Tua's Injury

CrimsonNagus

Hall of Fame
Jun 6, 2007
9,778
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Montgomery, Alabama, United States
Opinion about Tua going pro or coming back:

If I was his advisor, assuming a full recovery is possible, I’d advise him to never step foot on a college football field again. Even if he falls to the second round in the draft, with his history of injury, I wouldn’t take a chance playing more college ball. Sign a pro contract, cash some pro checks and get whatever money you can before your career is over.
 

rgw

Suspended
Sep 15, 2003
20,852
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Tuscaloosa
A thought from the Jalen/OU topic w/r/t hit risk management and long NFL careers.

Both times Tua got injured this year he was just trying to get out of the pocket to throw it away and got tackled from behind. He's taken maybe a half dozen hard hits all season but two of them led to him being on an operating table. Some guys just don't have the bodies to play big-time football even if they have the athletic skill. Some guys are just unlucky. Frankly, Tua has probably taken less bad hits in 2018 and 2019 combined than GMac had in just the 2010 alone. GMac only spent 1 4th quarter under concussion protocol in 2010. John Parker Wilson operated under some of the worst OLs we've had in my lifetime and he never missed a snap even if sometimes they had to scrape him off the turf after a sack. Tua has had a knee, left ankle, right ankle, and hip injury due to hits under pressure with frankly much better pass pro OLs than either of those guys had at Alabama. I don't know if that means we were incredibly lucky or if Tua is incredibly unlucky but it sucks either way.
 

Ole Man Dan

Hall of Fame
Apr 21, 2008
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Gadsden, Al.
Jim Andrews is not in Birmingham, he is in Pensacola.
Andrews may live in Pensacola, but he flies into Bham to work out of St. Vincents.
Dr. Andrews gets up early. He flew into Bham and he and his Wonder Kids did surgery on me at 0645AM. A number of years ago.

I can never say enough nice things about Dr. Andrews and Dr. Lyle Cain.
Every patient gets the VIP treatment.
 

KrAzY3

Hall of Fame
Jan 18, 2006
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kraizy.art
Both times Tua got injured this year he was just trying to get out of the pocket to throw it away and got tackled from behind.
Tua is a good athlete, but in his college career that part just got in the way. He's an amazing passer, he never had to leave the pocket. He could have acted like he was Drew Brees or what ever, and just threw it away whenever he was feeling pressure.

Hurts was always a natural runner. The first time I saw him at A-Day I knew not only was he a viable option as a starter, but he was out there playing touch and still was hard to get down. He just had natural instincts as a runner. Yes, he's bigger and stronger than Tua and that helps, but he also just knows what to do to protect himself. He's not invulnerable, but he runs like a runner. Tua runs like a passer, always looking to throw the ball and protecting himself or how to handle contact is a secondary thing. I mean even his slides are dangerous.

The path forward for Tua is, assuming he gets healthy, to forget he has any mobility at all. I was kind of harping on that before, but I mean seriously. He wants a career, he has to understand that defenders get near him, he gets rid of the ball ASAP. No more trying to extend plays, as good as he is a passer, he's as vulnerable as a runner.
Ah, so you think *he* is the idiot?
Go ahead, enlighten us...
 

TIDE-HSV

Senior Administrator
Staff member
Oct 13, 1999
86,546
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Huntsville, AL,USA
A thought from the Jalen/OU topic w/r/t hit risk management and long NFL careers.

Both times Tua got injured this year he was just trying to get out of the pocket to throw it away and got tackled from behind. He's taken maybe a half dozen hard hits all season but two of them led to him being on an operating table. Some guys just don't have the bodies to play big-time football even if they have the athletic skill. Some guys are just unlucky. Frankly, Tua has probably taken less bad hits in 2018 and 2019 combined than GMac had in just the 2010 alone. GMac only spent 1 4th quarter under concussion protocol in 2010. John Parker Wilson operated under some of the worst OLs we've had in my lifetime and he never missed a snap even if sometimes they had to scrape him off the turf after a sack. Tua has had a knee, left ankle, right ankle, and hip injury due to hits under pressure with frankly much better pass pro OLs than either of those guys had at Alabama. I don't know if that means we were incredibly lucky or if Tua is incredibly unlucky but it sucks either way.
Interesting. I was just having a similar conversation with my wife, starting off with how sturdy Jalen is. IDK if it's that some guys are just tougher built or if there's an instinctive positioning of the body so as not to get injured. I've done a lot of risky things. In kayaking, I was known as an escape artist, should have been dead several times. It always seemed that time slowed down for me. OTOH, on my ladder fall when I broke my hip, it seemed that it was "Bam-Bam." First my face hit the dirt and the ladder and a split second later, my foot dug into the dirt and I had a jab of pain in my right butt. In fact, my first, inane thought was that I'd pulled my hamstring and I wondered how that could have happened. IOW, I've protected my body many times but I couldn't in that case. So, is Tua fragile or just exposing himself? I'm sure there are several GMs asking themselves that tonight...
 

Ole Man Dan

Hall of Fame
Apr 21, 2008
9,182
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Gadsden, Al.
9-12 months....wow. I'd be really surprised if he gets drafted before the 2nd round because that is basically like that Notre Dame OLB who got drafted in the 2nd and missed his entire 1st pro year. But right now it is just about getting to a full recovery...so in the dumps for that young man right now.
I had that same sinking feeling watching Tua's injury as I did watching Prothro.
Prothro's injury looked much worse, but that feeling in the bottom of your stomach, is the same.
 
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Ole Man Dan

Hall of Fame
Apr 21, 2008
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Gadsden, Al.
I was home alone and put up a ladder to mount a wreath on the peak of our carport, 14' up. I was at the top, when the bottom of the ladder started to slip and then became airborne. I dove in headfirst, taking a rung across my brow ridge. When the bottom of the ladder came down, my right foot was on a rung. When my toe hit the ground, it rotated my femur, driving my trocantor against the back of my hip socket, fracturing it. It took about 25 stitches to close up the gash between my eyes...
I feel for you. You have endured more surgeries than I have, but I'm catching up.
(You got to be tough to be an old man)
 

Ole Man Dan

Hall of Fame
Apr 21, 2008
9,182
3,727
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Gadsden, Al.
YUP! "I'm not sure he's a starting quarterback" doesn't really matter when he clearly is the starting quarterback for the rest of 2019. Let's all hope he plays well enough to look the part.
Western Carolina will not be the test for Mack... Auburn will.
I agree that Mack will probably finish our season as our starting QB.
Lets all hope Mack plays better than he did today.
IMO: Mack played an unimpressive 2nd half today.
(He didn't move the sticks)
 

Ole Man Dan

Hall of Fame
Apr 21, 2008
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Gadsden, Al.
I’d say as close to zero chance as there is. He will need a year just for recovery and rehabilitation. Trying to salvage a career but even before that quality of life!
I agree. In Doctor speak, Full Recovery generally means the ability to walk and climb stairs like a normal person. Totally different definition for a football player.
Walking becomes running, climbing becomes trying to cut on the run.
The ability to take a hit and be ok...
These things are a far cry from what it would be for an old man like me.
Quality of life enters the equation.

Shortly I'll have a large pin and screw removed from my left leg. They have been in there 41 years. I'd leave em alone, except they are in the way of a total knee replacement.
Doctors figure I'll rehab from the removal 3-4 months before the replacement.
Going back to quality of life... I am faced with painful mobility, or 2 surgeries.

So much for me... Lets get back to Earl... He's older than me, but he's doing the things he needs to do. I plan to do the same.

Now back to Tua. I'll include him in my prayers. He's one of the good guys and I really want to see him play ball if he can, if not, I want him to live to be an old man who can look back on many memories.
I hope Tua rehabs quickly and painlessly. Nice guy from a Nice family. Praying for all of them.
 
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BamaInBham

All-American
Feb 14, 2007
4,692
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I wonder what his parents think about it, him playing that extra 2 minute drive, etc.
I would be shocked if they are critical. They realize this could happen on any play. Not only that, the injury was unrelated to his previous ones.

I personally think Saban should have taken him out after the 21 point lead. This will bother Saban for a long time (I think) even if he does not admit it publicly. It looked like he was about to tear up in is interview.
I hope Coach Saban is not bothered by the decision (no doubt he is deeply bothered by the outcome). Tua had been cleared by the medical staff with no interference from the football staff. Thus, he was cleared and ready to play. The decision to practice the 2 min drill was a sound one. IIRC, Bama has not done that much this year, also, it did not go well last week. Practice with the team in live action was in order. A player can be injured on any play. Saban is wise not to coach in fear of injury - that attitude is usually more likely to provoke injury.
 
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Padreruf

Hall of Fame
Feb 12, 2001
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Charleston, South Carolina
I sure hope that his family has an insurance policy that pays in case he cannot play football again. This is maybe a 100 million dollar injury if that is the case...a quality pro qb can make that easily over 10 years...
 

N AL Tider

1st Team
Jun 18, 2007
458
20
37
Sweet Home AL
So I haven't heard anything about my initial thought after the play..and if it's mentioned, sorry.
Thought there should have been a flag on the play. To me it looked as if the defender head butted Tua when his helmet came off ie bloody nose. I heard that Tua has a possible broken nose as well.
Once it was reported of his hip, my first thought was Bo Jackson..I really hope not.. prayers #13...Thanks for everything!
 

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