How bad are Crowder's knees?

[KB21]

13. Channing Crowder, LB, 6’2â€Â, 244 lbs, Florida – I like Crowder more than most do. Sure, he has had his off the field troubles in the past, but there isn’t a more instinctive linebacker in this draft. This guy seemed to make every tackle for the Florida defense this year, and he plays with an aggression that makes me think of Ray Lewis when I watch him play. Draft this guy, and he will be your middle linebacker for years to come.

This is what I said about Crowder when I wrote my top 32 list for this site.

IMO, two of the biggest sleepers in this draft are two players with knee problems. Channing Crowder and Frank Gore are fantastic picks in the third round, IMO. The upside for both is tremendous.

 

[DolfanDaveInMI]

Regarding his injuries, Channing was recently examined by doctor James Andrews, who had this to say about Channing's knees."Both knees are stable at this time with no evidence of any degenerative changes. There is no reason this young man cannot continue to play football, even at the highest level, with the current status of his knees. I feel confident the patient is not at any increased risk of having additional ACL tears."

Regarding this doctor, James Andrews (I researched whether this guy was a paid quack and found this on an independent site, not the one with that report):

Dr. James Andrews is the Co-Founder of the Alabama Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center, the medical director for numerous sports teams, and a leading pioneer in sports medicine. He is widely recognized for his role in advancing the field of knee, shoulder and elbow surgery. He has mentored over 125 fellows throughout the course of his academic career, and is considered one of the foremost orthopaedic surgeons and sports doctors in the world. Over the course of his career, he has operated on a remarkable number of prominent athletes, including Troy Aikman, Roger Clemens, and Jack Nicklaus.

James Andrews is the top sports medicine surgeon in the country. If he says Crowder is OK, Crowder is OK.

 

[Bonedoc7777]

he should be fine until his late 30's then OA is a worry, by then he will be retired

 

[Da 'Fins]

Man where's Boomer when you need some info on a guy?

No offense to Boomer, but you aren't going to get anything better than that quote from James Andrews.

Andrews is as good as they come when it comes to sports medicine. He is among the top 5 doctors in the U.S. that players go to for surgery.

If he and, I presume, the Dolphin doctors signed off on him, I'm good with it.

Another factor is that Crowder showed his ability AFTER the knee injuries. If he lasts 4-5 years and can play at a high level - he's worth the 3rd rounder.

 

[Da 'Fins]

This is what I said about Crowder when I wrote my top 32 list for this site.

IMO, two of the biggest sleepers in this draft are two players with knee problems. Channing Crowder and Frank Gore are fantastic picks in the third round, IMO. The upside for both is tremendous.

You know what's really interesting about this?

Gore's speed & production really slowed down after his knee injuries; whereas Crowder's knee injuries came BEFORE all his great play on the field (evidencing that they did not impact his play).

Yet, here's the kicker, the ESPN Guru's raved over the Gore pick in round 3, but were lukewarm, at best, over the Crowder pick. Bias?

 

[fishbanger]

Let me give you the scoop from a Gator fan who watches every single gator game every single year. Every game Crowder played he was kicking everyones A** all over the field and he is a leader. He gets everyone fired up. The games he missed, teams would run the ball on the gators. He left school early because he got in too many fights and would get into trouble from time to time. He's mean.

 

[KB21]

He's got Ray Lewis's rage inside him.

 

[kastofsna120]

hasn't had a major injury since high school...i'm not worried about it. if he does get injured it won't be because of whatevr happened to him in the past

 

[dolphingator]

I'm a Gator and I didn't want him. At least we kept him out of Belichick's hands.

Too much of a troublemaker.

 

[TheMadPorpoise]

Regarding his injuries, Channing was recently examined by doctor James Andrews, who had this to say about Channing's knees."Both knees are stable at this time with no evidence of any degenerative changes. There is no reason this young man cannot continue to play football, even at the highest level, with the current status of his knees. I feel confident the patient is not at any increased risk of having additional ACL tears."

Regarding this doctor, James Andrews (I researched whether this guy was a paid quack and found this on an independent site, not the one with that report):

Dr. James Andrews is the Co-Founder of the Alabama Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center, the medical director for numerous sports teams, and a leading pioneer in sports medicine. He is widely recognized for his role in advancing the field of knee, shoulder and elbow surgery. He has mentored over 125 fellows throughout the course of his academic career, and is considered one of the foremost orthopaedic surgeons and sports doctors in the world. Over the course of his career, he has operated on a remarkable number of prominent athletes, including Troy Aikman, Roger Clemens, and Jack Nicklaus.

Good work! Thanks for the research. I liked Crowder before reading this, but I love him now. If he stays healthy, he'll be a star.

 

[GatorChris]

What I find odd is how Saban was talking about drafting good football players and high character people. The way so many of the posters describe his character, he sounds like an a@@hole and doesn't really follow the good football player/high character person.

I'm not concerned with the character issue. Crowder got himself straightened out and took a leadership role on the team. He was the heart and soul of the defense. "He's amazing. He's inspirational," said Gator DB Daryl Dixon. "I'm a senior and I look up to him."

 

[RHoffman]

You could do a heck of a lot worse than

Roth and Crowder in Rounds 2 and 3...

big thumbs up...Roth will succeed and Crowder is a gamble on greatness...

I have Penn State season tickets and watch a heck of a lot of Big Ten football...Matt Roth is relentless...he takes over games.

 

[GatorChris]

He left school early because he got in too many fights and would get into trouble from time to time. He's mean.

That's not why he left school early. Here's a quote from earlier today...


“They told me I could send the paperwork in and get the estimate. It takes them a couple of months to look at the film and see that. My family, my sisters weren’t doing as well as they could. My mom had to take a leave of absence from work and go down help to them with their kids. The paperwork came back and told me early rounds. I was thinking to take the opportunity I had and try to do the best I could do and go to the next level.â€Â