Lachman test is the best physical exam way to exam for a ACL tear. If performed before swelling and correctly it does a good job to show if a player does or does not have a tear, but there are false positives ~10% of the time and false negatives ~ 15% of the time. Essentially you need at least an MRI or a scope to make any true determination. Virtually impossible to consistently determine full or partial tears based on physical examination alone as there are too many variables. While there can definitely be some signs/symptoms that point to one or the other, none of those signs/symptoms are very good at predicting full vs partial tears.
I'll take a loss here and there if it means that other teams will stop cheapshotting our asses. If I was commissioner and I wanted dirty stuff like this not to exist in the league any longer, I would suspend Slauson for as many games as Cushing himself is projected to miss. Ergo the rest of the season. Let's see anyone try blocking from behind, at the knees and with their helmet, ever again.
Wade's gonna have these guys prepared. Cushing is a huge blow to the defense, but I have confidence that this coaching staff will bring the next man up, and he'll succeed. Obviously it won't be the same as having an All-World player like Cush out there, but this team has zero quit in them. Whether that next guy is Dobbins, moving Reed over and inserting Mercilus into the starting lineup, or trading for a starting linebacker, I feel very strongly that this front office and coaching staff understand what this season means, and they are not going to let it slip through their fingers.
Here are quotes from after the game: Head coach Gary Kubiak Spoiler On the injury to Brian Cushing… I don’t know what I can give you now other than we’re very concerned obviously but I don’t want to jump the gun here. We’re going to get home and get it looked at but obviously we’re very concerned. We’ll just sit here and hope for the best on the long plane ride home. That’s all I can tell you. On how the injury happened… I don’t really know what happened. They told me upstairs that he got cut on the play and his foot might have gotten stuck in the turf and bent. I haven’t seen it but obviously (it is) crisis (number) one. On how it feels to get the win… It does feel good. We knew we came in here with a team that was really backed into the corner so to speak coming out of last week. We were going to get everything. They threw the kitchen sink at us from onside kicks to fake punts, you name it. So we got it all and I thought we really were handling ourselves well. We just couldn’t make that play to put the game away. They kept hanging in there and we gave them a turnover offensively which we knew we couldn’t do. Special teams we did not play well in my opinion. We gave up the big return but we stood up defensively in the fourth quarter and had some big stops, none bigger than Kareem’s (Jackson) play there at the end. I’m very proud of our team. (It’s) tough to go on the road Monday night and get it done but we stood up and did it. I’m very proud of them. On how significant the Cushing injury could be… I can’t even go there. I’d talk myself in a hole if I do that. We’ll wait until tomorrow. On J.J. Watt’s game… He’s exceptional. He had his hands on a couple more down there. (He) almost picked that one down there, (during what) I think it was second quarter. He’s been playing exceptional. I think our defense is playing really good football all year long and we continue to get some big turnovers. We almost turned one of them into a touchdown and then like I said the one at the end of the game was huge. We just have to keep going and if Cush (Brian Cushing) is going to miss some time, we’re going to need some people to step in and replace him. So we’ll get tested right there. On Arian Foster’s play… He was exceptional. (I) really challenged him last week. He’s what makes us go. He stepped up and rose to the challenge. He’s been close all year long, he hadn’t had any big plays but he found some big plays tonight and I think that was the big thing. We found some big plays in the run game and everything we do starts with him, whether we can throw it, (run) play action, those type of things. everything starts with him so he was exceptional. On the play action pass to Owen Daniels… We just ran a boot and threw the ball across the field and we got the perfect coverage. Sometimes those things work out perfect and it was a great first drive then after that we got kind of sloppy for a few series. They’re pretty darn good on defense in my opinion they caused a lot of problems but we moved the ball. I thought we moved the ball pretty well all night long. It could have been better in the red zone. That one time we settled for three. The one before the half I think we have to settle for three right there with the situation we were in but I think we moved the ball pretty good. On Daniels play this season… He’s been playing well all year long. I think the biggest thing is Garret’s (Graham) come in and given him a chance to play less snaps. I think it’s shown in how he’s playing. James (Casey) continues to play well for our team. So the ball’s getting spread around. I’m just sitting here looking at 14 of 28 (passing) that’s not usually us throwing the ball but (they are) just a big man coverage team so you’ve got to make some big plays and we did with our 14 completions we made some big plays. On special teams… I didn’t like it. We suited an extra guy tonight on special teams. We had every play we could possibly have to play good football and I don’t think we did. Our return game was not good, we gave up a touchdown. We have to take a really hard look at ourselves, me and Joe (Marciano), and figure out why we aren’t playing better. Running back Arian Foster Spoiler On his performance… It's always good to perform well on the Monday Night Football stage. But, it was a total team effort and a good win for our team. On what he said to Brian Cushing… We don't know the extent of his injury yet, but I told him I have (much) love for him. He plays the game with so much passion. He deserves to be recognized as one of the best linebackers in the game. I just let him know we were going to get the win for him. Hopefully, he will be back. On the team being 5-0… We still have a lot of games to play. Many things can happen and things can change. We are going to work to make sure that doesn't happen. We have a lot of work to put in on a short week and a good team in Green Bay coming on Sunday night. On being the fifth fastest running back to reach 5,000 yards… That’s from a collective effort with my teammates. It's one of those things that if you play the game with everything in you, you can accomplish those things. But that's just an individual accolade, you play to win games. On the Jets run defense… We created creases on them a couple of times, but for the most part, they played our run game well. They are a very good defense. I think they are one of the better defenses in the NFL. On Matt Schaub’s performance… He’s been very good. He had the one turnover tonight but this is a tough group to go against. They do a good job of forcing turnovers. Up to this point, five weeks into it, Matt’s only thrown two picks. If I ask him to throw it 28 times, he’s effective, if I ask him to throw it 50 times he’s effective so he really has a good grasp for what we’re doing. On how satisfying it is to be 5-0… Obviously it’s as good a start as you can have and then this is a really tough month for us. We have a quick turnaround against a world champion and so a lot of things going on this month for our team. We just have to keep plugging, stay focused on our self, and stay away from hurting ourselves and I think we’ll win our fair share. Quarterback Matt Schaub Spoiler On the win to become 5-0… Very excited to get a victory on the road here in a tough place to play against a good football team. To be 5-0 at this point, we’re extremely excited about it but we can’t be excited for too long. We have a short week to get ready for Green Bay this week. So we’re definitely excited, but we have to get ready. On the injury to Brian Cushing… He’s one of the leaders on this team. You know how he plays. He’s such an inspirational player for us. We’ll see how it turns out but we’re going to continue to move on. It’s the harsh reality of what our business is about. On Arian Foster’s game… Arian really played well. (He) stepped up and played huge. In order for him to do that though, those guys up front on the offensive line and our tight ends really played their tail off against a good group, a stout group, a group that gave us a lot of different looks and they fought through it and Arian just kept plowing people over. On being able to adapt from a lot of pass attempts one week, to not so many the next week… It’s however the flow of the game goes. If we can run the ball, we’re going to be balanced, were going to mix in some play action pass and stuff like that. But, there’s certain games where it’s tough to find those rushing yards or you’re playing in a high scoring game and you’ve got to throw it, whatever it calls for. We’ve got the personnel to do both and we’ve just got to figure out the game and take it as it comes. On getting out to an early start… It was huge to start fast. We knew they were going to come out ready to play, fired up, with a lot of energy. We were just trying to take that wind out of their sails. Guys executed, we found a big play there to Owen (Daniels) and really started the game fast. Our defense was playing well early. We gave them an extra series there with the turnover but our defense played outstanding the whole game. Offensively, the game really went to our offensive line and our running back. On coming off of his injury last season… There really wasn’t any adjustments because we had all the time in the offseason to rehab. There were some rough spots in the rehab throughout the spring but once training camp came, it felt better than it had before my injury. It’s just a long process to get to that point, but fortunately, I was able to get there before camp started. On Arian Foster’s first half performance… The first half mirrored the rest of the game. He was outstanding, but in order for him to do that those guys up front played excellent. But we left some things out there as a team, we know that and we’re going to go fix it, but Arian really stepped up and found some tough yards for us today. On if he has time to enjoy being 5-0… Typically, we go with the 24 hour rule but that’s only when you play on a Sunday so with this being a late game getting home early Tuesday morning it’s really just enjoy it for the flight home and then you’ve got to get your body right in a hurry and get your mindset focused on your game plan for next week. Fortunately, it’s a Sunday night game so we have a little bit of extra time but you don’t enjoy these for too long because you’ve got to go on to the next one. On playing close to home… It’s nice to have family and friends come to the games and get a chance to visit with them a little bit. It’s fun to come back up to the Northeast where I grew up and played, but we enjoy as a team going on the road no matter where it is. On if they’re getting everyone’s best shot… I think being that we’re undefeated right now, yeah, it peaks everyone’s interest when they’re playing us to go out there and give us your best shot, but man I’d say in the NFL, if you’re going to go into a game and not give it your best shot, then you’re in the wrong business, because you only get so many chances to go out and play and you’ve got to be ready and go out and execute and give it 100%. Defensive end J.J. Watt Spoiler On the flow of the game… It was a great game against a very good football team. It shows a lot about our team that we can go on the road in a tough environment and win a ball game that goes all the way down to the end. We had a lot of fun out there but it wasn’t an easy one by any means. On all the tips… I love it. I love that we’re spreading the love. I think Connor (Barwin) got one, (Brandon) Brooks got one. The more guys that get in on it the merrier. We’re having fun with it. You’re not going to get a sack every play. It’s another way to frustrate them. It’s another way you can help change the outcome. We’re not surprised, it’s something we work on. All of our units emphasize it. On the defense stepping up… Absolutely. We feel like even if the offense is rolling we put it on our shoulders. That’s how we want it. The offense did their job, the defense we did our job and that’s how you win ball games in this league. On reveling in the attention the team is getting… We’re loving it. But we also understand that it’s not something that just happens. It won’t continue unless we keep working hard. That’s what I love about this team. Every day we go to practice and attack practice. We have intensity at practice and that’s what makes us successful on Sundays. On Brian Cushing… That’s a tough situation. That’s our leader, our middle linebacker, our guy. So to see that is tough. We played that second half for Cush, won it in his home state. We just hope he’s okay. On taking the field with three minutes to play… That’s what you dream about. It’s Monday Night Football. You’re on the field. You have a chance to end the game. That’s what you want. For us to go out there and do that, it’s huge. It’s big for our team and big for our defense. It’s a confidence builder so we feel good going into next week. http://www.houstontexans.com/news/a...-at-Jets/2df053d4-3a92-49f7-bca0-8d406f2397a5 You can read the Jets quotes by clicking on the link and scrolling down.
My thoughts exactly. The Texans were in a no-win situation - blow the Jets out and ho-hum, everyone expected it. Play a closely contested game on the road against a desperate opponent and "ZOMG! We were soooooooooooooooooooo wrong about the Texans!!?!?>!<!:?!K!" The Jets scored on a short field (following Schaub’s INT) and a kick return. Otherwise, the defense played extremely well in a game I’m guessing was difficult to game plan for, given how many unknown variables the Jets brought to the table. And then losing Cushing didn’t help. And please keep in mind: the Jets were 5th last year in total defense and 8th against the pass this year. They looked terrible against the 49ers – but this is a pretty good defense overall. On the road, in a volatile environment, I thought the Texans’ offense played better than people will ever admit and well enough to win. My biggest complaint was, well, first of all with the convoy of blockers who wound up blocking no one on McCain’s return – that should have been a TD and a 21-7 halftime lead. (I hated Kubiak not running with a TO in his pocket, too, after McCain was stopped, BTW.) But I really, truly hate-hate-hated – and he does this too much for my taste – Kubiak kicking a FG on 4th and 2 at the Jet 24. You’re up 17-7; the Jets are reeling after the end-of-half INT and you have a chance to stomp the life out of them. So, of course, you kick a FG. Barrel ahead for 2+ yards there, march it into the end zone and the game would have been over. Instead, you keep the Jets within two TDs and, sure enough – they return your kick for a score and suddenly a game that really, truly could have been 31-7 is 20-14. *That’s* how you lose games like this. You can’t let a desperate team willing to do anything to win stick around.
It was piss poor execution by all of them. McCain went to the inside of his blocker (Nolan) and flat out overran his other blocker (Kareem). Nolan hesitated to throw a block because by the time he was in position to block the guy, McCain had jumped between Nolan and his tackler. Nolan should have turned around earlier (no idea why he was looking at the lead man, who had no chance to catch him) and got the trailing guy (the only guy who had a chance to tackle McCain) and McCain should have cut to the outside and avoided the situation altogether. Just a total brainfart by everybody. I know it was a 10 point swing, but I was so pissed that they let 4 points slip away that easily. It very well could have cost us the game.
Why do I feel like we lost last night? Well, we did lose one of our best players, but it was the game, it was just agonizing to watch after the first series. And so disappointing. No doubt, the Jets came to play. I thought their line play was better than most teams we have played. I am trying to figure it out, but I guess it was a flashback to so many disappointing games in the past; however, this time we won, I think.
The criticisms from the game are for the most part, spot on. I feel like we left about 8 points on the board, and given the circumstances, it really could have bitten us in the ass. However, let's focus on the positives because this team is 5 and ****ing 0, and sitting pretty atop the AFC right now. - The running game was a thing of beauty. Arian was getting his cut back lanes, and if it not for a couple of backside shoelace tackles, he could have had 200 yards last night. - Matt Schaub is phenomenal. For all of the things he's been lacking over the last few seasons, it's clear that he has truly turned the corner, and is playing at an elite level. His accuracy and *gasp* mobility in the pocket have absolutely been fantastic so far this season, and it's putting a tremendous strain on defenses. That pass he had to Arian Foster on third down with a man in his face was about as perfect as it could get. - The defense....well, specifically, J.J.Watt. He single-handedly wrecked the Jets offense last night. In a game where the safety play was sub-par, and J-Jo was not up to snuff, he took the team on his shoulders (or rather, his hands) and delivered in the biggest moments. Just a special, special player doing special, special things. But, even as a whole, I felt like the linebacking corps did a good job of not allowing any big runs (which you know the Jets were trying to break off), and they did a decent job of making Sanchez feel uncomfortable in the pocket. To his credit, I feel like Sanchez did about as good a job as I've seen him do of stepping up in the pocket, and finding the open receiver. Brooks Reed and Connor Barwin were relentless in their pursuit, and I was happy to see Barwin finally show up on the stat sheet.
Hmm.. Matt almost cost us the game... he had 2 chances to score a TD and couldnt so we had to settle for a FG... he did not play well yesterday at all... if it wasnt for our superb defense we would have lost the game..
How exactly is it Schaub's fault if we dont get those TDs? Did you watch any of the replays? There needs to be a receiver open for Matt to throw the ball. It would be stupid for him to force throws into the endzone. None of our receivers were getting any separation when we were deep in Jets territory. Blame AJ, not Matt.
Thank you for your input, I hear that but there were some plays where he threw it away way too quickly, where it seemed he just got flustered and didnt even try. Lots of plays like that. Yes, there were some like what you mentioned as well. But come on, its his job to at least try. Not stupidly, obviously. Also, he needs to learn how to run and slide, see: Rogers. Stop being scared and run with the ball if you have to.. again, not stupidly but come on, he could have gotten us a first down at least twice last night if he would have just done that.
It wasn't a signature performance by any stretch - but almost cost us the game? He made smart, if conservative plays - no shame in that. On the road, against a desperate opponent - three points is better than no points and rather than force a throw, he took what the defense gave him, left time on the clock, and got points at the end of the half. No one should ever, ever, ever complain about a 17-point half, and they certainly shouldn't claim it, rather than a potential 21-point half, is what cost us the game. They left points on the field. Fortunately, they were playing an inferior opponent and got away with it. But the biggest offender last night, IMO, was special teams. If not for the KOR, the Jets showed nothing to make me think they would have eventually scored. Straight up Offense v Defense, we won 23-10.
The only thing I'm worried about with this game is Andre. He just couldn't get separation all night. Maybe it was just a bad game, but given his age and injuries, it's certainly makes you wonder. Everything else was kind of flukish - the kickoff return for a TD, poor blocking on the McCain return, Kubiak a bit conservative with a lead. Little one-time things. Big picture, I'm pleased. I was particularly happy with how the O-line run blocked against a decent defense, how Schaub looked under fire and how the defense played after losing Cushing. Nice win.
Why? Unlike real life, when balls are getting touched, the result is not always a happy ending. In a close game like that, the last thing you need is a ricochet pass from the receiver's pads into the hands of the defender. that's how well they were covered. also, i knew the day schaub had the lisfranc, he would lose all his blazing speed. =(
