D-Line Injuries From Strib

[Iceland12]

Here' probably a big part of the reason that the Coaches may have overreacted to the onside kicks. They truly were worried about further injuries. Epke might be gone for the season and Keith and Timms are also hurt.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/273272211.html

Scott Ekpe was one reason the Gophers believed they could succeed along the defensive line this year, even with Ra’Shede Hageman playing for the Atlanta Falcons.
But there were indications Friday that Ekpe, a starting defensive tackle, suffered a potential season-ending knee injury early in Thursday’s season-opening victory over Eastern Illinois.

Coach Jerry Kill didn’t give specifics when he met with the media Friday afternoon, but he confirmed the junior was one of three defensive linemen undergoing MRI exams.
Defensive end Alex Keith had a breakout performance Thursday — with a sack, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries — before injuring his left knee in the third quarter.

Reserve defensive tackle Yoshoub Timms also suffered an apparent left ankle injury in the first quarter..

“You can’t lose any front-line players and be where you need to be,” Kill said. “You can have all the depth in the world, but then you get less depth. To be successful, you’ve got to stay healthy. You’ve got to be lucky, so hopefully we’ll get lucky on this deal. We’ll have to see.”

The Gophers entered the season needing to replace two of their top four defensive tackles, with Hageman and Roland Johnson graduating..

 

[Iceland12]

..and from the St.Paul Side

http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci...-lucky-injured-defensive-linemen?source=email

Gophers football coach Jerry Kill seemed worried Friday about the leg injuries suffered by his defensive linemen, especially starters Scott Ekpe and Alex Keith.

Losing either player would be a blow to the University of Minnesota's depth up front and overshadow an impressive defensive showing in Thursday's 42-20 season-opening victory over Eastern Illinois at TCF Bank Stadium.

Ekpe, the older brother of Gophers sophomore defensive end Hank Ekpe, appeared to suffer a severe right leg injury during the game.
Kill offered no update Friday except to say Keith, Scott Ekpe and sophomore Yoshoub Timms were scheduled to get MRIs..


Junior Robert Ndondo-Lay played defensive end and defensive tackle Thursday. True freshmen Andrew Stelter and Gaelin Elmore also saw significant playing time on the defensive line.

Offensively, the Gophers hope to be at full strength Saturday. Former starting left tackle Ben Lauer (ankle) didn't play Thursday, but Kill said he should be ready this week.

It's possible Lauer could rotate with Jonah Pirsig, a sophomore who made his first career start Thursday at left tackle.

"He only practiced full tilt for about three days," Kill said of Lauer. "We were going to play him at the end, but then (we waited). He'll be ready next week full tilt. That will help us. I think we'll get the depth on the offensive line that we want this coming week."

Briefly

Wide receiver Drew Wolitarsky (shoulder injury) and defensive end Michael Amaefula (leg injury) are expected to play Saturday, Kill said.

 

[jaymil]

It sucks, but to be honest I'd rather have injuries on the D-Line than the O-Line. Claeys is an outstanding coach and will get the best out of the players he has left. It's definitely concerning to lose Ekpe, especially when the run-heavy big ten teams come on the schedule. With our linebackers and secondary I still think our defense can be good, just no more injuries please.

 

[GopherHomer]

It sucks, but to be honest I'd rather have injuries on the D-Line than the O-Line. Claeys is an outstanding coach and will get the best out of the players he has left. It's definitely concerning to lose Ekpe, especially when the run-heavy big ten teams come on the schedule. With our linebackers and secondary I still think our defense can be good, just no more injuries please.

Thanks! I needed a positive spin on this mess. I agree with your assessment...Ekpe hurts, but I don't think this wave of injuries derails the entire season (and who knows, we might get some good news as well and still have some of these guys buy the time the conference season starts up). Also, if its torn ACL's for both Ekpe and Keith at least they both have a redshirt year to use (I know this gets technical, so don't waste a response telling me it's not really a redshirt year...they get an extra year) which will improve our depth going forward.

 

[imthewalrus]

It sounds as though all three of those injuries were suffered long before the end of that game when the onside kicks were permitted by the rules of the game of football. Perhaps the weight, speed, strength and hugh weight gains that all coaches seem so intent upon expecting the young athletes to achieve factor into the injury problems as much, or perhaps even more than the onside kicks, punt coverages/returns, kickoff coverages/returns, special teams gunning and pancake blocking, lack of fundamental training and the force created when 225# kids smash into and are smashed by massive 300# plus giants. The laws of physics would indicate that for every action there is a reaction. Add size, weight, speed, mass and leverage them all together and players are going to be bent, broken and hurt. Joints, ligaments bones and connective tissues will become un-done, be stretched, ripped and torn when 200 pound lads are blocked in a direction they are not attempting to travel by 250 to 325 pound, 6'8" giants of men sporting mass, velocity and "explosive" impact.

Maybe the coaches and rules committees need to get together to study just how harmful the mass/velocity/speed factors can be at the point of impact and just how fragile bone, sinew, muscle, joints and ligaments can be. And how it all enters into the concussion problem that all of football is now fearing so very much.

Change the rules Coaches. Maybe cool it a bit with the weight gains and strength and speed training. Pay more attention to the laws of physics. Before you point the finger at another coach for utilizing what the rules of the game allow, take a look at how your own program's practices may be adding to the growing injury problems being experienced by all levels of football from the squirts to the high schools to the colleges and the professional levels.

 

[GopherHomer]

Excellent point, Wren. I'm sure we'll get many more BIG WINS with slower, weaker, lighter players!

 

[tinyarch]

This may sound cynical, but it's an honest question.

Didn't Coach Kill infer that the reason he was bringing in his own strength and conditioning coach was to make our kids bigger and stronger? Why then have we had such a string of consistent injuries on the Offensive and Defensive line? I'm not trying to make any accusations, I'm just trying to figure out why we've always got guys injured. Is this just a common thing for all programs?

 

[Iceland12]

This may sound cynical, but it's an honest question.

Didn't Coach Kill infer that the reason he was bringing in his own strength and conditioning coach was to make our kids bigger and stronger? Why then have we had such a string of consistent injuries on the Offensive and Defensive line? I'm not trying to make any accusations, I'm just trying to figure out why we've always got guys injured. Is this just a common thing for all programs?

Yes. It's a pretty big, but often ignored factor for the 12-0 and 11-1 seasons. Those teams are always very deep in talent and/or like Missouri last year or Notre Dame's run a couple of years back, suffer few debilitating injuries to front line players. Likewise awful seasons, or good seasons that end badly, are often suffered by teams without depth or decimated by injuries.

You have a strong depth of talent like tOSU, ALA, ORE etc., the record won't show it as much. Maybe cost you a game or two. Teams like Minnesota, Washington, NW, Baylor etc. ? It's probably the difference between a good season and a bad one.

Don't know if that was a factor when the Gophers handed that 49-7 beatdown of the Hawkeyes in Fry's last game. Do know it was a huge factor in Iowa's destruction of the Gophers in the final game at the Dome. There were quite a few 2nd and 3rd (maybe 4th?) stringers out there in Maroon and Gold.

 

[Indi1006]

This may sound cynical, but it's an honest question.

Didn't Coach Kill infer that the reason he was bringing in his own strength and conditioning coach was to make our kids bigger and stronger? Why then have we had such a string of consistent injuries on the Offensive and Defensive line? I'm not trying to make any accusations, I'm just trying to figure out why we've always got guys injured. Is this just a common thing for all programs?

It's a fair question.

 

[jaymil]

This may sound cynical, but it's an honest question.

Didn't Coach Kill infer that the reason he was bringing in his own strength and conditioning coach was to make our kids bigger and stronger? Why then have we had such a string of consistent injuries on the Offensive and Defensive line? I'm not trying to make any accusations, I'm just trying to figure out why we've always got guys injured. Is this just a common thing for all programs?

It's a hard question to answer without knowing the details of injuries for teams across the country. Does bigger and stronger necessarily mean less injuries? Because it's pretty clear to me they do a good job of getting these young men to become bigger and stronger. In my opinion, with no evidence to back it up, the injuries we've suffered along the lines isn't anything too concerning or odd.

 

[highwayman]

This may sound cynical, but it's an honest question.

Didn't Coach Kill infer that the reason he was bringing in his own strength and conditioning coach was to make our kids bigger and stronger? Why then have we had such a string of consistent injuries on the Offensive and Defensive line? I'm not trying to make any accusations, I'm just trying to figure out why we've always got guys injured. Is this just a common thing for all programs?

Injuries are mostly random and unavoidable. Being in better shape limits, not prevents. It's just part of sports.

It always is more noticeable when it's a team you follow.

By the way, folks, it's the EKPE brothers, not Epke.

 

[Spoofin]

It sucks, but to be honest I'd rather have injuries on the D-Line than the O-Line. Claeys is an outstanding coach and will get the best out of the players he has left. It's definitely concerning to lose Ekpe, especially when the run-heavy big ten teams come on the schedule. With our linebackers and secondary I still think our defense can be good, just no more injuries please.

I hope you are right jaymil. I love our starting LB, but we are very thin at LB after our starters and if we have these injuries on the DL teams like IA, WI, and NE will run all over us. It may not matter that our secondary is elite. Run and stop the run - that is still where it starts in the B1G.

 

[Ogee Ogilthorpe]

No way to sugar coat it. This is NOT good.

One or two more injuries in the defensive front 7 could derail this season in a big hurry. There was plenty of subbing and platooning Thursday night on defense, except at LB (unless I missed it). For the most part, I think Wilson, Campbell, and Lynn played every meaningful snap on D until the game was out of reach. I wasn't too sure what to make of that.

Fingers crossed the rest of the way here on staying relatively healthy

 

[Oregon Gopher]

Bigger and stronger does not mean less injuries- in fact likely more in the case of ligamentous injuries. Ligaments do not strengthen by any training techniques, and injuries to them derive from forces that are imparted to them, often at angles from which they are not meant to protect a joint. These forces are directly proportional to the mass that is involved- thus heavier dudes = more ligament injuries.

 

[GophersInIowa]

Yeah, knee injuries just happen, especially in the trenches.

 

[mnsportsgeek]

If there is one thing I despise about college football, it's how long it takes to find out if someone has a torn ACL or not. Maybe it's not the same for better programs, but the fact that we still don't know that Ekpe for sure has an ACL tear is ridiculous. Didn't it take us over a week before Jerry finally admitted that Engel tore his ACL last year? It's bull****. If this were the Vikings, we would have known by Saturday.

 

[Oregon Gopher]

If there is one thing I despise about college football, it's how long it takes to find out if someone has a torn ACL or not. Maybe it's not the same for better programs, but the fact that we still don't know that Ekpe for sure has an ACL tear is ridiculous. Didn't it take us over a week before Jerry finally admitted that Engel tore his ACL last year? It's bull****. If this were the Vikings, we would have known by Saturday.

What inherent right do we have to know the medical condition of a student athlete? HIPPA laws limit the release of that information unless the patient/athlete okays it.

 

[mnsportsgeek]

What inherent right do we have to know the medical condition of a student athlete-6

It's that kind of mentality that contributes to our putrid following in the metro. If people are going to invest time and money in following a team, they should know the health of the players they are investing their time and money in.

I bet it doesn't take a week to find out if someone tears an ACL at Wisconsin or Iowa.

 

[Oregon Gopher]

It's that kind of mentality that contributes to our putrid following in the metro. If people are going to invest time and money in following a team, they should know the health of the players they are investing their time and money in.

I bet it doesn't take a week to find out if someone tears an ACL at Wisconsin or Iowa.

Has nothing to do with mentality- everything to do with law and after that with team policies.

 

[MNVCGUY]

If there is one thing I despise about college football, it's how long it takes to find out if someone has a torn ACL or not. Maybe it's not the same for better programs, but the fact that we still don't know that Ekpe for sure has an ACL tear is ridiculous. Didn't it take us over a week before Jerry finally admitted that Engel tore his ACL last year? It's bull****. If this were the Vikings, we would have known by Saturday.

We will most likely find out today but in regards to injuries they are not forced to be as transparent about it in college as they are in the pros. Might be frustrating for the fans to have to wait but that is just the way it is and the staff is under no obligation to release the injury news to the public if they don't want to.

The team knows the status on all the injured guys, when they choose to clue the fans in is up to them.

 

[Oregon Gopher]

It's that kind of mentality that contributes to our putrid following in the metro. If people are going to invest time and money in following a team, they should know the health of the players they are investing their time and money in.

I bet it doesn't take a week to find out if someone tears an ACL at Wisconsin or Iowa.

Do you decide whether to attend a college game or donate to a team based on injuries?

 

[mnsportsgeek]

Do you decide whether to attend a college game or donate to a team based on injuries?

Transparency with the fan base (to a certain extent), is important in driving interest.

Do you think the guys at the Oregon tailgates on Saturday morning have to wonder if the injury their starting DT suffered a week prior is season ending or not?

The casual fair weather fan isn't gonna care, but I'd hope the U is interested in attracting a better caliber of fan.

 

[Killjoy]

It's that kind of mentality that contributes to our putrid following in the metro. If people are going to invest time and money in following a team, they should know the health of the players they are investing their time and money in.

I bet it doesn't take a week to find out if someone tears an ACL at Wisconsin or Iowa.

Yep, that is their number one priority, supporting football betting. You sir have a problem!

 

[mnsportsgeek]

Yep, that is their number one priority, supporting football betting. You sir have a problem!

You associate money with gambling? I associate it with ticket sales and donations.


Damn do I feel sorry for your mind.

 

[Oregon Gopher]

Transparency with the fan base (to a certain extent), is important in driving interest.

Do you think the guys at the Oregon tailgates on Saturday morning have to wonder if the injury their starting DT suffered a week prior is season ending or not?

The casual fair weather fan isn't gonna care, but I'd hope the U is interested in attracting a better caliber of fan.

Actually Oregon as a rule under Chip Kelly rarely released the type or severity of injury!

 

[mnsportsgeek]

Actually Oregon as a rule under Chip Kelly rarely released the type or severity of injury!

I stand corrected.

However, I still believe that when building a program from the ashes, that a certain level of transparency is required that maybe some other programs can afford to keep under wraps. Maybe I'm the minority.

 

[Oregon Gopher]

Transparency with the fan base (to a certain extent), is important in driving interest.

Do you think the guys at the Oregon tailgates on Saturday morning have to wonder if the injury their starting DT suffered a week prior is season ending or not?

The casual fair weather fan isn't gonna care, but I'd hope the U is interested in attracting a better caliber of fan.

In addition the type or severity of injury certainly never impacted sales or donations

 

[Killjoy]

You associate money with gambling? I associate it with ticket sales and donations.


Damn do I feel sorry for your mind.

Okay, I will bite. How would having this information effect your decisions? By the way, the injury information is often released on Tuesday if it is known.

 

[SonOfTheVarsity]

What's the team's plan for this Friday night? What are they eating? How will coaches ensure that players are in bed soon enough? As fans of a rebuilding team, we deserve to know how the team's preparing for success the night before the game.

 

[MaxyJR1]

Epke out for year according to Kill. Others are not lost for year.