Lorenzo Mauldin injury : what is Jets' plan for his absence ?.. how might Trevor Reilly's role change ? ? ?

[kelly]

— We now know that Lorenzo Mauldin, the Jets' rookie outside linebacker, emerged from Sunday's season opener with a less serious injury than it initially appeared he might've sustained. 

Mauldin, who was carted off the field on a backboard in the fourth quarter, ended up not having a neck injury. He did, however, sustain a concussion. He remained hospitalized overnight Sunday for further observation, after undergoing tests Sunday evening. He was released from the hospital Monday. Later Monday, Mauldin was at the Jets' facility, up and walking around. He spoke to coach Todd Bowles for a bit. But that doesn't mean Mauldin is going to be ready for Monday night's game at the Colts. It seems unlikely that he will play. Mauldin's concussion will require him to wear sunglasses, due to light sensitivity, for the immediate future. Mauldin is in the NFL's post-concussion assessment protocol. He must pass a series of tests and gradually return to practice activities before he is cleared to play again. Bowles anticipates Mauldin will be sidelined for Jets-Colts. That's a safe assumption at this point. 

So what does that mean for the Jets' backup outside linebacker situation ?

How would Mauldin's absence impact Trevor Reilly, a second-year pro who is the other backup outside linebacker? 

After the Jets cut veteran outside linebacker Jason Babin, they moved Mauldin to the rush linebacker spot, where Quinton Coples starts. Mauldin got a lot of work in training camp at the strong-side outside linebacker spot, where Calvin Pace starts. But Reilly is now Pace's backup, as Mauldin works behind Coples.Still, both Mauldin and Reilly can play both sides. Unless the Jets make a roster move between now and Monday, Reilly almost certainly will be the second-stringer at both outside linebacker positions against the Colts.

"Probably, yeah," Reilly said. "At least I'm — what's the word? — deducing. Deducting of logic, I guess." Normally, when Reilly plays in the Jets' base defense, he is at strong-side linebacker. But he got work at both outside linebacker spots in Sunday's win over the Browns. Reilly said that in the Jets' nickel package, he and Mauldin bookend the Jets' four-man defensive line, as edge rushers, playing the same role. 

So why did the coaches decide to put Mauldin at rush linebacker (a defensive end/linebacker hybrid) once they cut Babin, and stick Reilly at strong-side linebacker (a more traditional linebacker position), behind Pace ? "In college, [Mauldin] was more of a defensive lineman," Reilly said. "When I played in college, I was a true 'sam' [strong-side] linebacker. I played what Calvin plays now. So I'm used to that."It's harder for guys to transition from d-lineman to linebacker. A lot of guys, it takes a couple years, usually. I'm not saying that he hasn't done a good job. It's just easier for him [to be Coples' backup at rush linebacker]." 

Reilly played 19 of 71 snaps against the Browns, while Mauldin played 11 before getting hurt. Reilly's biggest play was a strip sack of Johnny Manziel in the fourth quarter, on the Browns' drive after Mauldin was carted off. Reilly is confident he can play both outside linebacker spots. He obviously did it as recently as Sunday, when he received a plus-0.3 grade from Pro Football Focus, which credited him with a quarterback hurry, in addition to his strip sack. On Monday, Reilly will face a tougher task against the Colts and their elite quarterback, Andrew Luck. 

>    http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2015/09/lorenzo_mauldin_injury_what_is_jets_plan_for_his_a.html#incart_river

[#27TheDominator]

I think Erin Henderson played some OLB with the Vikings.  Maybe they will practice him there as an emergency plan.

[AFJF]

I think Erin Henderson played some OLB with the Vikings.  Maybe they will practice him there as an emergency plan.

He did...played OLB and  MLB for the Vikes and I like both him and Reilly so hoping they split time.

[Jetman55]

Reilly looked good last week.  Nice to have some youth and depth at the position for a change.  I think he can handle more PT as we wait another week or 2 to get Mauldin back.  

[kelly]

I think Erin Henderson played some OLB with the Vikings.  Maybe they will practice him there as an emergency plan.

I think you're right.. we should be ok here   

 

cheers ~ ~

[JetBlue]

I liked the un-drafted kid, Dion Barnes, from Syracuse who is on our practice squad.  He flashed several times in training camp; wouldn't mind seeing him get a shot. 

[kelly]

Less than two weeks ago, when Lorenzo Mauldin toppled over face-first into the MetLife Stadium turf – unconscious, concussed and eventually hospitalized – the fear went beyond the Jets linebacker’s season to his safety and long-term health.But in a recovery somewhere between stunning and miraculous, Mauldin shed his non-contact jersey Friday and was pronounced fit to play Sunday against the Eagles. He’s listed as probable, but he’ll play – wearing a visor and possible tinted contacts – in a comeback so quick, it shocked even the man who made it.“Yeah, actually, with the concussion protocol I never thought that it would take just one week to get back,’’ Mauldin said. “I would think it would take two or three weeks to get back. But I tend to be a fast healer, so I’m just glad to be back.’’That seemed incomprehensible when Mauldin was hurt in the Sept. 13 season opener against Cleveland. The 22-year-old rookie has managed migraines for a while, and played through one against the BroThen, going in for a tackle on Cleveland quarterback Johnny Manziel, he got hit in the head. He took a shaky step forward and fell over in a scary scene. He was strapped to a spinal board and carted off the field. He later admitted he was unconscious on the field and didn’t completely wake up until the next morning in Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan.

It begs the obvious question: How interrelated are the concussion and migraines  ?

“The neurologists have been telling me that that may have been an issue. But I’m not a neurologist, so I don’t know. I just know that if I have a migraine before a concussion, I’m thinking that something triggered into my brain,’’ Mauldin said. “But I believe they said a concussion is somewhat like your brain swells up or something. It may have been an issue, but I don’t know if it was the issue.’’Mauldin earlier said he felt “blessed” to have avoided severe neck and spinal injuries, and there he was Friday practicing fully. After not practicing Wednesday and working with the red non-contact jersey Thursday, he proclaimed ready to go against the Eagles.

“Mauldin had a full practice,” Jets coach Todd Bowles said. “He’ll play for sure.’’

Mauldin, a third-round pick from Louisville, has dealt with migraines for some time, and takes prescription medication for the ailment. Sunday against the Eagles, he will don a shaded visor and may wear tinted contacts — approved by the NFL as having medical reasons — to cut down on glare.“Yeah, [any migraine] comes with the lights. This light right here is like kind of iffy on me right now — that’s why I’m not looking directly at it. It’s manageable,’’ said Mauldin, who doesn’t normally wear contacts.“The contacts, I just got cleared for the visor for the game, so that should work pretty well in tandem with everything that I’m doing.’’Other than these precautions, Mauldin insists he won’t treat this game any differently. Despite the harrowing experience the last time he played at MetLife Stadium, when he walks back out there Sunday he insists he won’t have any hesitation or added angst.

“I’m not going to think about it the week before,” Mauldin said. “I just go on like it was a loss. I don’t go out think about the loss, I just go out hoping to win the next game and preparing for the next game. So I’m not going to harp on what happened before. I’m just going to go out and play the game.’’

>    http://nypost.com/2015/09/25/jets-rookie-lb-returning-two-weeks-after-terrifying-injury/

[dbatesman]

Reilly looked good last week.  Nice to have some youth and depth at the position for a change.  I think he can handle more PT as we wait another week or 2 to get Mauldin back.  

Reilly's like 50 years old and now he has finger AIDS

[Integrity28]

I keep seeing JN member say "they'd prefer to wait a couple weeks so that Mauldin can be fully ready to come back".

Obviously, I didn't go to medical school, but if the coaching staff is saying he'll be back when he's ready, and the doctors are saying he's ready, and he is saying he's ready... then how is it that the JN diagnosis is that he won't really be ready for another couple of weeks?

[Jetman55]

I keep seeing JN member say "they'd prefer to wait a couple weeks so that Mauldin can be fully ready to come back".

Obviously, I didn't go to medical school, but if the coaching staff is saying he'll be back when he's ready, and the doctors are saying he's ready, and he is saying he's ready... then how is it that the JN diagnosis is that he won't really be ready for another couple of weeks?

When the coaches see him in practice perform and all the trainers on the sideline feel he's a go, he's a go.  He needs reps.  I think he's our long term starting OLB.  I dont know how good, but Pace is on his last leg.

 

[kelly]

- Lorenzo Mauldin found a quiet place in the Jets' locker room before Sunday's game against the Eagles and said a prayer. He asked God to let him forget."My thought process was not to think about what had happened while I'm on the field," the Jets rookie linebacker said Monday. "I prayed to God basically asking him to help me out when it comes to being out there on the field. I actually asked Him to help me forget."Two weeks earlier, Mauldin lost consciousness when he was involved in a pileup after a sack of Johnny Manziel in the fourth quarter of the Jets' season-opening 31-10 win over the Browns. Mauldin got up after the play but staggered forward a few steps and crumpled to the turf. He lay motionless for several minutes before being placed on a backboard and removed from the field on a cart. Stunned teammates and fans feared the worst."I was really scared," wide receiver Brandon Marshall said after the game. "I saw him get up and try to take a couple of steps and he just collapsed right in front of me. It was scary."

As it turned out, Mauldin's injuries weren't as severe as initially thought. He was diagnosed with a concussion, although he didn't fully regain consciousness until the following morning.Still, the emotions were raw and conflicted before he returned to play Sunday. Mauldin desperately wanted to return to the field but didn't want to play scared. Even though he still doesn't recall what happened on the play, he didn't want to hold back to avoid a similar injury.In a game this violent, you cannot afford to lose your edge. It's almost as if you live in denial about the possibility of getting hurt. All players do it, and Mauldin is no exception. But it was much more of a challenge this time because of what had happened. "I had to not think about it and play like I didn't have the concussion," said Mauldin, who was cleared by Jets doctors and an independent neurologist involved in the NFL's concussion protocol. "I just wanted to have my mind on winning the game."

The Jets didn't win, falling to the Eagles, 24-17, for their first defeat of the season. Mauldin was in on only a handful of special-teams plays and less than a half-dozen plays on defense. But make no mistake: There was a victory in this game for the 22-year-old. He defeated the inevitable anxiety that went along with playing for the first time since his injury."Your thought process is to make a play to help your team out," Mauldin said. "Your adrenaline is going, so during the game, you're not even worried about what happened two weeks before. The only thing you're worried about is going out there and actually helping the team out and doing what you can."Jets coach Todd Bowles had seen a former college teammate, Anthony Young, forced to retire from the NFL when he suffered a similar hit that caused a neck injury. So he was delighted that Mauldin quickly regained his health and did not have a neck problem. But he did feel the need to speak with Mauldin during the run-up to the game."We talked on Friday and he was feeling good," said Bowles, who indicated Mauldin will play a more prominent role Sunday against the Dolphins in London. "I think it was . He wanted to go out there earlier than that. He wasn't worried about it. We were. We were just trying to be a little cautious."Mauldin returned to the field with a greater sense of gratitude, not just about being able to play but to know that so many cared so much about him. When he was hurt, social media was filled with get-well messages and prayers.

"They said I was coming in and out during the night, but I can't remember any of that stuff," he said. "They said I opened my eyes a couple of times but I just wasn't responsive. When I finally had the energy, my girlfriend was right there. I heard a lot of people. I heard Brandon Marshall, Dave Szott, and a couple of the doctors, and of course my girlfriend was talking to me in my ear."He added, "I didn't know what was going on, and after I came to the next morning, my phone was blowing up, social media was blowing up, and people were praying for me and hoping I got well and sending their best wishes," Mauldin said. "I felt love."

This wasn't the first time Mauldin lost consciousness. He was on the wrong end of a hit-and-run accident while riding a moped at Louisville shortly before the start of the 2013 season."I felt the love from the city of Louisville, too," he said.And it's certainly not the first time Mauldin has had adversity in his life. As a child growing up in Atlanta, he lived in at least a dozen foster homes with his brother. Now it is back to what he loves to do most. That's chasing quarterbacks and running backs -- and winning football games.

"I hope to satisfy the fans and everybody here in the city that supports the Jets," he said. "I just want to give them something to watch on Sundays."

Thank goodness he still has the chance.

>     http://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/bob-glauber/lorenzo-mauldin-a-very-fortunate-jet-1.10901571

[prime21]

I'm rooting for this kid to succeed.I can't wait to see him back on the field and contributing to our defense.