Gilbert surgery = excuse to offer Shepard at QB?

C

Colt McVince

250+ Posts
with the reported labrum surgery on gilbert, you kind of wonder if that would make the staff consider being more definitive about giving shepard his chance at qb. it seems more and more like the "lead" we had with shepard has largely evaporated, and it would really suck to have to face him as an aggy or okie. gilbert may have gotten the "you're the only qb we're receiving" reassurance from the staff, but if this surgery was kept the least bit in the dark prior to the commit, i think it's fair game to offer shepard at QB. thoughts?
 
The shoulder joint is a very shallow one, less of a ball-and-socket than a ball-and-saucer. The labrum is a ring of cartilage around the edge of the saucer (glenoid) that increases the effective depth of the joint and provides a seal for the suction holding the ball (humeral head) in place. Throwing athletes like pitchers and QBs are at increased risk for tearing the top (Superior) portion of the Labrum in a line from front to back (Anterior-Posterior), hence SLAP tear.

There are many varieties of SLAP tears, but the fundamental distinction of importance is the condition of the biceps anchor. One of the biceps muscle's heads has its upper tendonous attachment in the middle of the superior labrum. Some labral tears include damage to this tendon insertion. Regardless of the nature of the tear, it is likely to be treated with a scope; the question is whether the frayed parts merely need trimming or whether the biceps tendon needs to be reattached to the glenoid.

I have no inside information on GG's particular condition, but in general, a SLAP lesion not requiring biceps anchor repair is not likely to be an issue come next season.
 
Colt,

Where you are getting the notion that Mack and his staff promised or inferred to Gilbert he would be the only "quarterback" Texas would offer for 2009.

It seems to me that the offering of Sheppard as a quarterback/athlete is consistent with how he projects on the next level at this time.
 
AWE.. this was reported on one of the premium newsletters. i don't know it is a fact... and certainly if you misinterpret 1 word out of a kid's mouth (which in the internet age is not hard to do), the statement could be taken wrong. i still want RS to be a horn, and am hoping there is still a good chance
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Colt,

If they did that would be certainly a head scratcher when you consider the situation on campus at quarterback and the fact that this is supposedly one of the best quarterback groups to come through in a very long time.

It would make perfect sense to bring in two if you can get two to commit, but it wouldn't be the first time the Horns decisions about recruiting the quarterback position has left me wondering at times.
 
Fellas, just a note of good news from my side of things. I tore my labrum in '06, and got it worked on at Austin Sports Medicine by Dr. Nathan Breazeale (former Texas swimmer, I believe). Whereas a painful and inconvenient surgery and initial experience, the recovery time for me was just a few months. I was 28 at the time, and was back lifting relatively heavy weight sooner than anyone (including Dr. Breazeale) thought possible. So, give Mr. Gilbert's youthful age and athletic inclinations, I bet this kid recovers in no time at all. Let's all hope I'm right...

HD
 
I don't see the UT staff as one that makes the "only one QB" promise. Maybe so, but seems out of character for them.

So I don't think they need an excuse to offer him as a QB, nor do I think it would sit any better with Shepard to know he's only getting offered now that the othr guy is hurt.
 
thanks for the personal comment on the surgery .. yeah i think with gilbert's 16 year old body, he'll recover just fine.

AWE... i agree with you. would be best to take 2, especially with some imminent position changes in our current QB system. my best guess is that it's the whole brantley/chiles thing again (with an instate brantley this time)... and so offer the sure thing (gilbert), in your back door, proven champion type 1st, and see if the athletic, talent through the roof QB (shepard), can come in as an non-defined "athlete". i don't agree with that personally.. we've bungled QB recruiting so bad since VY, so i hope that we're not letting a special talent at QB in shepard get away from us this year.
 
The Link

Most of my knowledge of torn labrums comes from being an avid baseball fan. The above article calls the torn labrum the most feared injury in the game, much worse than torn rotator cuffs and Tommy JOhn surgery.

I think its pretty serious if a high school junior is having this surgery. The kid seemed like a can't miss prospect. Hope he recovers and does well.
 
I have a SLAP tear right now. My doctor told me that surgery that doesn't require work to the biceps tendon would leave me in a sling for 6 weeks and then back to throwing fully in 6 months.
 
Colt,

Agreed. I am not convinced that even by summer Texas has all four current quarterbacks on the roster. The Chiles decision seems to be to be centered on two points. First, will he ever be an effective enough passer to be a true threat in the offense Texas wants to run. I just can't see Texas going to an offense like WV last year and with the numbers they have recruited at receiver they better utilize those guys or they have burnt a bunch of scholarships that could have been used at say DT.

Second is that Harris or Kinne need to show that if something happens to Colt they are a viable back-up. That to me is the issue with Chiles. John is a good alternate, but at the end of last year he wasn't enough of a throwing threat to pose a threat the longer he was on the field. It was almost better if his exposure last year was in small doses.

What becomes interesting if what happens if Chiles stays at quarterback and his throwing improves enough to pose a viable threat at quarterback. Do Harris and Kinne stay or go seek playing time?
 
I am in the dark on this, did this injury happen during the football season? I am sure the Texas coaches knew of this before he committed? If so, they must not feel it is that serious if they offered him a scholorship.
 
Apparently found around August or September. Texas can't have him checked by a doctor, but am curious what conversations took place if any between Lake Travis medical staff/doctor's and the Horns' medical staff.
 
8s, hope yours goes as well as mine did. Your mileage may vary, since the throwing factor sounds more important to you than it was to me. I remember being more sore after throwing for the first time post-op than my first workout post-op. I'm sure it has to do with the range of motion and joint movement being very different.


Bundy, hopefully GG's isn't very severe, meaning that it wouldn't involve any biceps work additionally. Hopefully, he'll be able to get plenty
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and be ready to have a spectacular senior year.
 
If he played all season with it, if he didn't aggravate it, I am sure the Texas coaches must feel it is going to be okay.
 
Good thing he's young and has plenty of time to recover. Hopefully it can be scoped.

I had a total shoulder replacement because of a motorcycle accident last May, including re-attachment of the biceps tendon to the glenoid, and I got to tell you it ain't no fun. And, I've got a ten inch scar to prove it.

This same biceps tendon was ruptured at the elbow about +10 years ago. No more power lifting for me.
 
Jerry Scarbrough for one. He talks to the recruits and their families. Mack's not going to discuss it because the NCAA forbids him
 
Taps,

Thanks. Aside from the NCAA rules I think Mack likes to keep certain talk inside the Texas family so to speak.

That is interesting Mack would make such a promise when the team hasn't even gone through Spring yet and no one knows the shape of the roster for next year.

Texas sits with two sophs to be and a freshman behind your returning junior starter. I can't fathom Colt leaving early which means that Harris or Chiles will be looking at starting one season.
It is easy to foresee either Chiles moving or someone transferring.

Kinne is in a similar position and with no quarterback signed in 2008 that leaves the position actually think in 2010 unless Texas brought in a second quarterback or have their sites on someone in 2010.
 
Taps,

Other schools have done it so it isn't that much out of the norm it would appear everywhere outside of Austin.

No one position has baffled me more at times than the way Texas has recruited quarterbacks. It has ranged from making offers to kids that had you scratching your head over to the all or none strategy that has blown up on them.

What isn't said in that article is whether or not Mack told Sheppard he wouldn't get a shot at quarterback nor if the coaches project him as a quarterback.

This is part of the problem with pushing up the commitment process so damn far. Sheppard is a kid that for whatever reason has not shown much throwing the ball be it that his coaches won't let him, he doesn't have any receivers, or he just hasn't developed yet.

His career numbers are just over 250 attempts, just under 1,500 yards passing, and 12 td's to 9 ints.

Those are half-year numbers for almost every other qb listed among the best of the best for 2009 which means absolutely nothing.

What is important is how the kid progresses, but the next time he steps on the field in a real game situation is next August and by then this thing will most likely be over.

I am not saying Mack has got this recruiting thing wrong, but it just seems to me that you are forcing yourself to make decisions before all the data can be possibly gathered.
 
Most think that Shepard has a long way to go to be a good, not great college QB. I'd like to see a list of schools that have two, 5 star QBs in the same class. Anyway, a bird in the hand...
 
Shepard is going to LSU Junior Day this weekend, which means he is not going to UT's Second Junior Day where some had speculated any "misunderstandings" with the staff would be resolved.

(I for one don't believe there are any misunderstandings.)
 
Taps,

I did a quick scan of the Rivals database since 2002 and found 11 times where a school signed at least 2 4-star quarterbacks in the very same signing class. Those were:

2002
OH. State - Justin Zwick and Troy Smith
UCLA - Matt Moore and Drew Olson

2003
UF - Chris Leak and Justin Midget
Az. State - Sam Keller and Michael Affleck
LSU - JaMarcus Russell and Matt Flynn
Oregon - Johnny Durocher and Dennis Dixon

2004
FSU - Drew Weatherford and Xavier Lee
TT - Robert Johnson and Graham Herrell

2005
Cal - Joseph Ayoob and Kyle Reed

2006
ND- Demetrius Jones and Zach Frazier

2007
UF - John Brantley and Cameron Newton

Odds are I have made a mistake or two and I realize that in none of the pairings I listed above 1 school signed 2 5-star quarterbacks, but I don't believe Rivals even lists Sheppard at quarterback and I think a fair argument could be made the list above includes 22 young men who were highly regarded at the time they signed and yet their schools somehow landed 2 quarterbacks in the same class.

Not questioning Mack's ability to pull off this feat, but instead recall that when Mack starts using the time of terminology used in the article you linked something isn't being said.

I understand kids want to play, but why is it harder to recruit multiple quarterbacks than it is wide receivers or defensive backs. If the NCAA ever starts and official 7-on-7 season Texas has to have more db's and wr's than any school in the conference and yet they pick up more commits last week.

Since the last time Mack and I sat down for lunch was never I have no idea what the reasoning, be it he wants to never go through a quarterback controversy like Major vs. Chris, they think they have four other quarterbacks on campus who can play, or they don't like Sheppard is a quarterback, but this is just another interesting recruiting saga at a position that seems to continually provide new twists each year.
 
Looking at our roster it seems more a matter of need on the depth chart than an "ability" to recruit numerous 4*/ 5 * QB's in the same class. That said, I believe we still have a good shot.
 
anotherwebexpert-

So you are saying we will have 6 QB's on our roster next year. We do not even have 6 DT's. Give me a break, unless we have some major position changes it is not going to happen, Shepherd's quote about what Mack said should give you a clue.
 
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