George Thomas Q&A w/ Coach Bowden

[Blue & Gold]

George Thomas courtesy of ABJ.

Nordly Capi will be back.

Se'Von Pittman will (or at least "can") play both DT & DE.

Deontae Moore & Jerome Lane still projected as LB's. (I thought they might wind up @ DE.)

[Dave in Green]

When Coach Bowden says that KP16 had to "play half the season with a sprained ankle," I wonder if this is the injury @ZachTheZip was referring to when he said that KP16 was putting off having surgery? Having a sprained ankle through half a football season suggests it was more severe than a typical sprain. Just wondering if it's healing on its own now that the season is over or if there's damage that needs to be surgically repaired.

[Zipmeister]

Very informative story.

I think getting to 5 victories on the year was critical.

"The 5-7 record represents a turn in the right direction after several years of occupying a spot in college football’s Siberia."

[ZachTheZip]

When Coach Bowden says that KP16 had to "play half the season with a sprained ankle," I wonder if this is the injury @ZachTheZip was referring to when he said that KP16 was putting off having surgery? Having a sprained ankle through half a football season suggests it was more severe than a typical sprain. Just wondering if it's healing on its own now that the season is over or if there's damage that needs to be surgically repaired.

That's the injury I was referring to. A sprain is defined as a partial ligament tear, and this one doesn't seem to have healed (partly from the initial injury being moderately severe, and partially because Pohl kept playing on it and re-aggravating it throughout the season). The worst sprains need surgical repair. It's a minor procedure, but it needs to be done.

[Dr Z]

The worst sprains need surgical repair. It's a minor procedure, but it needs to be done.

Personally I haven't heard of surgery on a sprained ankle before. I have had a grade 3 ankle sprain that required crutches, I was out of sports for 6 months.

PS Nice article GT.

[Dave in Green]

Surgery for sprained ankles is only rarely needed, but is a well-documented medical procedure in rare cases where there is collateral damage to cartilage, etc. Odds are greatly in KP16's favor not to need surgery, but there's always a remote possibility.

[ZachTheZip]

Personally I haven't heard of surgery on a sprained ankle before. I have had a grade 3 ankle sprain that required crutches, I was out of sports for 6 months.

And there's the difference. Pohl played on it the whole time.

[Dr Z]

And there's the difference. Pohl played on it the whole time.

Ankles sprains are all different. Nobody would have played/walked on mine. Pohl was rushing designed plays on a football field, I couldn't put my toe on the ground. Sometimes it's just a pain tolerance issue (obviously KP's case), sometimes it's physically impossible. Keep us up to date on how the surgery goes, we are all interested.

My favorite part of GT's article:

But very well in the offseason we may challenge our receivers: ‘You know what if we’re playing three wideouts in a formation, we want the top three to play every snap except the one or two snaps [others] get and show me who needs to be No. 1.’ That’s one thing you need to do, establish No. 1 go-to guy. I heard this before the season, and still wondered if it held true. Good to hear.

[Dave in Green]

@ZachTheZip, we know that KP16 didn't have a grade 3 sprain (complete tear of a ligament) or he wouldn't have been able to play at all. Grade 2 and 1 sprains are not serious enough to require surgery. Based on everything I've seen, I believe that KP16 was given medical clearance to continue playing on a wrapped ankle because the prognosis was that it would not result in further damage. Therefore, I think he will fully recover in the offseason without requiring surgery. But please do let us know if you hear otherwise.

[Buckzip]

So, Moore and Lane redshirted?

I thought neither made the grades. That is a lot different than RS.

Losing a year of eligibility, no practicing, off season workouts and spring ball.

[johnnyzip84]

I didn't think this warranted a new thread, but turnover margin obviously plays a huge factor in teams that have success.

I remember commenting on some thread last year about how the Zips were getting very adept at forcing fumbles, but were for some reason having trouble recovering them. I believe GP1 responded by stating the recoveries would increase as the defense improved their collective ball pursuit (paraphrased).

This story provides some statistics that suggests the Zips indeed have room for improvement in turning these fumbles into turnovers. If I'm Coach Amato, I probably have this as a priority in 2014.

Edit: Full SBNation Story The writers attribute this to "luck". I think luck is only part of it. Players can be coached to be more alert and be more likely to be in the right spot.

[GP1]

Players can be coached to be more alert and be more likely to be in the right spot.

It's all fundamentals. Get good at the fundamentals of shedding blocks, get good at the fundamentals of good angle pursuit and run as fast as you can to the ball carrier. If you do all of these things and the ball pops loose, the effort might produce a positive outcome. Luck is where effort meets opportunity.

Same thing goes for when an offensive lineman recovers a fumbled ball down field on a running play. Come off the ball with good fundamentals: balance and position. Stay on your feet and move them. Get to the second level and do the same thing. When the runner breaks past the second level, run to the ball carrier. The mistake of fundamentals is blocking the guy next to you when the carrier is in the third level. The most important guys to block are those in the closest proximity to the carrier. Run to those guys and block them. Worry about the others later. Ball pops out and the offensive lineman is there to recover. Luck or good fundamentals/effort being rewarded?

It all starts with talent. The Zips talent level is vastly improved. The next step is fundamentals and playing the game properly. Coaches have to be good at coaching fundamentals and the players have to be willing to go through the tedious effort of improving fundamentals.

[LZIp]

I've noticed that I am starting to agree with GP1's post a lot more lately. Not sure how I feel about this.

[Dr Z]

Verified today, no surge

The worst sprains need surgical repair. It's a minor procedure, but it needs to be done.

Verified today, no surgery, only rehab (like I said from the beginning). Ankle is one hundred percent.

[Dave in Green]

Leave it to Dr Z to get the definitive medical report. Thanks for checking and letting us all know.