Swogger takes on couch
PULLMAN – The Cougars didn’t play on live television last weekend at Oregon State, making life all the more difficult for one interested listener.
Quarterback Josh Swogger, the team’s starter until a broken navicular bone in his left foot ended his season prematurely, had surgery Friday and wasn’t able to leave the confines of his couch during the weekend, forcing him to listen to the game on the radio and take in other college football action on TV.
“Saturday I watched football from 8 in the morning until 8 at night,” Swogger said Monday, the last day doctors told him he must stay completely immobile. “I’m used to being up and around all the time, being at Bohler and watching film. You just have to sit it out. It’s pretty boring and kind of depressing. You’re out of your routine and you don’t see too many people. I’ve been on the couch since Friday.”
The third-year sophomore was operated on by the team physician, Dr. Edwin Tingstad, in Pullman Friday morning. The operation took about three hours and has been described a success. Two pins were inserted in Swogger’s foot, and his recovery is expected to take 3 to 6 months.
“I think the injury has been caught early enough to have the best chance for it to heal,” said team trainer Bill Drake, who will help oversee the rehabilitation process. “No reason to expect anything but a full recovery.”
Unfortunately for Swogger, that timetable is not a speedy one, especially for someone who just 10 days ago was quarterbacking his team in Pac-10 action. He will be on crutches for at least the rest of 2004, and probably into January of next year. From there, Drake said the recovery is a matter of taking a series of steps to being 100 percent again, beginning from the most basic of concerns.
“You just literally start dialing it back up very slowly,” Drake said. “Getting back to walking is the first part, then building a good range of motion. Once a range of motion is built, you begin adding a strength component. Once strength is built, you get to add sport-specific components.”
While rehab will certainly be an important part of the next few months for Swogger, the mental and emotional challenges presented by the injury will probably be just as great. The Ohio native’s parents came to Pullman for the weekend, and his father is staying in town for the week while Swogger gets his crutches and begins to adjust to his new postsurgery routine. He’s also had a few teammates visit after returning from Oregon State.
Swogger had sustained a number of other injuries before the broken bone ended his season, and the down time will allow all those to recover fully. A partial tear in the posterior cruciate ligament of his right knee, a rotator cuff strain in his left shoulder, and an ankle problem all came during the course of the season.
Swogger was able to play through those maladies, but the time off will help them heal fully.
“I got to give it up to guys in the NFL who get through 16 games,” said Swogger, who played six this season. He finished with 1,283 yards passing, 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions. “It’s tough. I thought I was just going to finish out the year.”
The quarterback said he’d like to be in the weight room in the next few weeks to prevent muscle atrophy, and it’s likely the team will have him doing some upper-body work that doesn’t require him to put any weight on the left foot.
“I’d like to be able to do spring ball drills, and from what people are telling me, I should be able to participate in them,” Swogger said. “You’re with the team every day and you’re active and feeling good. Mentally, you’re in the spot of preparing for stuff and bringing it every weekend. Now I’m watching the team and playing video games all the time. It’s a little bit different.”