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If I’m Matt Slauson, I’m a little concerned right now.
He had surgery after the season for injuries to his labrum, rotator cuff and biceps.
By the way, there were reports that played with all three torn. I find that really hard to believe. I’m not questioning whether he was playing with some major injuries, but if all three were torn, how would he be able to function? I’m going to look into this.
But nonetheless, he showed amazing grit and fortitude playing with these injuries.
However, it’s a 5-6 six month rehab from this injury, and this pushes his return into August.
So if the top guard in the draft, Stanford’s David DeCastro is on the board at 16, I would not be shocked if Tannenbaum grabs him.
If this team replaced Jerricho Cotchery, Brad Smith, Damien Woody and Tony Richardson in one fell swoop, what makes you think they wouldn’t do the same with another high-character guy like Slauson.
This is a cut-throat business, and it’s particularly cut-threat in Florham Park.
I know the Jets weren’t happy with me when I called Tannenbaum cut-throat last summer.
I didn’t say he was a bad GM, but if you don’t think he’s cut-throat, just ask Jerricho Cotchery.
Also, remember, this is a team that signed Brett Favre in the middle of camp, and cut all-time good guy, good-soldier Chad Pennington.
I’m not saying they would cut Slauson. He will be on the team, but if they pick DeCastro, Slauson is likely going to lose his job.
DeCastro is considered by most scouts an immediate NFL starter.
Of course it is possible Slauson starts the season on PUP. He has a lot of rehab ahead of him.
So how on earth did Slauson get through the season with serious injuries to his labrum, rotator cuff and biceps?
And remember, he was also playing with an MCL injury late in the year.
Aside from top-shelf toughness, Toradol shots were a big help. It’s a powerful anti-inflammatory shot that makes beat-up football players feel a lot better on game day.
“It cuts down on soreness during the game, and after it,” Slauson told Jets Confidential Magazine during the season.
Toradol has been in the news recently because several former NFL players, including receiver Joe Horn, are suing the NFL, claiming the drug was misused.
The plaintiffs contend that the NFL and individual teams, failed to warn them of the dangers of taking the drug, which they claim “can prevent the feeling of injury” and make it hard for players to realize when they had concussions.
“The plaintiffs have described the situation as one of being in a pregame locker room with players lining up to receive injections of Toradol in a ‘cattle call’ with no warnings of any sort being given, no distinguishing between different medical conditions of the players, and regardless of whether the player had an injury of any kind,” the legal brief states.
Slauson, who took the shot before most games last year, doesn’t feel it masks new injuries.
“If you get hurt, you feel it,” Slauson said. “When I rolled my ankle this year, I felt it. When I got an MCL sprain, I knew it.”
Slauson, like some of his fellow linemen, struggled late in the year, but overall, he had a pretty good season.
He can only hope that Tannenbaum doesn’t look to replace him in the draft, but also remember, the Jets have a new offensive line coach, who is looking for different characteristics in his lineman, so that not might help Slauson, either.
Also, aside from the possibility of the Jets jumping on DeCastro at 16, it’s also likely they will sign somebody from the Miami line as a free agent, one of Sparano’s guys, like guard Vernon Carey.
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