Post by Deleted on Dec 4, 2014 9:33:37 GMT -5
FLORHAM PARK -- The Jets have endured a remarkable amount of attrition at the cornerback position this season, and it all started back on Aug. 10, when rookie Dexter McDougle fell to the ground during a training camp practice.
McDougle tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, ending his rookie season before it began.
Later in the same practice, cornerback Dee Milliner suffered a high ankle sprain. Milliner returned and played in just two games before sustaining a season-ending torn Achilles tendon. The corner who was supposed to start opposite Milliner, Dimitri Patterson, never played a down for the Jets. They cut him after he went AWOL for a preseason game.
McDougle, a third-round draft pick from Maryland, was initially scheduled to be a top backup, but he obviously would have played, if not for his knee injury.
On Wednesday, nearly four months after he got hurt, McDougle offered an update on the progress of his rehabilitation.
He said it was a clean ACL tear, with no additional damage to his meniscus. That was a good sign for him. But he said he is not sure when he will be able to practice again.
"I haven't really asked (the trainers)," he said. "I'm trying to just focus on right now, as opposed to the future. When the process was first starting out, they were saying I was ahead of schedule. I haven't had any setbacks. I'm running on the (anti-gravity treadmill) right now. Once a couple more weeks come through, I'll be doing more outside (running)."
This is essentially the second straight season that McDougle has missed because of an injury. He played in just three games at Maryland in 2013 before sustaining a serious shoulder injury. So he is used to rehab, at least. But that hasn't made watching this 2-10 Jets season any easier for him.
"It sucks," he said. "You want to be out there playing. You want to be out there with your brothers. It was something that I had kind of been through before (with a season-ending injury), so I knew what to expect. It kind of helped me with this one. I was real close to playing this year. It's just real frustrating. I'm just ready to get back next year.
"I was looking forward to this season a lot, man. But I've got a lot to look forward to, and I know I'll be ready come next season."
McDougle has been in the Jets' defensive backs meetings every day, trying to learn their system. Of course, they likely will have a new defensive system, to some degree, next season, when coach Rex Ryan and his staff are replaced.
The Jets also must address the cornerback position this offseason, in free agency, the draft, or both. Their current starters are career backup Darrin Walls and undrafted rookie Marcus Williams. Can the Jets go into 2015 banking on a Milliner-McDougle starting cornerback duo, with both coming off season-ending injuries? Probably not.
Walls is under contract with the Jets through 2015, but he has no guaranteed money remaining on his deal after this season. So the Jets could cut him with zero salary cap repercussions for 2015. His cap figure is meager next year, though: $900,000. This year, it is $1 million.
Though the Jets rank 13th in the NFL this season in passing yards allowed per game, their secondary has been largely unproductive. It is a big reason why the Jets are 31st in the NFL in third-down defense. They have intercepted just four passes, tied with the Chiefs for fewest in the NFL.
As the offseason nears, McDougle said he isn't sure yet if he will remain in New Jersey to rehab throughout the winter, or do rehab work elsewhere. He said he will do whatever the Jets' trainers suggest.
Still, he remains encouraged about how things have gone for him since he got hurt, even though the injury resulted in him missing guaranteed playing time this season.
"Physically, the whole process for me, honestly, with the ACL has been pretty easy for me, I feel like," he said. "It wasn't as tough as my shoulder. That's helped me stay positive as well. I've been progressing really well."
by Darryl Slater
McDougle tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, ending his rookie season before it began.
Later in the same practice, cornerback Dee Milliner suffered a high ankle sprain. Milliner returned and played in just two games before sustaining a season-ending torn Achilles tendon. The corner who was supposed to start opposite Milliner, Dimitri Patterson, never played a down for the Jets. They cut him after he went AWOL for a preseason game.
McDougle, a third-round draft pick from Maryland, was initially scheduled to be a top backup, but he obviously would have played, if not for his knee injury.
On Wednesday, nearly four months after he got hurt, McDougle offered an update on the progress of his rehabilitation.
He said it was a clean ACL tear, with no additional damage to his meniscus. That was a good sign for him. But he said he is not sure when he will be able to practice again.
"I haven't really asked (the trainers)," he said. "I'm trying to just focus on right now, as opposed to the future. When the process was first starting out, they were saying I was ahead of schedule. I haven't had any setbacks. I'm running on the (anti-gravity treadmill) right now. Once a couple more weeks come through, I'll be doing more outside (running)."
This is essentially the second straight season that McDougle has missed because of an injury. He played in just three games at Maryland in 2013 before sustaining a serious shoulder injury. So he is used to rehab, at least. But that hasn't made watching this 2-10 Jets season any easier for him.
"It sucks," he said. "You want to be out there playing. You want to be out there with your brothers. It was something that I had kind of been through before (with a season-ending injury), so I knew what to expect. It kind of helped me with this one. I was real close to playing this year. It's just real frustrating. I'm just ready to get back next year.
"I was looking forward to this season a lot, man. But I've got a lot to look forward to, and I know I'll be ready come next season."
McDougle has been in the Jets' defensive backs meetings every day, trying to learn their system. Of course, they likely will have a new defensive system, to some degree, next season, when coach Rex Ryan and his staff are replaced.
The Jets also must address the cornerback position this offseason, in free agency, the draft, or both. Their current starters are career backup Darrin Walls and undrafted rookie Marcus Williams. Can the Jets go into 2015 banking on a Milliner-McDougle starting cornerback duo, with both coming off season-ending injuries? Probably not.
Walls is under contract with the Jets through 2015, but he has no guaranteed money remaining on his deal after this season. So the Jets could cut him with zero salary cap repercussions for 2015. His cap figure is meager next year, though: $900,000. This year, it is $1 million.
Though the Jets rank 13th in the NFL this season in passing yards allowed per game, their secondary has been largely unproductive. It is a big reason why the Jets are 31st in the NFL in third-down defense. They have intercepted just four passes, tied with the Chiefs for fewest in the NFL.
As the offseason nears, McDougle said he isn't sure yet if he will remain in New Jersey to rehab throughout the winter, or do rehab work elsewhere. He said he will do whatever the Jets' trainers suggest.
Still, he remains encouraged about how things have gone for him since he got hurt, even though the injury resulted in him missing guaranteed playing time this season.
"Physically, the whole process for me, honestly, with the ACL has been pretty easy for me, I feel like," he said. "It wasn't as tough as my shoulder. That's helped me stay positive as well. I've been progressing really well."
by Darryl Slater
