Like it is: Shoulder injury to keep Cobbs out but not down

WALLY HALL
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Anyone else would have screamed so loud he would have been heard over the roar of the crowd all the way to the last row of the upper deck.
When Dr. John Park touched Cedric Cobbs' shoulder, Cobbs winced slightly.
He had been pile-driven by four Alabama football players into the ground.
Just the fact he leaned slightly to his right was an indication he had injured his shoulder.
By the time Cobbs got to the sideline, his right arm hanging at his side, Dr. Park knew.
The shoulder was separated. As good as he is -- and he is considered one of the top 10 shoulder doctors in the entire country -- Dr. Park couldn't tell by looking how bad it was.
So, very gently, he reached under the shoulder pad and felt.
This is Cobbs' first real injury. It is a Grade III shoulder separation, and anyone with a normal threshold for pain might have wanted to gouge Park's eyes out for even looking at it.
Cobbs does not have a normal threshold for pain.
By Tuesday morning, Cobbs was doing exactly as expected.
He was bouncing back.
There was no laying around in bed feeling sorry for himself and the sudden end of his Heisman dream or what he might have done against Georgia, which finished second in recruiting Cobbs.
Cobbs didn't want to elaborate on his shoulder separation, but despite the discomfort and pain he was on his way to his first class.
After classes Tuesday, he drove to Little Rock, where today he will get second and third opinions about his shoulder.
That's a common practice with any serious injury.
Besides, when Glendree Cobbs -- Mom, as she's known to Cedric -- sees her son, she doesn't see a 6-2, 225-pound bruising running back.
Mrs. Cobbs sees her baby boy, and for as many years as Cedric can remember, she's worked two jobs to help take care of her children.
Involved? When Cobbs was playing for J.A. Fair, she worked in the concession stand every Friday night.
When she says there will be other opinions, everyone says, "Yes ma'am."
Today Cobbs will see Drs. William Hefley Jr. and Jack VanderSchilden.
They are two outstanding orthopedic surgeons. VanderSchilden even teaches orthopedic surgery at UAMS.
Obviously, until they actually see the shoulder and the X-rays and the MRI, it is a guess what they will say, but it is expected they will recommend surgery.
That would put Cobbs out of commission for six months, or until the start of spring practice.
If Cobbs were a quarterback, or a pitcher in baseball, this would be a much more serious injury.
For guys who play those positions, this would be like Cobbs tearing an anterior cruciate ligament.
So for Cobbs, it could have been worse.
His name and "career-ending injury" should not be used in the same sentence.
Understand, too, that Ki-Jana Carter was a first-round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals out of Penn State and he ignored a shoulder injury, a torn rotator cuff.
Is he even in the league now?
If Cobbs has the surgery and returns to only 90 percent of what he was, that's about 120 percent for most people.
Of course, with his work ethic, not to mention tolerance for pain, there's no reason Cobbs couldn't be back to 99.9 percent in that shoulder.
Especially if someone tells him he can't do it.
Cedric Cobbs loves a good challenge.

This article was published on Wednesday, September 27, 2000

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