Dowling's injuries were some concern. However, they weren't as big of a concern when compared to Marcus Cannon.
In all honesty, Dowling's injuries seemed to be over-blown. The high ankle sprain in his senior year in particular. High ankle sprains come in a variety of shapes and sizes and can be misdiagnosed (see Ty Law). And, I'll be honest, it seemed like the VA training staff tried to rush him back before they realized their mistake.
To say anything more than the book is incomplete on Ras-I, imho, would be fallacy.
I hate to do it, but I'd have to respectfully disagree, DB.
Cannon's diagnosis was the one that was somewhat overblown, as those in his situation have over a 90%+ full recovery rate. Those who know something about this never wrote him off for the season like most others. That said, I still agree with your point in general, due to the stigma and seriousness of the word "cancer" itself; so yes, many were certainly scared to take him. I also believe that many doctors would have told you that he had a very high chance of eventually returning to football at some point. The question for these potential teams then became--"when?" Waiting for the probability for him to recover and return was what generally turned everyone off, as most felt he would at least be a red-shirt this yr. There's till a chance that he does not play this yr, and gets IR'ed, but it would not likely be for the reasons everyone thought. He is 100% recovered, and there's no reason whatsoever to think that he will have some type of recurring issue. Belichick may still utilize his first yr to continue to get acquainted with the system, and continue to learn and train. Roster spots are obviously at a premium too, so there are several factors that may differentiate his being here vs. another team (as you know, of course), and whether or not to add him to the 53 man roster...but if he does not get added, most will wrongfully assume that it was because he wasn't healthy enough etc, due to the cancer.
Dowling, OTOH--has a very, very long history of multiple injuries, which date back to early high school. He obviously has potential, but rarely seems to avoid the injury bug. I would link all of these numerous injuries, but the poster above me already gives us a decent look into this situation.
I would definitely agree 100% that we should not assume that Dowling will never be healthy, as it's possible that the extensive pro level training and rehab may very well turn him on a better path. It's terribly early to label him much of anything, but at the same time you have to see where the doubters and injry concerns are coming from. (although we certainly should try to remain positive and continue to give him the benefit of the doubt IMO)
The bottom line is that the draft of 2011 was a huge luxury for this team, way more than people realize. That is one of the reasons why we could afford to roll the dice and take a chance on such guys as Dowling, Mallett, and even to a lesser extent, Marcus Cannon.
