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| Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire |
January 1st, 2016 the consensus #1 overall LB in College Football and possible #1 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft suffered a devastating knee injury that would end up sparking one of the biggest sports injury debates of the last decade.....from, "Did you see what happened to that guy?!?! His career is over no doubt!," to "Jaylon is a Manimal bro, didn't AP teach you a damn thing?" There is no doubt amongst the masses the caliber player Jaylon Smith was before his unfortunate injury in the Fiesta Bowl, a game in which he didn't have to play in if he was trying to protect his draft stock. That speaks to the kind of teammate he is and why the guys at ND loved him in the locker room. The question that still needs to be answered is just how good is Jaylon Smith now and can he even play football. Let's take a look at twitter clip below that is more than a year old.
Quick Recovery
Granted he can't backpedal that well at that point in the clip above but he is only 3.5 months post surgery. Let's take a look at a more recent clip of Jaylon training this past Feburary.
The Real Is Back
According to EVERYBODY that has an opinion on the matter, his nerve damage is just too severe and might not ever fully recover. I understand that, and yes I also understand I am NOT a doctor. I have ZERO medical training and do not claim to know anything about the nerve other than what has been made public. He has to wear a brace because he has foot drop. What exactly is foot drop you ask? Well according to the Mayo Clinic Staff...
Foot drop, sometimes called drop foot, is a general term for difficulty lifting the front part of the foot. If you have foot drop, you may drag the front of your foot on the ground when you walk.Foot drop isn't a disease. Rather, foot drop is a sign of an underlying neurological, muscular or anatomical problem. Sometimes foot drop is temporary. In other cases, foot drop is permanent. If you have foot drop, you may need to wear a brace on your ankle and foot to hold your foot in a normal position.
So apparently because someone cannot run without dragging their foot that means they can't play football. Oh, wait a minute...Jaylon has that brace they mentioned that can hold his foot in place so he can run. Now, let's go back to these clips for just a second. Is ANYONE out there doubting the surgery that targeted his ACL/LCL/MCL was a success? Use your eyes people. Jaylon is explosive in drills, he can accelerate, he can stop, he can move laterally, he can backpedal and he can sprint. What exactly are we debating here?!?!?! As an avid sports fan and observer of professional athletes, I can't seem to understand what all the fuss is about. Jaylon Smith was one of the best rated LB talents to EVER come out of college and head to the pros. We are talking about a manchild who takes care of his body, handles his business in the weight room, lives in the playbook, and has the desire to not just be good.....but be GREAT. This kid has all the tools to be an All-Pro caliber player and possibly make it to the HOF. Do you guys really think because his toes drag on the floor that all the sudden that means the rest of his abilities are gone? Absolutely not...lets wake up and stay woke. If you are telling me that if he wears this brace he can control that part of his foot and keep if from dragging, I have ZERO concerns about his ability to produce on the football field.
Jaylon Smith is the perfect storm for sportswriters, talk show hosts, fans, and even bloggers to debate about. He has all the talent in the world but it seems nobody has given him any credit for rehabbing his strength, quickness, and keeping his mind sharp. Talk is just talk and only Jaylon himself can walk the walk. When the Dallas Cowboys kickoff the season at home on Sept. 10th, 2017 I expect Jaylon Smith to not only play but to be an immediate impact player. If anyone thinks otherwise...you can answer to Jaylon...but don't say I didn't warn you.
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