Miami Hurricanes Coaches Offer Assurances That Tyler Van Dyke Is Fit To Play Against Clemson
On Monday, the Miami Herald reported that Hurricanes starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke was seen on campus "with his right leg wrapped in an Ace bandage all the way up to above his knee."
It was an observation and a fair note to pass along to their readers. Nowhere in the report did they speculate on Van Dyke's status for Saturday.
When asked about Van Dyke, head coach Mario Cristobal noted that he doesn't talk about injuries, but did say "I just told one of (the other reporters) that he's ready to go."
Cristobal had been asked earlier about Van Dyke's hand. Tyler has been playing through ligament damage his throwing hand since the season opener.
"Was he banged up in the game? Yeah, he got banged up," Cristobal said. "But is he tough? Absolutely. He's really tough and he wants to win. And he's ready to roll."
Offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson offered his take, too. “He’s fine, ready to go," Dawson said on Monday. "This is a physical game, everybody is sore after a game. He’s fine, he’s good to go.” Dawson also noted that Van Dyke would be practicing with the team later that day.
My take:
I'm sure Van Dyke is playing through pain and various ailments, as most players are this time of year. As long as he's medically cleared and feels comfortable enough to gut it out, he will continue to be Miami's starting quarterback and I agree with this. This is Van Dyke's team and I believe he gives this team the best chance to win.
We should all be careful when speculating about the severity of an injury. I can't tell you how many times I have seen a player with bandages on a Monday go on to suit up and play on Saturday.
Less than a week before the season started, I recall seeing a player literally carted out of a closed practice. It appeared to resemble significant injury and I worried that player might miss time or even the entire year. That same player ended up starting in the opener and playing in every game since. What you think you see is not always reality.
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