Could Ohio State have handled Braxton Miller's injury differently? It's a fair question for Buckeyes fans to ask after Tuesday's announcement that the quarterback will miss the season after re-injuring his throwing shoulder.
I'm not a doctor and know Ohio State didn't take Miller's situation lightly, but the whole thing seemed odd. He initially hurt the shoulder in the Orange Bowl but didn't have surgery until late February, as Ohio State hoped the injury would heal on its own. Ohio State called the surgery "minor" and said Miller would be limited in spring practice. He sat out the whole session.
He started throwing in early July and was making good progress. But when camp began, he threw on a limited basis and sat out scrimmages to rest the shoulder. Monday morning, offensive coordinator Tom Herman acknowledged Miller "had a little bit of a setback with some additional soreness that we weren't expecting." Miller, not surprisingly, declared himself 100 percent. But later that day, on a seemingly benign rollout pass, he reinjured the joint. Season over.
Some, like colleague Austin Ward, are calling it a fluke. But it's not as if there wasn't concern before he was re-injured. Miller already had been experiencing considerable soreness.
From Cleveland.com's Doug Lesmerises:
The Buckeyes will move forward. On the outside, there may be some dwelling though, especially since Miller was calling himself "100 percent" hours before Monday afternoon's practice even though he hadn't been allowed to really let it go on consecutive days in practice.
"Oh, I second-guess everything," Meyer said about what could have been done differently since February.
Here's more:
"When I say second-guess, I just ask the questions, because I'm not a doctor," Meyer said. "And I don't know. But I've been around long enough, things happen and it's unfortunate.
"I have great trust in our medical stuff, but sure, will you second-guess? I wouldn't say second-guess, just make sure in the evaluation we're doing the best we can."
So the Buckeyes tried to limit Miller in the last few weeks. And then it went wrong.
Maybe Miller should have been completely shut down. Maybe the re-injury was just bad luck. Either way, it will be interesting to see how Ohio State handles Miller this time around.
Taking a spin around the league ...
West Division
Being named Illinois' starting quarterback was a "dream come true" for Wes Lunt.
According to Vince Biegel, Wisconsin's banged-up linebackers will be good to go for the LSU game.
D.J. Foster's transition to defensive tackle is going smoothly so far for Nebraska. In case you missed it, Bo knows fun.
An excellent piece on Cedric Thompson's path to becoming a leader for Minnesota's defense.
Iowa CB Jordan Lomax responds well to losing his starting job last season.
Purdue's kicking competition is far from over, while Northwestern's kick game looks a bit shaky.
East Division
A DUI arrest in April led to Macgarrett Kings' spring suspension at Michigan State, but the wideout appears to have avoided playing-time penalties.
Pete Thamel is there as Ohio State begins life A.B. (After Braxton).
Michigan's starting offensive line is finally taking shape. The Wolverines have a two-man race at running back.
Indiana coach Kevin Wilson wants to see more from top quarterback Nate Sudfeld.
Penn State's Week 1 trip to Ireland presents some unique challenges. James Franklin expects "a handful" of Lions freshmen to play right away.
We're a week away from football, and Rutgers has started its preparation for the opener against Washington State
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Michael Dunn has had quite a journey to possibly starting for Maryland at left tackle this fall.
And, finally ...
Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany takes on the Ice Bucket Challenge. Well done!