Michigan Daily on Troy Woolfolk (and T-Woolf)

Submitted by Communist Football on

Nicole Auerbach profiles Woolfolk's "lonely journey" back from injury:

http://michigandaily.com/content/following-troy-star-cornerback-troy-wo…

Woolfolk himself talks about his lupine ancestry:

http://michigandaily.com/content/troy-woolfolk-rise-and-fall-t-woolf?pa…

That night I stayed up for hours pondering what was going on and what happened to me. Then I finally realized — I, too, was blessed with the gene of my family’s ancient tribe. Due to the fact that football is a competitive sport, my body felt as if it was being threatened by the opponent, which triggered the wolf gene to come out.

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Troy Woolfolk

MGoShtoink

November 19th, 2010 at 10:11 AM ^

He made a man walk who had little chance of walking again.

He's going to help T-Woolf become a monster next year.  I'm pumped they'll be working together.  Troy's leadership itself will be a huge boost to the defense.

Joined: 11/05/2010

MGoPoints: 8523

El Jeffe

November 19th, 2010 at 10:21 AM ^

I don't mean to be a negative Nellie here, but I've been wondering about why we're all so confident that T-Woolf will be back in full effect next year. I mean, his injury sounded really horrific, and people always point to the mental and physical toll a bad injury takes and that it often takes longer than a year to fully come back.

I guess what I'm asking is does anyone have any clear idea of precisely what the injury was and what the typical rehab trajectory looks like? It seemed like we had some knowledgeable medical folk on the board when discussing Tate's shoulder (and they seemed to nail it IIRC), so I'm wondering if there's some similar knowledge to be dropped on this.

EDIT: Of course I wrote this before reading the Daily article, and I just saw this quote from RR, which makes me feel better:

“(Doctors) said the surgery and everything went great, and he should be back 100 percent,” Rodriguez says.

I'm just wondering if we have any independent judgement on this.

Joined: 07/07/2008

MGoPoints: 27314

Blue in Seattle

November 19th, 2010 at 12:02 PM ^

“(Doctors) said the surgery and everything went great, and he should be back 100 percent,” Rodriguez says. “Sometimes when you lose something, it makes you want it that much more. I think he’ll come back even hungrier next year.”

Indicates that the wisdom of Angry Michigan Secondary Hating God is beyond mortal comprehension.  I think Troy was taken exactly so he could return in 2011.

We are likley to understand things better next year.

 

Joined: 07/02/2008

MGoPoints: 1716

Ch125

November 19th, 2010 at 12:48 PM ^

I'm an athletic trainer, and the doctors saying the surgery was successful is obviously a good sign.  I believe (and correct me if i'm wrong) that T-Wolf had ligament damage after a dislocated ankle that had to be repaired.  Think of it like an ACL surgery, where the ligament is replaced, but it's in a less crucial joint.  The acl is tough to come back from because of confidence in cutting and loss of quad and hamstring muscle after surgery.  It takes a while to get those muscles back, no matter how hard you work.  With the ankle, the muscles surrounding the joint are much smaller and less powerful, which means that they can be restored to full strength in less time.  Vincent smith tore his acl in the last game of the year, and he was back approximately 9 months later, and seems to be almost at full strength 1 year later.  Troy was injured in August, so he will have a full year to recover from a lesser injury.  Another aspect to factor in is that with the knee, the bracing system is less than perfect.  Some docs believe the knee braces help, while others do not.  For an ankle, tape and or bracing can significantly strengthen the joint.  Troy's biggest challenge is getting full range of motion back in the joint, which should already be done at this point.  WIth the medical staff at UM and his attitude, he should be back for spring practices and we should see minimal evidence (other than a taped ankle) that the injury ever occured next fall. 

Joined: 09/16/2010

MGoPoints: 410

Michigasling

November 19th, 2010 at 11:24 AM ^

but Troy & T-Woolf have alternatives for their future.  Troy's already shown he has potential as a stand-up comedian, so to add T-Woolf's fearlessness and daring with Troy's humor and perspective, plus the obvious intelligence and talent (expected of a Michigan student)-- he's got all the necessary qualities required to be a great writer.  Beyond being a sportswriter, but then he's got the charm and wit to be a great broadcaster... So many possibilities.  The scouts are still watching you, Troy!

But first he needs that senior-plus-one year on the field.  Then he'll have even more to write about.  Can't wait to see him back.

Great articles, both of them.

Joined: 11/21/2009

MGoPoints: 7751