“He Looks Like ‘The Juggernaut'”
July 30th, 2017
So far, so good says teammate.
Hey, it’s happy time in the NFL. Everything is rosy as teams wind down the early training camp days in underwear football.
And while the following is good to hear, Joe is waiting until the pads come on (tomorrow) and, more importantly, the regular season.
No one at One Buc Palace has a discouraging word to say about right guard J.R. Sweezy. As we all know, Sweezy had a back operation last year to repair a disc injury.
Sweezy, 28, was never able to snap on a chin strap. Not in underwear football, not in a preseason game, not once in a regular season game. Never in 2016.
What gives Joe pause here is that after all the research Joe has done, Joe cannot find any example of an NFL offensive lineman missing a full season due to back surgery and then playing in all 16 games the following year and/or playing at a high level.
(If you know of one, please alert Joe.)
But according to center/guard Evan Smith, Sweezy shows no signs of any back issues.
“Nah man, if there is, he hasn’t said anything to me,” Smith said. “And it doesn’t look like it.”
Smith, thus far, has been overly impressed wwith Sweezy and said Sweezy is fitting in just fine.
“He looks like ‘The Juggernaut,’ Smith said. “He came out here with his [shoulder] pads on finally and I was like, ‘Oh, God!’
“He is doing really well, man. he is doing well. We run some different stuff than what he is used to but he is adjusting to it. Overall though, he is a great addition to the group.”
This is all cool to hear and calms Joe some. But again, history is not on Sweezy’s side. But as we sit here in the final hours of July, all apparently is well.
July 30th, 2017 at 11:48 am
This is the biggest question mark of TC and Preseason. So far so good. We need this.
July 30th, 2017 at 11:54 am
really will not know until after preseason game 2 and 3. Then will be the big check for swelling, stiffness!!!! will also be watching to see if any kind of brace in those preseason games as well!!!!!
Stay Healthy Bucs!!!!!!!!
4 days until the first preseason game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GO Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 30th, 2017 at 11:59 am
Remember when a player blew out a knee it meant the end of his career?
To the astute observer, history would also suggest that history is made daily.
Just saying, hoping is one thing. Believing is where the power to make a difference comes in.
The 12 man is the X factor for this team.
July 30th, 2017 at 12:26 pm
But again, history is not on Sweezy’s side. Joe
Good thing is history is just a record keeper not a fortune teller.
Sweezy is the only one that knows how he feels. Nobody really can predict how he is going to react after the hits.
Seeing him out there and having him sign the re-done contract makes us feel better as fans.
I wish him the best honestly but I admit a little bit of selfishness as a Bucs fan.
July 30th, 2017 at 12:32 pm
But history is a damned good crystal ball.
July 30th, 2017 at 12:42 pm
Offensive line depth is my number one concern. Sweezy is part of that equation. I saw him in a picture, standing next to Hawley, I think he is two sizes bigger than Hawley. Yesterday when he “blocked” LVD, he more engulfed him than anything else.
July 30th, 2017 at 12:51 pm
Joe-Is it possible the training staff was being overly cautious last year to protect the teams investment?
July 30th, 2017 at 1:17 pm
Someone dig up some proof about this mystery back injury and post it. Until then in my mind it was a sham. He looks beastly because he’s healthy just like he was all last season. Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear.
July 30th, 2017 at 1:23 pm
Nice one on one pics of him and #93 crashing into each other on Bucs.com.
July 30th, 2017 at 1:29 pm
Generally, folks are not compelled to post medical records online or release them for public consumption. Sweezy told Joe this spring it was a disc issue, which had been previously reported.
July 30th, 2017 at 1:34 pm
@NosBos … “Someone dig up some proof about this mystery back injury and post it.” Thank you NosBos, I was really starting to get concerned about Joe’s constant questioning about whether Sweezy’s back will hold up. Joe’s comment that “history is not on Sweezy’s side” isn’t comforting. Our OLine needs him to stay healthy. Reality is that no one in the media knows how extensive his back injury was. Without knowing that, how can anyone compare his situation to all those other NFL players who’ve had career-threatening back injuries? Until proven otherwise, I’ve decided to just trust that JR will be one of our starting Guards and leave ‘history’ to the more skittish among us in this case.
July 30th, 2017 at 1:42 pm
I don’t know how you can be that gigantic and not have a healthy back. I admit going up against d-lineman is a tremendous challenge but you also got to have a good back to be able to lift whatever he does. Dude’s a monster.
July 30th, 2017 at 1:51 pm
Well he said it was a herniated disc
http://www.buccaneers.com/news/article-1/JR-Sweezy-Off-to-a-Fast-Start-in-OTAs/04a93882-9ddf-4af1-8a45-26e8410386a7
and according to a little research, (from healthline . com)
Most people recover well after disk surgery, but each case is unique. Your individual outlook depends on:
the details of your surgery
any complications you may have encountered
your general state of health
I have a feeling he’s going to be fine. Unless he reinjures that same area again which would mean its probably never going to heal back up to 100%. But it could be completely healed and he will be able to be a beast for us without it holding him back….thats what Im hoping for. Good luck JR!
July 30th, 2017 at 1:52 pm
If Sweeze seriously has lingering back issues, He will not last an entire NFL season, playing on the field. Not in this NFl. He’s simply going against guys that require maxumum output on every down. We shall see. But I do not have him lasting the entire season IF..it was in fact a serious disc issue.
July 30th, 2017 at 2:01 pm
Somebody has to be the first to accomplish amazing feats. Hope springs eternal. Go Bucs!!
July 30th, 2017 at 2:02 pm
“Furthermore, surgical treatment for a herniated disc does not preclude patients from returning to sports, as over 80% of athletes who develop a herniated intervertebral disc can return to sporting activity.”
https://www.si.com/edge/2015/09/03/rothman-institute-pro-athletes-back-injuries-tony-romo-dwight-howard
Yeah, its all according to how bad it was and how its healed. A basketball player, or golfer or pretty much any other sport is a lot different from an NFL lineman.
July 30th, 2017 at 2:10 pm
I hope that it all turns out well with Sweezy and that he is fully recovered. If not, the Bucs should never sign another free agent guard for big money ever again. The team just seems cursed on this issue.
July 30th, 2017 at 2:18 pm
I have more faith in Sweezy than I do in Dotston, GMC, McDonald, and Martin. History proves that as well.
July 30th, 2017 at 2:26 pm
A case could possibly be made that Sweezy could have been rushed back in ’16. That could have been disastrous.
I think the team was very wise to give him a full season off to fully recover.
July 30th, 2017 at 6:25 pm
Going against gmc/silica/Steven everyday will quickly show us how strong his back is.
July 30th, 2017 at 8:02 pm
Ok Joe, we know it has never been done. We get it. However, that does not mean it can never happen.