Some Dark Clouds Over the California Cool

horrible about herrion, stuff like that shouldnt happen to anyone that age, athlete or not. cundiff. hope he hurries back. he might be in a lil trouble now because of this injury.

Not to change the subject but am I to understand correctly that Jacob Rogers’ surgery is elective and he could play through the pain and not risk further injury if he wanted? Please tell me I misunderstand the injury.

By the way, this is the first time I have written. I found your website this summer and have especially enjoyed the training camp notes. Kepp up the good work.

Indications are that the Cowboys doctors thought he could play through it without permanent injury. But Rogers or HIS doctor decided to have the surgery NOW. VERY questionable. With all the rumors about him being a pussy, and his injury history, he probably has blotted his copybook with the Cowboys for all time.

As regards kickers, Matt Bryant, whom BP likes, is involved in a big fight for the kickers job at Miami. If he loses there, he will certainly get a look. Cundiff’s big problem was that beyond 40 he was very questionable, and his kickoffs have never been good. Conversely, he has done well in pressure situations during the season and was VERY accurate under 40 yds.

if thats the case with rogers id assume he prolly will be not a coboy next season. lot of kickers accuracy goes down beyond the 40yd mark, he is very good inside the 40 yders. kickers are easily replaceabl unless you have a vanderjact, vinatare however you spell those.

rafeal, raul open thread for tomorrow night?

Anyone heard about the new reality show for girls against guys in football? My buddy is going to the game on tuesday night. he saw it on craigslist. It’s suppose to be full contact football no holds bar. Freaky. curious what you guys think…they say it’s the first time in history…is that true? Sounds legit cuz it’s at the LA coliseum. Don’t know the network. it’s like all over girls against guys.

genderbowl.com
genderbowl.blogspot.com

guess larry brown sonny cumbie gender bowl. Since when did they start doing reality?

About Rogers,

He is going to have microfracture surgery to repair cartilage damage. I assume they will also work on his MCL.

I have no problem with Rogers for making this decision. Cartilage does not normally regenerate. Rest never helps the problem. It can only get worse. To my knowledge, microfracture surgery is the only known procedure that can possibly regenerate damaged cartilage.

In the knee, cartilage acts to smooth the action of the joint. Without it, you have bone-on-bone contact. When that happens, you have trouble walking, much less playing football.

Could he play with that condition? Perhaps. People with cartilage damage suffer varying levels of pain, depending on other conditions. [I know this one from personal experience with both knees.] That might have been OK for this year. But, then what? Have the operation during the offseason, and miss 2006? Or soldier on, with the distinct possibility of a shortened career? Like I said, uncorrected cartilage damage can only get worse.

As it is, the microfracture procedure does not always bring the knee back to a playable level.

Bad news about Cundiff.

If his recovery is more than 3 weeks, he is gone. If it is 3 weeks or less, he still has a chance to stick with the team. Our first regular-season game is exactly 3 weeks from today.

Too bad about Cundiff, he always has found a way to silence his critics. I don’t think he’ll be able to this time. As for Rogers, I think that now it should be reasonably obvious that he is a “hangar queen”.

Also, if anyone has the opportunity, they need to buy Rafael and Raul a beer for their great work!

I just want to say that the articles and reports on this site are truely excellent. There is no other place that I can get such well written and informative articles on the Cowboys, or for that matter, any other team. Great work.

Yes guys thanks for the great site!!!!I think it’s helped us die hard fans through off season…..again thanks!

I wouldn’t come down too hard on Rogers. Having too much personal experience with cartilage injuries for my liking, I think his situation is that he’s thinking he’s young enough that having this procedure now might allow him to have a much longer career. If he could do something to arrest the inevitable degeneration that would come with playing his position with already damaged cartilage, then it sounds like a smart business decision. And as we know, this is a cutthroat business in which management cuts people who can’t perform without a moment’s hesitation. Or they cut people with illnesses through no fault of their own — we all remember Jimmy Smith. I don’t know Rogers personally — but I’d sure hold off for more info before I put him on the p-list.

A further note about microfracture surgery.

The procedure involves clearing out damaged tissue from the knee joint, then drilling tiny holes in the bone. This causes bone marrow (which contains stem cells) to regenerate the cartilage.

It is not a procedure that is taken lightly. The following players were never again able to perform at an acceptable NFL level following microfracture surgery: Terrell Davis, Patrick Jeffers, Jason Sehorn, Chuck Smith, Eric Swann, and Andre Wadsworth. Some of them had additional problems. Some had their procedures botched. But, for whatever reason, these players, who had all achieved some level of success, were never the same and were soon out of football.

Mr Bill, I think the issue with Rogers – from the Cowboys’ front office perspective anyway – is that he was a high draft pick, he has banked nearly $2 million, and has played two special teams plays in two seasons. His promise and expense kept the team from: signing a RT early in the year, drafting a RT, searching for a RT in recent weeks.
All this… and he opts for an unnecessary surgery. Unnecessary in that he’s not faced with immediately debilitating structural damage (broken bone, torn ligament, ripped muscle, etc..). Rogers’ concern is short term discomfort and likely long term pain – something every football player is faced with routinely. Also, it’s not like Rogers is making sharp cuts at speed.
It’s a tough call.

Mr Bill,
Finally I learn what and how micro-fracture works. I remember when Al Johnson went down, a bunch of us asked Spags to explain it. You did a much better job of it. It is a tough call to make I’m sure, but I still see Rogers as a “hangar queen”.

Joey2Zs,

It may be a tough call, but it is Rogers’ call.

I think another factor here is whether Rogers would be able to play a reasonble number of years in the NFL without the surgery. I don’t know the answer to that. I do know that microfracture surgery is serious stuff, from which many have not come back at all.

Here were his choices, as I see them. Forego the operation, play with pain, and possibly have a shortened career. There is also the possibility that his condition could have negatively impacted his play, even in the short term. Or, have the surgery, after which he might come back as good as new, or he might screw himself up completely.

Those are not choices I would enjoy facing.

As for the Cowboys, they DID invest a 2nd-round draft pick in Rogers. That is not an investment that one just abandons lightly. If they do sever ties with Rogers, it will be out of spite. I don’t think that’s a good way to run a football team.

Remember Jimmy Smith!

Act in haste; repent at leisure.

After all, the Cowboys are going to have to pay for his operation anyway. I think they ought to wait and see how it turns out. It costs them nothing … well, $20,000, which is what they would gain in cap space by releasing him. To me, this is the equivalent of checking, instead of throwing in your (bad) cards, in a poker game. Experienced players always check under such circumstances. You can always fold later, after you get more information.

Mr Bill,
I would agree that to cut Rogers after the surgery would be out of spite. But that is what I see between the lines of Jerry J’s and TunaMan’s comments after Rogers announced the surgery. Despite their public image, it is well known that neither Jerry nor Bill are terribly forgiving if they PERCIEVE that someone has pooped on them. (watch out for fluffer attack) You made a good point about the monetary gain vs loss that The ‘Boys would experience vis-a-vis cutting or keeping Rogers. We’ll have to wait and see.