Watkins: Tyrone Crawford still dealing with pain

[Cotton]

Tyrone Crawford still dealing with pain
June, 3, 2014

By Calvin Watkins | ESPNDallas.com

GRAPEVINE, Texas -- One of the promising defensive line players the Dallas Cowboys have on the roster is second-year defensive end Tyrone Crawford.

Crawford tore his Achilles tendon in a non-contact drill in the first training camp practice last summer. Crawford is participating in the organized team activities now, but is still dealing with some health issues.

"It's feeling good," he said Tuesday at the Cowboys' annual golf tournament for it's sponsors and players. "It's still sore but I'm starting to get used to being at practice and going up against an offensive lineman. (It's) definitely weaker than I expected it to be at this point and sometimes I try to put my foot down and it doesn't hold up as well as I wanted it to. I'm going to get through OTAs and make sure I get with my trainers and go through my rehab and I will probably feel good by training camp."

Crawford isn't the first Cowboys' player to recover from a torn Achilles. In 2006, defensive end Greg Ellis tore his Achilles and after dealing with some pain in training camp the next season, was able to rebound. Ellis was named the Associated Press' NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

Safety Barry Church tore his Achilles in 2012 and returned the next season to lead the Cowboys in tackles.

Crawford said he doesn't plan on starting training camp on the physically unable to perform list and understands recovering from such a serious injury takes time.

"I've talked to a lot of people who've had Achilles injuries and they've told me its usually a year thing or maybe even (for) some people, over a year. It didn't feel good," he said. "You learn a lot from your rookie year, that's how I was last year. You need to get out there when my body wasn't feeling it."

 

[boozeman]

Yet another injured guy we just assume can return and play a key role.

I am sure this will just turn out in our favor and stuff.

 

[ravidubey]

Track record for Achilles recovery has been solid. I've not heard of an NFL player to not recover from one.

Microfracture surgery is the opposite, I've never heard of a single serious recovery.

So Tyrone Crawford-> optimistic, Anthony Spencer-> not so much.

 

[Clay_Allison]

Track record for Achilles recovery has been solid. I've not heard of an NFL player to not recover from one.

Microfracture surgery is the opposite, I've never heard of a single serious recovery.

So Tyrone Crawford-> optimistic, Anthony Spencer-> not so much.

An Achilles tear can still be a career ender for players who have to backpedal. Jon Jansen (OT) and Bryant Westbrook (CB) for a couple of examples, were productive players before they suffered an Achilles tear.

 

[p1_]

An Achilles tear can still be a career ender for players who have to backpedal. Jon Jansen (OT) and Bryant Westbrook (CB) for a couple of examples, were productive players before they suffered an Achilles tear.

Think Kevin Smith, a very talented corner in his day until the dread achilles tear.

 

[Rev]

An Achilles tear can still be a career ender for players who have to backpedal. Jon Jansen (OT) and Bryant Westbrook (CB) for a couple of examples, were productive players before they suffered an Achilles tear.

I was going to say that defensive linemen shouldn't be backpedaling but who am I kidding?

 

[Simpleton]

Classic Cowboys idiotic optimism right here.

 

[dallen]

I was going to say that defensive linemen shouldn't be backpedaling but who am I kidding?

It is a bad injury but not quite so bad for DE as it would be for other positions. I wouldn't be surprised if he never comes back because our medical staff seems to be rife with incompetence, but he should be able to play

 

[hstour]

It is a bad injury but not quite so bad for DE as it would be for other positions. I wouldn't be surprised if he never comes back because our medical staff seems to be rife with incompetence, but he should be able to play

The medical staff is really quite good. The strength and conditioning......

 

[p1_]

Yet another injured guy we just assume can return and play a key role.

I am sure this will just turn out in our favor and stuff.

I'm always overly optimistic, but this is far from a sure thing.

 

[ravidubey]

Think Kevin Smith, a very talented corner in his day until the dread achilles tear.

He was still a decent player after his tear, though not the same.

I really think the referees went out of their way in 1996 to penalize Smith. The Cowboys corners were pitching shutouts until the refs started calling Smith for holding every other play. The Cowboys held Favre and Bledsoe to jack and shat that year, and both those QBs ended up playing in the Superbowl.

A guy like Sam Madison would play the exact same way Kevin Smith would, but Smith got all the negative calls because he was a Cowboy and Madison was a Dolphin.

 

[Clay_Allison]

It is a bad injury but not quite so bad for DE as it would be for other positions. I wouldn't be surprised if he never comes back because our medical staff seems to be rife with incompetence, but he should be able to play

It may be hard for him to drive off that foot from a three point stance, which naturally stretches the Achilles. I don't know whether it was his right or his left that was torn.

 

[hstour]

It may be hard for him to drive off that foot from a three point stance, which naturally stretches the Achilles. I don't know whether it was his right or his left that was torn.

Wouldn't it compact the achilles at the drive off? As you push off the ball of your foot, the leverage would compact the heel toward the calf.

Just getting in the stance would be the area that stretches it.

 

[Clay_Allison]

Wouldn't it compact the achilles at the drive off? As you push off the ball of your foot, the leverage would compact the heel toward the calf.

Just getting in the stance would be the area that stretches it.

Right, but it's going to be hard to have the injured Achilles be the lead foot, which is the one you drive off of, because when you're in the three point stance the Achilles of the lead foot is more stretched than the Achilles of the back foot.