Since the season ended, there hasn't been much talk about how Matt Schaub's doing in his attempt to rehab the foot injury that ended his season. Speaking of...just like I will always believe my beloved Longhorns would have won the national championship on January 7, 2010 if Colt McCoy had not gotten injured, I will also always believe that your Houston Texans would have played in the Super Bowl a month ago if Matt Schaub had not been lost for the season. I admit that I cannot discuss either of these unshakeable truths rationally, so let's not dwell on it any longer.
Anyway, how's Schaub doing these days? Dale Robertson has an update. While you'd never expect Schaub to be singing a tune of doom and gloom about his prognosis, it's still encouraging to read what he has to say about how he feels. A few select quotes await your perusal after the jump.
“It’s going great,” Schaub said. “As of today (Feb. 29), we’re 13 weeks from surgery, and things are progressing really well. We’re really pleased. I’m a little ahead of the game. It’s a matter of strengthening and making sure everything stays to form in there with the hardware in my foot."
Schaub couldn’t yet get through an airport scanner without setting off alarms because of the metal in his mid-foot area. But after a follow-up procedure in April, only a tiny screw will be left to hold bone and ligament together.
“That’s customary,” he said, “and all the people I’ve talked to who’ve had the surgery told me it’s not a problem.”
Schaub is putting in three to four hours every morning, five days a week, and believes he’ll come up out of the ordeal a better-conditioned athlete, certainly as far as his lower body is concerned. Having overcome the significant muscle atrophy that set in during the month and a half he spent coddling the foot, he’s already to the point where he can say, “Both my legs will definitely be stronger next season than they have ever been."
“It’s a long process. You’re dealing with a ligament that holds the form of the foot together and (lifts) the arch. To make sure you take your time and not rush it is the big thing. That’s why for six weeks it was non-weight-bearing, because you want everything to heal and mend together. The next step was an orthotic (for his shoe) that provides proper support for the foot.”
"It hurt,” he said, meaning the diagnosis, which was worse than the throbbing. “I’d played through stuff before, but just trying to stand on my foot, it wasn’t a good situation. After talking with a lot of doctors and exhausting every resource to find a way to play, it was obvious (the chances) were slim to none. Everybody we were talking to said surgery was the only option.
“It was very hard to listen to people say that, but deep down I knew that was the way to go for the long haul, for the sake of my longevity in the game.”
The lack of choices possibly saved him from doing more serious damage. A blessing in disguise?
“Once we get past this and fully rehabbed and into next season and beyond,” he said, “I might agree with you and call it that. Had there been any type of gray area to where we could have done anything for me to potentially play, I definitely would have tried.”
Even taking all the sunshine with a grain of salt, I'm not worried about The Schaub returning to form next season. You?