Is Coles' injury getting worse???

[NavyDave]

Coles will be there for chemistry but I dont see him being overworked since everyone knows what he can do and this will present an opportunity for Jacobs and D Mac

[Awesome]

Don't forget that's the injury that knocked Sterling Sharpe out of the league in the prime of his career, so turf toe injuries can be career-ending; doesn't mean it will be, but it can.

Whether or not you think Coles should have had surgery at the end of last year is a mute point now. The good news is that Coles is a an absolute warrior and will play through pain for the sake of the team. The bad though, is that can lead to problems down the road.

Either way, it's definitely something to monitor.

[China]

Originally posted by Awesome

Don't forget that's the injury that knocked Sterling Sharpe out of the league in the prime of his career, so turf toe injuries can be career-ending; doesn't mean it will be, but it can.

Whether or not you think Coles should have had surgery at the end of last year is a mute point now. The good news is that Coles is a an absolute warrior and will play through pain for the sake of the team. The bad though, is that can lead to problems down the road.

Either way, it's definitely something to monitor.

:confused:

Sterling Sharpe retired because of a spinal injury not turf toe:

http://www.packers.com/news/releases/2002/02/02-21.html

[laurent]

From fanball.com

December 18, 2003 10:48 PM ET

Coles misses practice

The News

Wide receiver Laveranues Coles (toe) missed practice for a second straight day on Thursday, Redskins.com reported. He is listed as probable for Sunday's game in Chicago and is expected to play.

Our View

Coles revealed earlier this week that the "turf toe" label is actually a stress fracture in his foot that he's been playing through for much of the season. He's played through it in the past and don't foresee him sitting on Sunday.

Coles playing with stress fracture

[TLusby]

I do not even see Thrash rated in the top four WR. I see it Coles, Gardner, Jacobs, and McCants. Where do most of you see these WR?

[freakofthesouth]

Here's my take-

If Coles needed to get surgery, he would have had it. Gibbs said himself that Coles is on a specific training program that allows him to do all necessary excersicing w/o the stress to his tender fracture. Gibbs also mentioned that Coles would work himself too hard if he weren't careful about it.

Beyond that, I don't think that this injury really had that much of an impact on his play. Sure, it did limit him a little. But the fact that Spurrier was running the offense most likely had something to do w/ it. As far as I can remember, every friggin time Coles touched the ball, it was exciting. Pretty sure he ran reverses late in the season that got me interested. How about when he chased down (insert name of Seattle DB), who picked Ramsey off, and nearly scored if it weren't for Coles' heroic FF.

The problem was that Ramsey, and eventually Hasselbeck did not get him the bean, because every other defense in the league had our #, because Spurrier was a friggin joke.

As far as other WRs go, I see Coles as #1, and a toss up for the #2 spot between McCants and Thrash- NOT GARDNER. He has shown only minimal dedication, w/ fundamental deficiency. I see THrash in the slot though. And someweher, Jacobs will contribute, and grow under these incredibly hard-working WRs (- Gandner, of course).

But maybe this is the case- Gibbs brings in Thrash to instill his work ethic and drive into all WRs; to teach the youngers players, and to push the loafers (cough, cough...Gard-ner...cough) for their spots. It's actually very interesting the way that Gibbs has created this micro-competition for each position. Just brilliant.

[rfdc]

I do find it interesting that there are two photo ops of Gibbs giving Gardner specific instructions. The same gesture is also made, yet these are two different days, two different mini-camps.

Ah the master at work, no?

The other thing I noticed is the lack of "tell all" this year, but that existed in 2002, 2003, since the previous head coach let out more and literally appeared to be asking for advice outside his control. Norv also did this and what did we notice about both?

JG, doesn't get his intentions hyped to front pages, he lets you write what you want, of course, but he will not spoon feed you on his beloved club.

If he says Coles will be fine and he even had to tell him to take it easy, since Coles, I believe is a man on fire with his new coach, then that's what is needed. Joe Gibbs "does not" play his starters like crazy in preseason and don't be surprised if the scores are grossly lopsided (against the Redskins) in preseason. He evaluates the players, not the scores.

HTTR!

[kappaluvacee]

rfdc you are right on the money about the preseason. The '91 preseason was horrible, but we finished the year with a ring.

[Guest Matt Kyriacou]

Apparently Street and Smith have been unable to uncover any signs of impending doom for L.C. He was awarded the title of "Best NFC East Receiver" in their preseason magazine.

:wewantd:

[christian]

Agreed, Laurent.

While Spurrier himself incorrectly referred to the injury as turf toe for a portion of last season (see below), the injury is in fact a stress fracture. And the implications of the injury still lingering nearly six months after the season has ended are not good. Coles was a different player pre- and post-injury last season. That much is certain. For the Redskins offense to be truly lethal, Coles must to be healthy enough to go full speed during training camp, particularly with the imminent implementation of a completely new system.

When the Redskins traded for Thrash, my immediate thought was that maybe Coles' injury's repsonse to treatment was not progressing as well as the team had hoped it would. I do agree that one of the Skins' major strengths is their depth at receiver. McCants demonstrated his value last season. Many FO's slotted Jacobs as the third best receiver in 2003's draft class, behind Rogers and Johnson. And Thrash, while his ceiling has been well-established, is a proven commodity and is a valuable insurance policy.

However, no receiver on the Redskins roster approaches the explosiveness of Coles. Any prolonged ill-effects due to this stress fracture could prove disasterous to the cohesion of a Redskin offense hoping for a quick transition despite the introduction of many new players at key positions. As a fan of the Birds, here's hoping he's tip-top for all your games, with the obvious notable exceptions of November 21st and December 12th.

http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=293&sid=118747

Skins' Coles Playing With Stress Fracture

Updated: Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2003 - 6:13 PM

By JOSEPH WHITE

AP Sports Writer

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) - Here's yet another reason the Washington Redskins' season has gone nowhere: Laveranues Coles has been playing with a stress fracture in his right foot.

The team's leading receiver disclosed Wednesday he has been hindered by the injury since the third game, and that it has become "very painful" to run pass routes.

"I tried to keep it under wraps," Coles said. "Because, as a football player, I feel there should be no excuses. When you step on the field, you have to perform. If I was man enough to step out there, I'm man enough to take the responsibilities that come with it. I didn't really want to make a big issue of it."

Coles will play the final two games, but said he will have to wear a cast for four to eight weeks after the season. If the foot hasn't healed by then, he might have surgery.

"It's very painful," Coles said. "Again, it's not something I want to harp on. It's a fracture. It's something we're going to deal with when the season's over."

Coles has been one of the team's most valuable assets in an otherwise dismal year, leading the Redskins (5-9) with 69 catches for 1,023 yards. Before the injury, he was leading the NFL in receiving with three straight 100-yard games to open the season, but has since passed the 100-yard mark just once. He was held without a catch for the first time this season in Sunday's 27-0 loss to Dallas.

Offensive coordinator Hue Jackson said Coles' inability to practice has hampered the offense.

"He's done everything we've asked him to do, and he's sucked it up. It's been hurting him pretty bad," Jackson said. "Once we get to the game, we try to go with it, and sometimes the timing's off or this is not exactly right, because you don't have it full speed during the week."

But Coles never let on about his injury, letting coach Steve Spurrier refer to it simply as "turf toe" for several weeks. Coles even said his toe was "fine" Wednesday before deciding a few moments later to come clean.

Early in the season, it appeared the explosive combination of Patrick Ramsey-to-Coles could lead the Redskins to the playoffs. Instead, both spent most of the year dealing with foot problems that made it painful to make basic moves. Ramsey was placed on injured reserve last week and had surgery Monday.

Coles was the Redskins' biggest offseason acquisition, signing a seven-year, $35 million deal, with a $13 million signing bonus, as a free agent from the New York Jets. He was kicked off the team in college at Florida State and had a difficult adjustment in his rookie year with the Jets, but with a good work ethic, he has been a model player since, staying out of trouble and out of the limelight.

"I never tried to separate myself," Coles said. "I'm not one of those guys who needs a lot of hoopla, a lot of praise in the media to perform. I don't ask for the ball every down. I don't go to the coach's office and say 'Why aren't you throwing me the ball?' That's not me."