Harbaugh on Tarik: "A return is very much possible for this season"

Submitted by BursleyHall82 on

Good news! Harbaugh provided an update on his radio show tonight. Link.

mgobrooklyn

August 27th, 2018 at 10:57 PM ^

Yeah, hate to be the buzzkill here, but I think it would be a mistake to expect anything from Tarik this season. I’m not a doctor but just my observation of NFL and NBA players coming back from foot fractures is they are not the same players if they come back the same season, and the more time they give it before coming back the better the long term outlook. The ones who rush the comeback (I’m thinking of Sammy Watkins, Dez Bryant and Kevin Durant in particular) normally look like a shell of themselves and get re-injured.

mgobrooklyn

August 27th, 2018 at 11:40 PM ^

Very funny, but I’d like to know of any examples of WRs coming back from this in the same season and playing at a high level and not getting reinjured. I can’t think of any off the top of my head, but can think of several that went the other way. All I’m saying is to temper expectations. The secret to happiness in life is management of expectations. 

Dawggoblue

August 28th, 2018 at 12:26 AM ^

What examples can you name?  What was their time frame for return vs Black?  Did they have the same injuries or just the same as being related to the foot?

I don't object to the idea of tempering expectations but I don't think you have given enough reason to do so.

mgobrooklyn

August 28th, 2018 at 1:51 AM ^

Julio Jones, Marvin Jones, Sammy Watkins, Dez Bryant, Julian Edelman...all got reinjured or otherwise weren’t able to come back in same season. They all had Jones fractures, which seems likely what Tarik has but who really knows. The larger point is, I’m not aware of any WRs who came back from a broken foot successfully in the same season without being ineffective, being shut down or needing another surgery. I mean look at Tarik himself, he rehabbed all offseason and then broke the other foot. So now he’s coming back from 2 broken feet and people are expecting him to be back to normal by mid season? If you want to be optimistic, then be optimistic. I’m just saying I’m going to expect nothing from Tarik this year and be pleasantly surprised if is able to contribute. 

BroadneckBlue21

August 28th, 2018 at 11:58 AM ^

Dez Bryant returned in about 5 weeks and averaged 12.9 ypc. Marvin Jones had a previous, recent ankle injury that caused him to get hurt once he returned from surgery on foot. Watkins only missed 8 games after re-breaking the same foot in the same year, caused by a teammate stepping on it.

All of them had to have surgery prior to returning.  All of them have recovered well in stats. Edit:I just read he had to have surgery—so perhaps mid November return if they’re conservative with him.

 

mgobrooklyn

August 28th, 2018 at 12:19 PM ^

Dez Bryant went from a 1300 yard, 16 TD season the prior year to coming back after 5 games to average 40 yards/game and 3 total TDs over 8 games before being shut down again and having a 2nd surgery. Watkins missed 8 games and had a similar statistical drop off when we came back and then needed another surgery in the offseason.  Those are not success stories. They are a cautionary tales. To be clear, I’m not saying TB won’t recover from this in the long run, just looks like a long shot this season. 

efromthed

August 28th, 2018 at 2:53 PM ^

Ortho surgeon here. Treatment for jones fracture in high level college player is surgery and return to full activity based on how the X-rays look 6-8 weeks. It being this early in the season I would be optimistic of a return late in the season. If he could start practicing in 6 weeks no reason to think he can’t be game ready 2 weeks or so later.

I think that when players return to game activity a few days after they are cleared is when they look bad as they aren’t in game shape. I’d be hopeful we see him this year.

 

LSAClassOf2000

August 27th, 2018 at 10:05 PM ^

Even if for a few games, I definitely would like to see Tarik Black out there this season. Having two consecutive seasons shortened in this manner has to be hard, and you can tell he wants a chance to be the WR that we are fairly sure he is. 

Rose Bowl

August 27th, 2018 at 10:06 PM ^

Can anyone confirm if Nico can slide into Tarik's position or do they play different WR positions?  Does DPJ have to flip to the other side?

Thanks

DrMantisToboggan

August 27th, 2018 at 10:09 PM ^

Nico and Tarik play the same WR position. Outside spots are mostly interchangeable. Nico had been playing so well in camp that they were talking about moving DPJ inside to play some slot so that they could have all three on the field at once. 

Good WRs more or less know all WR positions in their offense, because good WRs know every route in their route combos and know why any given WR has the assignment they have.

RockinLoud

August 27th, 2018 at 10:14 PM ^

Outside receivers know what all the routes are for either X or Y position. When I played in HS we had to know every single route for every position out of every formation. And that was only at the 4A level, I'm sure it's even more true for an FBS program. Only exception was the younger guys might have limited knowledge to certain packages due to still learning the play book. 

garde

August 28th, 2018 at 8:22 AM ^

I read this the other day or maybe heard it on BTN (and I think UMBig11 also alluded to it), but Nico's camp play was supposedly so impressive that prior to Tarik's injury, the staff was toying with the idea of moving Tarik to #2 WR and DPJ to the slot in order to have all three on the field at once. Also, supposedly Nico was catching everything thrown his way in camp. He could very well be the player that surprises everyone this season. And I wont be shocked if he becomes Shea's go to guy in the red zone with his height and weight gain. If Shea can throw the fade, I like my chances of a 6'4" 220lb guy winning some jump balls in the corner of the end zone. Also, with our TEs, I wouldn't want to be a DC having to defend with a guy like Nico on the outside in red zone situations.

BroadneckBlue21

August 28th, 2018 at 12:10 PM ^

With Gentry, DPJ and Collins, the red zone attack could be fantastic this year. Imagine having fade routes on both outsides with Gentry running skinny posts. Add in a crossing McKeon, and boom. Someone is getting single coverage on those routes—and I hope Shea can recognize who on any given play,

redwhiteandMGOBLUE

August 27th, 2018 at 10:18 PM ^

Greg Mattison spoke on Rashan:

“If there is a concern about Rashan’s health, I don’t want to be around him. He’s champing at the bit, and he’ll be fine. There’s nothing there.

He also spoke on Winovich's return and Rashan working with Hutchinson:

“I was excited when I found out Chase was coming back,” he recalled. “It was the right thing for him to do. He’s talented but can get even better.

“You want a young man to be the best he can be before deciding to move on. He has had a great camp and has tried to become the best player he can be.

“When he first got here, Chris Wormley sat next to him in meetings and would talk to him about getting better, and now we have a youngster named [freshman] Aidan Hutchinson, and Gary sits next to him and does the exact same thing. Things are heading in the right direction when you have that on your team.

“I actually coached Aidan’s dad here, and he was one of the best players I’ve ever coached. This kid is five inches taller than his dad was.

“He comes in every day and wants to get better — he has good strength for a freshman, and can run well.”

https://michigan.rivals.com/news/michigan-football-mattison-provides-update-on-rashan-gary-s-health

The Fan in Fargo

August 27th, 2018 at 10:39 PM ^

I just hope he's back in time for B1G championship game and playoffs. Was looking forward to seeing him light up that overhyped Neutered Dame defense.

kurpit

August 27th, 2018 at 11:01 PM ^

Not holding my breath. Hopefully they won't be needing him, but there's a lot of stepping up that will need to be done for that to be the case.

Darboh's Extra…

August 28th, 2018 at 12:51 AM ^

I've been depressed for two days after hearing about the injury but with Higdon and Evans and our TE corps. we weren't having an 80 catch WR on this team. He's a beast but the offense will survive and thrive. Let's hope he heals fast and is back by PSU.

Mr. Owl

August 28th, 2018 at 6:49 AM ^

It would be nice, but I don't know if we should count on it.

I guess the idea of getting a redshirt on Bell isn't a thing anymore.

ak47

August 28th, 2018 at 8:05 AM ^

The problem with a foot injury is that he can’t even condition. Even if the foot I’d fully healed in 8 weeks it’s another month to get back into game shape. If it were truly. 6-10 week injury there would be zero doubt he is playing this year.

garde

August 28th, 2018 at 6:31 PM ^

He can condition, just not run. He will be in the weight room with limited exercises. Also, to get some cardio, they will likely get him in the pool initially with a boot on. He can do things like, pretending he's sprinting in the deep end of the water as he keeps himself afloat. When its time for the boot to come off, they will probably then have him do laps and sprints in the pool (if he can swim), as well as stationary bike, before they are ready to take it to solid ground. Is it great? No, but it will keep his cardio/aerobic base relatively close to where it is. Its the explosion stuff, and his anaerobic base, that he will need to recover. That will only come when he's cleared to run full speed.

DualThreat

August 28th, 2018 at 9:03 AM ^

I'll admit the player I was most excited to see this season was Tarik Black.

So of course this would happen.

Glad Nico is there to fill in, but I fear the physiological effect Tarik's injury will have on the coach's playcalling.  I don't want them subconsciously turtling up the offense because they fear losing Nico or Donovan to injury too.

 

MotownGoBlue

August 28th, 2018 at 10:18 AM ^

It’s one thing if the fracture is healed in 6 weeks, but a complete different ballgame for how long it takes to play football at 100%. Considering his now injury history, Tarik shouldn’t take the field until he’s a complete 100%. 

That said, I don’t necessarily agree with lumping him in with the aforementioned WRs with similar, or possibly the same injuries. Every case is different, and exactly how long did each player wait until they subsequently re-injured themself? “Same season” is not a definitive timeline. 

saveferris

August 28th, 2018 at 10:26 AM ^

No way you can't tell me that he wouldn't be a good player to have in late November in Columbus.  If his foot heals up, I definitely want him in the lineup.