theoneandonly

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ThoughtExperiment

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Definite limp. He might be such a badass he can still contribute somewhere, though. Side-to-side he looks normal to me.
 

Scot

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According to JS himself in an interview at training camp he is able to practice without wearing the brace. He no longer needs it to walk, and he is only wearing it part time during practice in training camp. So it seems he is ahead of schedule as far as getting back to 100%

Especially since he wasn't even supposed to be able to do anything without a brace at all

Here is to hoping it doesn't have any set backs
 

dbair1967

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My guess on this is a couple of series. I hope it's fairly early in the game. NFLN has another game coming on at 10pm.

Cowboys ready for debut, but will have Jaylon Smith on a ‘pitch count’

By Drew Davison
ddavison@star-telegram.com

August 16, 2017 9:33 PM
OXNARD, Calif.

Jaylon Smith doesn’t want to talk about his NFL debut on Saturday. At least before it happens.

Smith declined interview requests Wednesday, saying he’d address reporters after he actually played in the Dallas Cowboys-Indianapolis Colts preseason game.


“He’s going to do unbelievable,” linebacker Sean Lee said. “It’s unbelievable how far he’s progressed. I can’t wait to watch him.”

Neither can the Cowboys front office or coaching staff.

“He literally has not had a bad minute since he’s been here,” coach Jason Garrett said. “He comes to work every day with incredible spirit and he’s just so much fun to be around. Everybody is pulling for him. He’s worked very hard. He deserves this opportunity.”

Smith will be on a pitch count, executive vice president Stephen Jones said. It’s unknown what exactly that pitch count will be, but Jones reiterated that the organization views Smith as a 10-year player.
So they won’t overextend Smith in a preseason contest.

“You don’t need to go win defensive player of the year in the first night out in the preseason game,” Jones said. “He has trusted the process. He knows what we have done with him and have his best interest at stake here. He trusts the training staff, the coaching staff, the organization. Obviously we have made a big investment in him.”

The Cowboys used an early second-round pick in the 2016 draft to select Smith, knowing he would have to take at least a red-shirt year. Smith tore the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his left knee during Notre Dame’s bowl game Jan. 1, 2016. Damage to the peroneal nerve was more problematic.

Some teams were so concerned Smith may never see the field again that they took him off their draft boards entirely.

The Cowboys felt comfortable enough that Smith would eventually recover, partly because their team physician, Dr. Daniel Cooper, did the surgery. Cooper gave a timeline of 9-15 months for the nerve to fully recover.

“We all understood the severity of the injury,” Garrett said. “But we always felt like we knew the guy. Just the way he’s handled himself.”

And, as Garrett said, Smith couldn’t have handled himself better in a lengthy and deliberate rehab process.

Smith has done the right things all along and has repeatedly said he’s at “peace” with what’s happened to him. And he’s been on board with how the Cowboys have brought him back in training camp.
 

theoneandonly

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Jaylon Smith is to be congratulated. No matter what happens, the Dallas Cowboyslinebacker has overcome incredible odds to play in a NFL game.

The odds are stacked against a player when he essentially dislocates his knee and injures the peroneal nerve. Most players (such as Marcus Lattimore) who dislocate a knee never return to play football, even when the nerve is spared.

Smith is second on the Cowboys’ depth chart, behind Sean Lee, and got the chance to start in Saturday night’s preseason game. He played three series with the first team as Lee was resting a hamstring injury.

This is just preseason, so let’s not get too excited or too critical. Smith hasn’t played in a game in almost 600 days. This was his first NFL action. His accomplishments should be celebrated. He performed admirably and garnered one nice tackle.

The shame is without this injury, he probably would be the generational linebacker that some were projecting. Even with his suiting up to play, the prognosis regarding Smith has not changed from what was expressed here earlier this year.

If you watch the plays he was involved in Saturday closely, there appear to be clear indications of what he cannot yet do.

The one tackle he made in three series Saturday was a powerful play where he closed in linear fashion to the right flat. That will be his strength. Start-stop acceleration and direction change will be the challenge.

Note that he does not play special teams like most back up linebackers. It would be extremely hard to run full speed and adjust his angle of attack.

His comeback is remarkable. We should all be rooting for him and look at Saturday as a good start and glass half-full, even with visible deficiencies.

Copyright © 2017, The San Diego Union-Tribune

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com...fd-jaylon-smith-debut-cowboys-0819-story.html
 

Doomsday

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Smith is second on the Cowboys’ depth chart, behind Sean Lee
That's factually incorrect. Smith plays Mike, and Lee has been playing Sam the last three seasons. They're not in competition for the same job, they'll be on the field at the same time.
 

dbair1967

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That's factually incorrect. Smith plays Mike, and Lee has been playing Sam the last three seasons. They're not in competition for the same job, they'll be on the field at the same time.

Lee is the Will (WOLB). Sam is SOLB. Right now Damien Wilson mans the Sam.

W= weakside
S= strongside
M= middle
 

Doomsday

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Lee is the Will (WOLB). Sam is SOLB. Right now Damien Wilson mans the Sam.
Yep, mis-typed. The point remains, Lee is NOT competing with Smith for the same spot, and Smith is NOT second behind Lee on the depth chart.
 

ThoughtExperiment

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I guess we'll see if some of those bad angles he took were due to rust or not being able to move fast enough because of the foot.
 
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I feel like there is too much hype surrounding Jaylon that he can't possibly live up to (not this season anyway) given how bad the injury was.
 

Scot

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I still haven't been able to watch the game. But I did see the highlight on his tackle

Was it just me or did it look like he nearly tripped over his own two feet when he changed direction. It seemed like he had a little trouble there. He still got the tackle so it's all good. But it didn't look as smooth as I would have hoped

It was hard to tell on my small screen on my phone
 
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The irony of ironies is that we were more positive in general about the Gimp after last night than the Zone.
 

yimyammer

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The irony of ironies is that we were more positive in general about the Gimp after last night than the Zone.

Speaking of the Zone, does anyone ever read (and attempt to understand) CCboys posts?

I've never encountered anyone on the internet worse than him in terms of writing style, I get a headache just trying to comprehend whatever the hell he is trying to say. He's tedious and exhausting to read and his use of the english language in written text comes across so haughty and indiscernible.

Its the strangest thing I've seen in all the forums I frequent.

Anyone else noticed this?
 

bbgun

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yes, he's pretentious as all get out. he once claimed to be a USAFA grad, but I highly doubt it.
 
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