I am no doctor but having shoulder problems myself I am not sure he should try to tough it out and possibly put his career at risk.How effective is going to be anyway with one arm? Tony should shelve him and put carey over there.
Let him miss the Bears game and see how he feels with a week off. I'm not a fan of pushing him on the field if the long term answer is him getting hurt more.
Well, I'd start him, then rotate McQ over there, maybe Murtha, no need for Jake to play 50 snaps with a bum shoulder.
I will go out on a limb and say not only will Long start Thursday, he will start the rest of the games this year. Some people have better tolerance for pain than others. Quote by Tony Sparano yesterday!
If he's not in danger of more damage being done to the shoulder, if it's just a matter of dealing with pain and a harness, then Jake should do what he feels is best. He's got labrum damage. It's going to need to be fixed via surgery one way or another. I don't think it's of much consequence whether he slings it up in a harness and gets the surgery later, or gets it now. I'm not a doctor but that's my impression.
Yep, I still remember that Lawrence Taylor game when they harnessed him up and he played like an animal.
Eh, I don't see why he can't give it a shot if HE and only HE thinks he can do it. Try it out, if after a series or so, it's not working, hang it up and get ready for '11. But if he can, good for us. I think Jake should make the decision about Jake!
Omar on the QAM yesterday said - for what it's worth - that Jake is really proud of his consecutive starts streak, and really wants to keep it going. For what it's worth!
Well, what my hope is he will be able to make through this Bears game, and Sparano can use the 10 days and extra practice time to get someone else truly ready to play more at left tackle. With his injury, his first qtr will be his best play then it will decline from there as the area loses strength. But then again, Samson Satele played most of 08 with a torn labrum.
I've had pretty close to the same thing personally, I dislocated my right shoulder a bunch of times and had surgery to repair the labrum, and it didn't really seem like a huge deal. I'm sure it varies on a case-by-case basis, but when it was damaged at least personally for me it would dislocate again with a specific range of motion but other than that it was fine, I can imagine wearing a brace could be a valid option. This is basically it, Sparano should be following qualified medical opinion, not his gut instinct.
It does. I think he meant we should shut him down. No one in their right mind would think Big Jake should retire I would hope.
I think in this one instance, we should all put our differences aside and pray for the best for Jake Long. Its pretty evident the kid will do anything to keep himself on the field. What a refreshing thought and luxury to have this type of player on the team in a time when some players in the league act out their emotions on the field or on the bench. I am sure Jake will do what is best for Jake if he gets the OK. I think he will do everything possible to make it thru this game and then in the ten days after that, re evaluate his situation and if necessary, shut it down for the rest of the season.
I've had the same injury. Dislocated both shoulders at the same time on a play, then played the rest of the year. It hurt me more because I was a nose tackle and depending heavily on being able to grab running backs as they hit the hole and pull down from the side, and so it kept ripping back out repeatedly. Long, I suspect, will only see problems with his punch on pass protect. Once those long arms get extended, that joint becomes much more unstable and he'll run the risk of re-injury, and it probably will hurt every time he does it anyway. If he keeps his arms in close he'll be fine.
I think it's up to the medical staff here. On the bright side, we have a mobile quarterback who will do well at evading the rush (unlike Henne). Also it's not like our running game was lighting it up with Jake in the lineup. No need to risk further injury IMHO.
I have had 3 shoulder dislocations..one a severe one. if I could play with one of them...which I did...then Mr. Hall of fame 55 million dollar Tackle can as well.
I'm sure all torn labrums are different, but if Satele could play with one, my man Jake sure a shoot can.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Omar Kelly said he's been told that LT Jake Long "could be doing some serious damage to his shoulder" by trying to play through a labral tear. Kelly compares the situation to former Dolphins lineman Justin Smiley, who suffered a similar injury in 2006, tried to play through it, and has had offseason shoulder surgery every year since. We commend Long for trying to gut it out, but it might be better for his and the Dolphins' long-term interests if he just shuts it down. http://twitter.com/#!/OmarKelly
