Monday, August 3, 2009

Do You Think Isaiah Stanback Can Stay Healthy?

I've finally reached my breaking point with Stanback.  I have always hoped he could turn his tremendous athletic ability into production on the field for the Cowboys.  But it seems like he will eternally be teasing us with potential only to disappoint us with yet another injury.  The latest injury, a hamstring strain, is said to be very minor but it is just another on what is becoming a very long list.  

He was drafted injured coming off of foot surgery.  Then it was a separated shoulder which needed surgery followed by another shoulder injury which resulted in surgery.  This summer when he really needed to get in some work to develop his receiving skills he injured his knee which ended in another surgery.  Now he was supposed to be healthy for training camp but only lasted a few practices before the strained hamstring put him out of action again.

The injuries wouldn't be so bad if the team knew that he had the receiving skills to produce in games.  The problem is that he is trying to make the transition from quarterback to receiver but he can't stay on the field long enough to fully develop his receiver skills.  I would be more inclined to hold onto hope for him if I had seen him make some plays as a receiver.  He has flashed some great athleticism on kick returns and that has always kept me hoping for more.

I just don't see how the Cowboys can afford to keep Stanback as the 5th receiver even if he recovers from his latest setback and finishes training camp healthy.  I would be worried that he would be injured again at any moment.  The only way I can see him making the final roster would be if one of the rookie receivers shows some ability and can make it through waivers to land on the practice squad.  That would leave an insurance policy if Stanback can't stay on the field.  And now with guys like Jesse Holley, Kevin Ogletree and Mike Jefferson playing well in camp I'm not even sure that Stanback can beat those guys out for a roster spot.

I hope I'm wrong about Isaiah Stanback, but I'm done believing that he'll pan out in the end.  I'll be thrilled if he proves me wrong but I won't be holding my breath.  He seems to be one those guys that, for whatever reason, just can't stay healthy.  

2 comments:

  1. He doesn't exist in my thinking. Plus he haven't had a full yr at WR. So he's way behind as a potential 4th WR on the Cowboys. His injuries just make it worse. -Atl_Cowboy

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for all of that info on camp. As someone who has only seen them on tv, i'm very jealous. I think I would just be in awe of everything and just say they were all amazing. Anyways, I don't really care much about Stanback. The reciever that will make or break this team is Roy Williams. I've been following the practices on twitter, and they are saying he isn't looking impressive. I hope Stanback can get going, but the clock has just about ran out.

    ReplyDelete