman broke his foot in Week 10, so if he plays Sunday he'll have been out for the same amount of time that Bryant was. If the choice is the number 1 seed but Edelman playing at 70% in the playoffs, or the number 2 seed and Edelman playing at 90%, I'll take my chances in Denver if necessary (despite it being our house-of-horrors). The issue is that none of us really know what the percentages are in each case.

Well i don't know how much of a factor he would be with all that rest. That's why we need guys to step up " cough cough" lafell

BTTA · Dec 30, 2015

Deus Irae said:
He came back too early, was never the same, and now has to get more surgery. Teams are better off being slower than normal with these injuries than they are trying to push the envelope.

I'd love to know what the doctors actually know, and how they learn it. Some athletes take four months with this surgery; others, less than two. How do they know when to let a guy put real game pressure on it again? How sure are they when they give the go ahead? And are the re-injuries because the doctors were wrong, or because there's just no way to know without trying it, or because the player ignored the doctor's advice?

SammyBlueCat · Dec 30, 2015

I hope there is no correlation/causation between the two athletes.

NE_Zealot · Dec 30, 2015

Yep I'm joining the chorus of waiting til the divisional round.

Bryant requires second foot surgery--impact Edelman return?

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