McDougle & Milliner Recovery Times

[Sperm Edwards]

Not being snarky here, but how many NFL players have missed their entire rookie season to injury and then come back to be even solid pros?

 

Off the top of my head I can only think of Pouha and McGahee.

 

But I think some of it is just numbers. Most lower picks don't turn into solid pros to begin with. Sustain an injury like that as a rookie and the team has most likely moved on already. Outside the first 4 rounds, players don't get too many 2nd chances anyway. In the first 3-4 rounds, how many players have missed their entire rookie seasons at all? Some, but not too many really.

Then you have to consider you're only looking at a narrow window of time in NFL history as it is. For most of the NFL's existence, an injury like this - at any stage of one's career - so often meant the end of that career. Then scratch out the past season or two because it's not really a fair amount of time to evaluate someone unless he came back and was instantly good.

 

All that's great for rationalizing, but the truth is the cards will be stacked against McDougle. The team isn't going to rely upon him to start the season, and he probably won't be at 100% even when training camp starts next year (quite possibly all next season, like Revis and others). Absent someone else materializing from what's left (which would mean he'll have to bump off a starter), in '15 the team is going to pick up someone else in FA, the draft, or both.

[j4jets]

Our 3rd round pick getting hurt, that might not have been a starter, cost us 3 wins?

 

That and our #1 CB out for an indefinite time as well. Did I mention #24 sucks and we may have him as our #1 along with Walls as our #2? We rely heavily on our D and win a lot of close games. Injuries can certainly make a huge difference.