<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Clowney said he had no soreness today from practicing. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Texans?src=hash">#Texans</a></p>— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) <a href="https://twitter.com/taniaganguli/status/633312328147181569">August 17, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Not really, Darrelle Revis had microfracture surgery before the 2013 season and he's played all 35 games since then at what most would consider a high level. The main reason microfracture surgery has such a bad reputation is that a lot of the time it's used as a last resort "hail Mary" sort of surgery on knees that are just trashed on old athletes. Travis Kelce is another who had microfracture during the 2013 season who bounced back to have a very successful season in 2014 despite being essentially a rookie still. It's still a rough recovery, but when the injury isn't that bad and the athlete isn't incredibly old, they can bounce back.
Man, I am not sure what I expected but to see him on the field actually doing football related drills is pretty cool. I wasn't ready to buy the "he's healthy" hype but it seems he is truly way ahead of the original timetable. I am sure he still has a long way to go but I am very surprised he is participating in dummy drills, etc. I guess the next test will be playing full contact in practice eventually. Hopefully it is sooner rather than later.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">As we all reported earlier, LBs Jadeveon Clowney & Akeem Dent passed their physicals & returned to practice. No longer on Active/PUP list</p>— Adam Wexler (@awexler) <a href="https://twitter.com/awexler/status/633374002652647424">August 17, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
B.O.B: Spoiler (on what he wanted to see out of OLB Jadeveon Clowney today) "Again, we brought him back, walkthroughs, stretch, individual. I thought that’s basically what we wanted to see." (on the work OLB Jadeveon Clowney put in to get back) "Yeah, I think anytime you have surgery, the rehab process can be monotonous. He put in the work. We’re going to ease him back into this thing and ramp him up to be able to play in games and go from there. So yeah, he put in a lot of work." (on if he spent time with OLB Jadeveon Clowney during rehab) "I spent time with him. He and I talk. Obviously, when we went with the surgery with him, we felt like that was the best thing for him. At that time, we probably spoke the most about how important rehab was going to be. I think he took that to heart. He worked hard and now he’s back out here, which is good." (on when OLB Jadeveon Clowney will play in a game) "I don’t know." Jonathan Joseph on Clowney: Spoiler (on if he could tell that OLB Jadeveon Clowney took the difficulty of rehab to heart) "Without a doubt. I think he did his research as well. Everybody put their minds together. I am on the outside looking in, but this is just from speaking to him day to day. He talked with guys who played before who have had the injury. I think he went down his whole checklist and just making sure everything was in order, and I think he stuck to the plan. Everything worked itself out." Mercilus: Spoiler (on whether he could sense OLB Jadeveon Clowney’s anticipation this past week) "Oh yeah, Clowney is always excited. He’s definitely excited. He’s wanted to be a part of the group instead of all the way over there on the side of the field, instead of spectating. He wants to be in with the guys playing, in there, pass rushing, playing a run, things like that, so he’s excited to be back." Cushing: Spoiler (on how OLB Jadeveon Clowney feels about being back) "Mentally it is really good for him. I know just from watching him and talking to him today he feels good about it. It is a long kind of drawn out process being in rehab and going through all the steps to get back. He is just one step closer and you can definitely tell he is very upbeat about it." (on if he can appreciate the process OLB Jadeveon Clowney had to go through) "Sure, sure can. I know what it is like, I have done it twice. It’s not easy. There are a lot of dark days and repetitive hard work that has to go in. The hardest part is over for him. Now it is the fun part, getting back and playing football with the guys." (on if OLB Jadeveon Clowney sought his advice) "We talk a bunch. We talk about little things and the knee and all that. We talked a lot during the whole process. Like I said, he looks great."
The thing I liked most about Him being back today was when they asked O'brien on if he knew when he would play a game, and he gave a definitive "I don't know". That right there speaks volumes to what they've preached all off-season. Bringing him back slowly. Having Clowney reach every recovery milestone, and making sure they aren't forcing him back early.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Clowney is being watched closely but seeing him in individual drills. Good seeing him run the arc in pass rush drills. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Texans?src=hash">#Texans</a></p>— PDS (@PatDStat) <a href="https://twitter.com/PatDStat/status/633671397294735360">August 18, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Clowney also worked on setting the edge vs. TEs. Has the pop I saw last year. Much stronger this year than last. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Texans?src=hash">#Texans</a></p>— PDS (@PatDStat) <a href="https://twitter.com/PatDStat/status/633671863084822528">August 18, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">He is physically stronger than he was as a rookie. <a href="https://t.co/h3tWtGPZPy">https://t.co/h3tWtGPZPy</a></p>— PDS (@PatDStat) <a href="https://twitter.com/PatDStat/status/633673580148953088">August 18, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Intrigued by Jadeveon Clowney today. Had constant questions to Vrabel and about his technique. Moved well. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Texans?src=hash">#Texans</a></p>— PDS (@PatDStat) <a href="https://twitter.com/PatDStat/status/633670817520357376">August 18, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Bill O'Brien says Jadeveon Clowney will do a little bit more in practice.He's pleased with his progress.Clowney is asking to do more.<a class="hashtag" action="hash" title="#Texans">#Texans</a></p>— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkBermanFox26/status/635528516684017664" data-datetime="2015-08-23T19:06:20+00:00">August 23, 2015</a></blockquote> <script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Possibly. The technology is always advancing and Clowney has a really good work ethic to help speed recovery.
Also several different procedures are collectively called microfracture despite very different expectations of recovery.
Each and every game matters a ton. No sense in saving guys for November when games in September can effectively make or break a season. If he's ready and healed, he should be out there if he has a chance to help the team.
Some more than others, 1. Division, 2. Conference, 3. NFC in that order of importance. 3 out of our first 4 are against bad NFC teams. With Clowney, you could almost wait until the game 5 against the Colts to bring him back. Our September/October schedule will not make or break our season. It's the middle and end where we have 6 division games and games against the AFC East contenders. Also, no one is asking to save just some random guys. No I'm talking about being cautious with our #1 pick who has had several major injuries over the last 2 years, including a groin/hernia, concussion, and knee problem. There's a reason Dr.'s put plans together. Clowney is not a Dr. and him asking to do more is my biggest problem. Stick the to plan, no reason to accelerate the schedule and find out you were wrong especially when you study the schedule. #1's are supposed to be valuable and should be treated as such. Stick to the plan.
I can tell you first-hand, most of these "plans" are just estimates. Truly depends on the player, their anatomy, their healing abilities, and the way their bodies respond. Sometimes, timetables need to be extended.... sometimes they can be pushed faster. Likewise, sometimes re-injuries are going to recur regardless of how you handle them... sometimes you do suffer setbacks from trying to do too much too soon. There's also nothing to suggest they're doing stuff he's not "cleared" for... at this point, things are either fixed or they are what they are. If his knee is holding up just fine, and doctors agree that there's nothing harmful about more work, then there's really no reason to be cautious "just because."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Bill O'Brien said Jadeveon Clowney won't play in the preseason game against the Saints</p>— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/AaronWilson_NFL/status/635885822961577984">August 24, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
