12-06-2018, 06:39 PM
My kids (ages 10 and 8) love Trent Irwin because he's extra generous with his time, very approachable at open house events, always smiling and a fun player to watch. They also like that he's nicknamed "Shaggy" and looks like a surfer dude.
That's why I was especially bummed to see Trent injured on Saturday. After catching a pass for a first down on the first drive of the game, he was gang-tackled by three Cal defenders, one of whom appeared to dive at the outside of his knee. He stayed in the game to block on the following play, but he didn't look right, and that was the end for him. The sideline reporter indicated a few minutes later that trainers had offered him a knee brace as he headed to the locker room, "crying", presumably knowing that his final Big Game and maybe his Stanford career had ended so suddenly and unexpectedly.
Injuries are an unavoidable part of the game, but they're especially annoying when they happen to seniors in their final games. The classic case is Mike Mitchell, who blew out both knees in Big Game ~20 years ago on a dirty facemask tackle. As I recall, he was being discussed as a draft-worthy player until that point.
Did anyone hear Irwin's diagnosis yet? I hope it's not too serious and we might somehow see him in the Sun Bowl, although this seems unlikely. If not, I hope he recovers in time to put up good numbers at the Pro Day if that is his goal. Sometimes you can be surprised by the guys that find a way to stick around in the NFL for several years, despite being merely above-average players in college, such as Michael Thomas or Griff Whalen.
In any case, all the best to Trent! He seems like a real class act!
That's why I was especially bummed to see Trent injured on Saturday. After catching a pass for a first down on the first drive of the game, he was gang-tackled by three Cal defenders, one of whom appeared to dive at the outside of his knee. He stayed in the game to block on the following play, but he didn't look right, and that was the end for him. The sideline reporter indicated a few minutes later that trainers had offered him a knee brace as he headed to the locker room, "crying", presumably knowing that his final Big Game and maybe his Stanford career had ended so suddenly and unexpectedly.
Injuries are an unavoidable part of the game, but they're especially annoying when they happen to seniors in their final games. The classic case is Mike Mitchell, who blew out both knees in Big Game ~20 years ago on a dirty facemask tackle. As I recall, he was being discussed as a draft-worthy player until that point.
Did anyone hear Irwin's diagnosis yet? I hope it's not too serious and we might somehow see him in the Sun Bowl, although this seems unlikely. If not, I hope he recovers in time to put up good numbers at the Pro Day if that is his goal. Sometimes you can be surprised by the guys that find a way to stick around in the NFL for several years, despite being merely above-average players in college, such as Michael Thomas or Griff Whalen.
In any case, all the best to Trent! He seems like a real class act!