Bowers is "done"?

[jerseybucsfan]

Andrews has been one of the most respected doctors in this country for what? Four decades? Sounds like a BS story.

[BucNY]

People, stop being stupid.........

No 2 surgeries are the same and no 2 outcomes are the same. All accounts are that this was a very minor surgery and many have recovered from more severe back to their original form.

Lets talk about somethign else. Bowers knee will be fine, period.

[chrisras]

I hope he's tough. We need him. He seems like a good kid too.

[BucBalla85]

So Cyber believes a random two week late report out of San Diego over Dr. Andrews or our doctors. And he's still a fan......

Come on, were talking about Cyberdude. lol Lets get real here.

[MUSCLE_HAMSTER]

Guess we'll know in a few months

[ryan24]

Andrews has been one of the most respected doctors in this country for what? Four decades? Sounds like a BS story.

Is there any information on Andrews and Bowers other than what's been posted about Andrews which came through Bowers and Bowers agent?

We'll see over time however I'm not a person who automatically is going to assume that the Bucs are right and everyone else wrong....even though that could be the case...nor am I very trusting of a source such as the two people most affected financially by mentioning Dr. Andrews.

[JDouble]

I don't really understand the injury to be honest. If it's not healed right and he is going to eventually need micro fracture surgery to repair it....why is he not getting the micro fracture surgery now and sitting out the season? The kid is 21 years old. I know we want him now, but I'm not understanding why he can't take the time to get the knee right before playing. It's not like micro fracture surgery means his career is over. Lots of professional athletes have had micro fracture surgery on their knees.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro_fracture_surgery

[JDouble]

No 2 surgeries are the same and no 2 outcomes are the same. All accounts are that this was a very minor surgery and many have recovered from more severe back to their original form.

Frank Gore had a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in 2002 and then a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in 2003...hurt his stock and his college career, but he's only missed one game in his NFL career due to tendonitis in his knee. So yeah....anything is possible. Truth is nobody knows. It was a risky pick, but Dom felt it was worth the risk in the 2nd round. Everyone will find out together if it was worth it. Articles like the one in the OP are pointless.

[Feel Real Good]

No 2 surgeries are the same and no 2 outcomes are the same. All accounts are that this was a very minor surgery and many have recovered from more severe back to their original form.

Frank Gore had a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in 2002 and then a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in 2003...hurt his stock and his college career, but he's only missed one game in his NFL career due to tendonitis in his knee. So yeah....anything is possible. Truth is nobody knows. It was a risky pick, but Dom felt it was worth the risk in the 2nd round. Everyone will find out together if it was worth it. Articles like the one in the OP are pointless.

Lots of players recover from much more catastrophic injuries than Bowers because ligaments, bones, and muscles can be repaired. The concern with Bowers is his cartilage is messed up and doctors can't fix cartilage. That's what happened with Antonio Bryant. He never even had a specific moment where he got hurt. His knee just ran out of cartilage and that was that.

[4bucs]

i'm 70 and had a knee operation last july and still had trouble walking on it in october.......bowers is 21 had surgery in january and was working out for teams in early february....and was a little behind his normal speed........i'll lay odds hes playing in the first game and he  plays all year and has at least 12 sacks.

[tatmanfish]

I don't really understand the injury to be honest. If it's not healed right and he is going to eventually need micro fracture surgery to repair it....why is he not getting the micro fracture surgery now and sitting out the season? The kid is 21 years old. I know we want him now, but I'm not understanding why he can't take the time to get the knee right before playing. It's not like micro fracture surgery means his career is over. Lots of professional athletes have had micro fracture surgery on their knees.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro_fracture_surgery

the point is he likely wont need microfracture surgery. He had his miniscus scrapped....meaning there was a tear that was rubbing against the bone causing discomfort. When they scope the miniscus, its just shaving off the tear so it doesnt protrude and eliminates the discomfort.

Micro fracture surgery is needed once that cartilage is almost gone. The doctor fractures the bone causing marrow and blood to leak out. these cells help to form new cartilage. This type of surgery is more of a last resort type procedure. Based on reports from Andrews and the Bucs staff, his knee isnt anywhere near that point yet. It would be pointless to put him through microfracture surgery when it isnt needed. Bowers still has his cartilage, he just tore it.

The only concern is making sure the cartilage heals completely before he puts serious wear and tear on it. That way it doesnt tear any further causing the need for more miniscus surgeries or even microfracture surgery. If his knee is 100% before hes taking snaps, the concerns are almost non-existent. All they need to do is keep an eye on it and not let him go full bore until its healed. If He does that, he shoulod be fine for a long time, if not his career.

Bryant had the injury for some time and also was back to playing on it before it was healed(3 weeks i believe). He risked his career for a chance at a payday. Bengals paid him, but hows that career working out?

[Uncle Stan]

Apparently Dr Andrews doesn't think he's done. Trust him more than any media person.

Here it is, hopefully for the last time this has to be posted for the "non believers".


 

Richard Shiro / Associated Press The agent for Clemson defensive end Da'Quan Bowers issued a statement clearing up rumors about the health of his knee.
CLEVELAND -- The agent for Da'Quan Bowers, who's visiting the Browns today and tomorrow,  issued a statement Tuesday night to clear up rumors surrounding his client's right knee injury. The agent, Joe Flanagan, also said that noted orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews has concluded that Bowers has a "good prognosis for his career.''

Here is the full statement:

"While we generally reserve discussions on client medical information to club decision-makers and physicians, in the interest of clarity, we would like to share the following facts regarding Da'Quan Bowers. Importantly, NONE of the following is news to NFL decision-makers or team doctors. All 32 NFL Clubs have had full access to Da'Quan's records since January and have had the opportunity to physically examine him at least twice. As such, they have known the specifics detailed below for quite some time.

"On January 4, 2011, Da'Quan underwent an arthroscopic procedure that included what is, technically, a very small chondroplasty to a non-weight bearing area of his knee. The surgeon, Dr. Larry Bowman, observed, arthroscopically, a very healthy knee with no signs of arthritis. Based on the specifics of Da'Quan's knee and the small size of the area addressed, it was described to us as follows: while chondroplasty can involve "drilling", Da'Quan had the equivalent of "scratching". In other words, along the continuum, it was very minor. So minor that Da'Quan was off crutches and bearing weight only 3 days after surgery. Thereafter, Da'Quan progressed on a conservative rehab protocol that emphasized protection of the healing process, as opposed to the typical combine prep performance training.

"As to his progress and the feedback from the medical recheck, every team we've spoken to, including multiple GMs, has said that, overall, Da'Quan's knee has shown good healing, has continued to get better since the Combine, and, perhaps most importantly, showed absolutely no acute or remote ill-effects as a result of his April 1 workout (i.e. no swelling, no increase in laxity, etc.). We know of at least two "stations" (multiple doctors) at the recheck who improved his grade from the Combine. In short, their doctors indicated that the fact that the knee didn't swell up after a full pro-day workout, followed immediately by a week of visiting teams via air travel (which can increase swelling) is clearly a very positive sign. Bottom line: if it's holding up from a pounding in April, it should clearly hold up in August.

"As to films, the Combine films showed no onset of arthritis and since Da'Quan had no swelling, contrary to some reports, or other symptoms at the recheck, no new films were taken.
 
"At the recheck, there was the expected finding of a strength deficit in his right (surgical) leg as compared to his left, as measured by the Cybex test. But each person who has mentioned this deficit has also stated the following: (1) that this deficit is simply a muscular deficit due to "detraining effects" (lost strength because he was limited by rehab protocol), (2) that Da'Quan will regain his normal strength in the right leg, and (3) that there are questions as to the validity of isokinetic testing like the Cybex in the first place. So, as with all the findings, each club will weight this very differently.

"The reality is that clubs will ultimately judge Da'Quan's workout on April 1 and the recheck in the context of the training limitations placed upon him by the medical team overseeing his rehab, including Dr. James Andrews. The fact that Da'Quan spent the VAST majority of his time prior to April 1 focused on rehabilitation, NOT performance or strength training, is significant. This focus was designed to ensure complete healing and protect the long-term integrity of Da'Quan's knee, something that benefits both Da'Quan and the club that selects him. And, in this context, while his numbers were not satisfactory to Da'Quan or indicative of his true athleticism, he still managed to perform a 34.5" vertical jump and a 7.1 three-cone on raw ability.
 
"Obviously, sources and opinions on any prospect with a medical history will vary from team to team, doctor to doctor, trainer to trainer and GM to GM. We have received no reports of "arthritis" being present. We have received no indications that Da'Quan will need another surgery. No team has even remotely suggested to us that he's a risk in year one or will need a redshirt year. Clearly there are both objective and subjective sides to every medical issue. Given that context, we understand that comfort-levels will vary team by team. Dr. Andrews' comfort-level was such that he said Da'Quan should "be able to resume his professional football career without any problems" and that he has a "good prognosis for his career."
 
"Again, NONE of this is news to the NFL decision-makers or team doctors. All 32 NFL Clubs have had full access to Da'Quan's records since January and have had the opportunity to physically examine him at least twice. With this knowledge, Top 10 teams brought him in all last week and continue to bring Da'Quan in for visits this week. All of these clubs are strongly considering selecting him with their first pick, not based upon a potential medical downside, but because of Da'Quan's film, smarts, character and tremendous physical upside.''

[JDouble]

No 2 surgeries are the same and no 2 outcomes are the same. All accounts are that this was a very minor surgery and many have recovered from more severe back to their original form.

Frank Gore had a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in 2002 and then a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in 2003...hurt his stock and his college career, but he's only missed one game in his NFL career due to tendonitis in his knee. So yeah....anything is possible. Truth is nobody knows. It was a risky pick, but Dom felt it was worth the risk in the 2nd round. Everyone will find out together if it was worth it. Articles like the one in the OP are pointless.

Lots of players recover from much more catastrophic injuries than Bowers because ligaments, bones, and muscles can be repaired. The concern with Bowers is his cartilage is messed up and doctors can't fix cartilage. That's what happened with Antonio Bryant. He never even had a specific moment where he got hurt. His knee just ran out of cartilage and that was that.

To my understanding, that is exactly what micro fracture surgery does.

[JDouble]

Thanks for that post Stan.

[SWAGGANEER]

At least Dexter played a few downs.

If by "downs" you mean slipping and sliding, I completely agree with you...

Bower's will play more than a few downs in just a single game...

Hell, Bower's will be laying down the opposing QB/RB...