SANTA CLARA — Charles Woodson understands what Brock Purdy goes by way of. The time period “turf toe” could sound innocuous, however it may may be debilitating and painful.
In keeping with the American Academy of Orthopedic surgeons, turf toe is “a sprain of the main joint of the big toe. The injury happens when the toe is forcibly bent up into hyperextension, such as when pushing off into a sprint and having the toe get stuck flat on the ground.”
Woodson simply knew that it damage however wasn’t overly involved.
“We were playing Denver, and I went to plant and thought, `Aw, man, that’s different,’” Woodson stated Friday in a telephone interview. “I kind of hobbled around and did what I could to finish the game. I thought the same thing Brock probably thought — my toe would be fine.”
It wasn’t.
It was Woodson’s fourth season in what can be a 17-year Corridor of Fame profession for the Raiders and Inexperienced Bay Packers and it turned out to be an infinite cycle of remedy and ache administration. Woodson didn’t miss a recreation however was a spectator at apply.
It occurred on Nov. 5 in a 38-28 win over Denver. Woodson performed proper to the bitter finish, even forcing an notorious “incomplete pass” from Tom Brady in a driving snow in a 16-13 extra time loss to New England.
“It seemed like almost a year,” Woodson stated. “Right up to the Tuck Rule game, to add insult to injury.”
Woodson, now a Fox Sports activities analyst, selected to play on Sundays with a pain-killing injection after which begin the entire means of icing and electrical stimulation remedies over once more till the next Sunday. He was usually in a protecting boot.
Charles Woodson was taking part in with turf toe when he knocked the ball from Tom Brady within the `Tuck Rule’ Sport . A.P. Picture
Purdy will miss his fourth straight recreation and fifth general in hopes of therapeutic utterly quite than making it a painful weekly ordeal with minimal apply time.
“The only thing that could heal it was time,” Woodson stated. “And during the season I didn’t have any time. I guess I’m kind of more old school and it was like, ‘Man, I can’t miss the game because my toe hurts.’ I thought people would look at me crazy. So I just took the shot and the pain for that 3 ½ hours. I never really had a thought of not playing.”
As a quarterback, Purdy must apply, which he has been doing in a restricted vogue.
“For him being the captain of the ship and running the offense, you need to have timing with your receivers and your play-fakes and stuff down,” Woodson stated. “That makes it more difficult.”
Purdy was injured initially in a 17-13 win over Seattle on Sept. 7. Mac Jones performed the subsequent two video games, and Purdy went wire-to-wire in a 26-21 loss to Jacksonville on Sept. 28. He threw two interceptions and a few of his passes sailed excessive. Purdy stated afterward he couldn’t be certain if the damage to his proper large toe — on his drive leg — was the rationale.
Regardless, it was an excessive amount of, too quickly. A calculated danger gone mistaken. Purdy wakened the subsequent morning in ache and hasn’t performed since, with Jones making his fourth consecutive begin Sunday when the 49ers (5-2) go to the Houston Texans (2-4).
If the 49ers had recognized it might take this lengthy, Purdy would have been placed on injured reserve with a minimal four-game absence. As a substitute, he’s remained on the roster all through. He’s strolling tremendous and hasn’t been seen in a boot.
Purdy final spoke to the media on Sept. 30, though he did have a dialog with NBC sideline reporter Melissa Stark when the 49ers beat the Atlanta Falcons. Stark reported Purdy known as the damage “annoying” and that he’d by no means handled an damage that lingered so lengthy.
Former 49ers quarterback Steve Younger outlined his concern throughout his weekly spot on KNBR-680.
“The fact that it’s just dragging on has us all pretty worried,” Younger stated. “Because it’s just one of those things that even if it starts to feel better and then you go out again, then it becomes a chronic thing. Because the problem is once you don’t heal it the first time the body wants it to heal and get healthy. You hurt it again. The ability to get the body to heal appropriately kind of gets diminished.”
Coach Kyle Shanahan and common supervisor John Lynch have remained tight-lipped and expressed optimism that Purdy is enhancing steadily. He’s even making the journey to Houston after being left behind for an Oct. 12 date in Tampa Bay.
“I understand what Steve’s saying, that it’s worrisome,” Lynch stated. “What I can tell you is that we’ve gotten so many opinions on this thing and it’s been pretty consistent. So he’s doing a really good job. We’re taking the appropriate measures. And what I can tell you is it gets better each week, each day. I do think we’re getting closer to him returning, but a hard timeline, because it’s kind of a feel thing so it’s still (to be determined). This last week in particular I think we made some progress.”
Brock Purdy (13) wants to have the ability to scramble and throw on the run to be an efficient quarterback for the 49ers. Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Space Information Group
With mobility an enormous a part of Purdy’s recreation, the 49ers are holding out for one thing approaching 100% earlier than placing him again on the sphere. Each the Houston and New York Giants recreation on Nov. 2 are on synthetic floor, which is much less forgiving than grass, though each Purdy and Shanahan have stated that may play no half within the resolution to place him in a recreation.
“I think Brock knows he plays a certain way, and you can’t change the way you play, and he’s got to be right to play that way,” Lynch stated. “We’re trusting Brock, we’re trusting the doctors. We’ll make a good decision on it and that’s why it’s taken some time.”
Tight finish George Kittle stated this week on the “No Contest” wrestling podcast there’s little sense in Purdy taking part in if he’s not at full power.
“I just don’t want him to come back too soon, and then the same thing happens like when he played against Jacksonville, and then he’s out for a couple more weeks, because Brock’s a phenomenal football player that is the best orchestrator of this offense that I’ve ever seen,” Kittle stated. “I just want him to be at 100 percent before he tries to take the field again. And I think he’s aware of that, and I think he’s going to do a good job with his recovery, and he’ll come back when he feels like he’s ready.”
If Purdy is getting overly pissed off, he’s not letting it present based on Jones.
“I don’t see him being a guy that changes a lot,” Jones stated. “Just comes to work and does his thing and he’s been a great help to me.”
If something, Purdy’s situation sheds some mild on the seriousness of turf toe.
“It involves the ligaments, it involves the joint, and when you walk, the last thing that’s going to come off the ground are your big toes,” Woodson stated. “It doesn’t sound like much, but when that pain is shooting through every time you plant, it’s going to affect you. When you have it, trust me, you know it.”
