currently play football. So
it's on a football player so it's a football injury at this
point
but I'm not really too worried about what it's called or
whether it's abnormal or not or whatever. I'm worried about
here today. How did I feel? Let's continue to progress and
get better.
I was to Matthew Stafford's left, Matthew Berry, and
I could tell you, he was more irritated by the questions
about it that were injured, and he seems to be irritated by
the actual injury itself. Nonetheless, it's a huge
question
here to help us answer. This question is Mike Ryan who
brings 30 years of athletic training experience
in the NFL
to the show into the program? Appreciate you joining us,
Mike, what are your thoughts on both this particular injury to
Matthew Stafford and the Rams management of said injury
along with Stafford's availability? Activity for
the upcoming season.
Well, great questions micro. I think what he's dealing with
here is a chronic tendon issue tendonitis or the elbow and
interesting with this kind of an injury. That's where they're
going back forth, is it kind of a baseball injury?
He's had this issue in the past, in a sense, it's been and to
Sean McVeigh mentioning, they've had elbow issues off and on
and I think because of this, an elbow issue,
mostly a chronic
tendinitis. Ironically, those elbow ligaments at the
the tendons, I'm sorry at the elbow
affect Or the hand than they do the elbow itself. So,
early in the offseason they did
PRP injection which is kind of like a
healing expresso shot. If you will right into the injury
itself and I think that showed both the level of concern that
the Rams have
but also smart nature. In the sense, they're focusing on
September, getting them ready, they're not focusing on
the July. So I think this issue that he has is something that
may linger for a while. Do I really have concerns? He'll be
behind Center week one? Absolutely not.
But this is something he's going to have to manage a
Doing this whole offseason with not a lot of throwing
and getting him ready for September
and something that he probably will deal with most of
the Season.
Well Mike, if you have no concerns, then we have no
concerns. That's a huge sigh of relief to Fantasy managers that
we expect Stafford to be under Center week. One for the Rams
right here. By the way,
on NBC, I absolutely adore the company, man.
Look. Mike, I'm curious about Joe burrow return to practice
on Sunday the first time since he had that appendectomy, any
concerns about
Burro Mervyn moving forward. Who
I understand from Chris Simms is a better quarterback than
Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers combined.
It seems they're white and obviously Chris loves them for
good reason. I think with the thing with this, Matthew is
the fact that
he has a little less than three weeks. He was back in
the field, throwing a little bit on Sunday,
you know, a lot of people say this isn't a big deal.
Ironically, the people that say that surgeries are not a big
deal, the ones on the dull side of the knife, if you are not on
the sharp side,
I think the thing here is
with with his injury in the surgery itself, the big deal
is, obviously, they open up his abdomen. Anytime you put tools
and sutures and cameras into an abdomen, it's a big deal. We
look at week one, that's a little short of seven weeks,
post injury,
the concern for him isn't necessarily, I think the injury
itself, the the appendectomy, it's more from the surgery.
So, when they do that, his whole digestive system tends to
shut down. So the real high priority for him now, get his
i.d. digestive system up and running, get him back to
the fact that he can hydrate well and eat. Well, and really get
himself back to training at a high level as a football player
and I look at that for two reasons. Number one in
the obvious, is the performance. He has to be able to feel himself
like A professional athlete to perform that way
but the athletic trainer and physical therapist and he says
he has to be safer from a safety perspective. And what
I mean by that is if he doesn't have the muscle mass on them,
if he doesn't have the ability to hydrate himself, we look at
week one, that's in Pittsburgh
at a one o'clock game.
So he has to get himself ready, probably won't see him, taking
any snaps in the preseason. So, his kind of welcome back. So to
speak will be from the Pittsburgh defense. At a one
o'clock game where he's going to have four hot
quarters to play.
So the big question here is
can his entire body be ready to play football. Come September
11th, again a little under seven weeks. Post-surgery,
I think it's a big question that everyone obviously Bengal fans
included really have to see that answer. We probably won't
know that
till 3:00 3:30 on September 11th
by the way Chris Simms just texted me and told me that he
has the answer and that
the Joe Broz going to walk on the three rivers to
the stadium. He'll be just fine. Don't you worry? Buddy doesn't
need food.
He's not an actual mortal human being. Anyway. That's / Chris
Simms just FYI. Hey here, hey, Mike. If I were so fortunate as
to have
a top two or three, pick
in a snake draft and a redraft. I got to admit that I'd be
cautious about drafting Christian McCaffrey simply put
because I think he's injury-prone.
Is that fair?
Well, he has a list of supported this rather a backup
to that answer. He's had a list of injuries as he saw. He had
the ankle injury last year, had the hamstring before that he
went on IR twice.
I think he played a grand total of seven games last season in
2020. We had an ankle high, ankle, sprain
shoulder. Quad had a lot of things going on. Only played
three games, he's only played 10 games in the last two
seasons. So from a list of injuries. Yes, he's prone to
it.
I thought was really interesting. Head coach rules
said on Friday.
He said, well, we're going to Smart with him but then in
the same press conference he said hey he plays and a high risk
position it. We're just going to put them out there and play.
So you taking a guy who has some bumps and bruises? I think
all those injuries. He's had were very legitimate for
the kind of
play that Christian plays in the way he plays.
So I don't necessarily say he's injury-prone
but has his risk of injury and potential downtime increased
absolutely because of those injuries
especially with an ankle injury.
I think that comes into place had ankle injuries. The last
two seasons. So So I think there is a big concern for him,
not necessarily starting early in the season, but what's his
productivity and can he stay on the field come? Especially that
second half of the season? So I have my concerns as well. Yeah
certainly and I think fantasy managers certainly
they're well aware if you're drafting Christian McCaffrey
the ultimate risk reward pick. He's missed much of the last
two games but when you tear years but when he's been out
there has been nothing short of amazing.
And when he's out there this year, we expect him once again
to be incredible, just sort of for Fantasy managers
how lucky day. Feel how lucky do you feel? And I have that
question about Michael Thomas you know
in some ways very similar to Christian McCaffrey and this sense
that for a number of years Christian McCaffrey was fantasy
royalty and then the last two years has been questions about
that because an only because of the health Michael Thomas
the same way for years
fantasy royalty often the number one or number two wide
receiver in fantasy that was drafted and then the last two
years it's just
You know it health and there's also feels like
some bad vibes coming out of New Orleans, but early reports
in Camp are good. Should we trust those Mike?
Well, I think he set the stage real well for that Matthew.
Because if you look at his injuries, what he has his
issue, is it ankle? You know, that multiple injuries. It's
an ankle, but it's a bad one. You go back to week one and 2020.
When
the Terriers Murray ran up on the back of his ankle, That's
a classic. Look for a high ankle sprain. His ankle was pinned to
the ground,
High rotation,
and that's a great way to Drop the whole lower part of that
Shen. So it was a legitimate injury 2020, only played seven
games because of that.
And then I thought it was very interesting that they got till
in June of twenty Twenty-One before he had a surgery on that
ankle. So it's something that maybe in hindsight it should
have been done earlier but the bottom line is was done in June
of 2021
and he missed the entire season last year.
So I feel bad for Mike because this has been a really hard
couple years of coming out very high play. Like you said
Matthew of him, really struggling.
I think when you get multiple
High ankle sprains. He's re-injured that ankle as well.
When you get that what you tend to get with these you tend to
get some chronic instability of the ankle and that's a real
concern and you get an ankle instability. It's like out
playing. Try to play basketball with no shoelaces, in one shoe
that ankle has some extra play, it makes it very difficult for
a skill player.
Especially someone like Michael Thomas who changes directions
so hard. And so well Suddenly It's a way of really hampering
the way is ability to play
and I think another indicator of the confidence that the
Saints have or lack.
Of is he started the season on pupae and to be on
the physically unable to perform list means obviously you're not
able to do what you need to do,
but it's also very indicative that he did not take a single
wrap with the team drills during the offseason. And
I think that says something because with this kind of
an injury special being over a couple years now,
the repetitions that he has to do and his ability to do that.
Consistently, it doesn't take an x-ray or fancy treatment, it
takes repetition of a skilled player to do. What he does
at full speed to gain that kind of confidence.
So he didn't get team reps during the offseason. He starts
to season the training camp on pu P now, he's out there
practicing a little bit so
I could see him with that ankle being on the field at the start
of the season. But will he actually show you an ankle
model with that? But the question with him is
will that ankle hold up for a long period of time in
the performance? How much has he stepped back so to speak?
Because of that injury.
We will look at a high ankle sprain. It's disrupting
the membrane that goes between the two bones of the shin itself.
So now instead of just being a
Called lateral. Ankle sprain that we all get here. And there.
Now the whole stability of the lower Shin becomes compromised,
so that's why it makes it so difficult for a skilled player
with a high, ankle, sprain
to come back into play at a very high level.
Well, look, one of the things I would say is that. Hopefully,
hopefully the additions that the Saints have made
maybe he's is that awful little bit, right? So I mean they
drafted, cheers a lava, they added, they added Jarvis Landry
in the offseason as well. They have high expectations
Alright, I'm Trot minute at tight end.
Looks like Alvin Kamara will be around
for the full season at least at the moment and so
hopefully maybe slightly less usage on him will keep will
preserve him. It is worth noting. The last time you had
a full season,
he set the NFL record for most receptions in an NFL season.
And I think the concern with Thomas is baked into his ATP
he's currently going as wide receiver 29 on Yahoo or on
the eighth or ninth round. And at that price point I'm in
I'm in on Michael.
Because we know what the upside is
and the cost isn't that, you know, isn't isn't terrible.
Again, he's going as a low-end wide receiver three
because the upside is so great
to me, that's an encouraging report from you Mike. So I'm
excited about Thomas.
I think also indications in this math through to your point
is he's a really hard work. He's put a lot of effort to
a sort of come over this, to get over this injury, especially
being a chronic, chronic in nature.
You know, the work ethics and the time you have to put into it,
he's paying their price and he's putting that effort in.
I think that's obviously He kind of an upper or if you will of
him when he gets on the field, to be able to stay on the field
ABC, Sports Medicine, analyst, Mike Ryan already in regular
season form. You look forward to talking to you throughout
the year. My friend. Thank you so much.