Purdue QB Blough targeting return to field next week
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When David Blough dove for the pylon during a two-minute drill in Saturday's scrimmage, he had no second thoughts.
As an ultimate competitor, Blough was intent on making a play with his team down three with only 20 seconds left on the clock. So he took off, got to near the 5-yard line and reached out his right arm, ball in hand. The landing was not soft, and that outstretched arm got jarred, injuring his shoulder.
Over the next 24 hours or so, Blough feared the worst: A season-ending injury to one that he'd entered with such promise, a new coaching staff led by offensive and quarterback gurus, coming off a bit of a breakout individual season.
But an MRI on Monday came up clear, and instead of a potential tear, it was a strain.
"I think the biggest thing I learned was the appreciation of, man, I’m going to go as hard as I can every snap because it could be taken away. Because I had the feeling of Sunday night thinking it was going to be taken away," he said after Thursday's practice. "I had this appreciation of now when I do get back, you might see a different guy in leadership and all that stuff because it made me appreciate more what we do have in this game. It was tough for 24 hours and then you get a good MRI result and your spirits are just like, ‘Wow.’ Deep breath. You wake up in the morning and you say, ‘This is the best possible thing that could happen,’ and now we’re attacking it daily."
That attack to rehab could produce a return to the practice field by Monday.
At least that's the goal, Coach Jeff Brohm and Blough said.
Initially, Blough was hoping he could play in Saturday's scrimmage, the final practice of training camp, but he realized that was too ambitious. He knows he needs to be cautious, especially considering he's a quarterback dealing with a shoulder issue to the arm he throws with.
It's been a frustrating process, Blough said, but he's trying to learn patience, too. He wouldn't specifically said what progress he needed to make — in terms of range of motion or a certain pain level — to get back on the field. But there are markers.
"Just got to be 100 percent before we do it," he said. "We’re working through a lot of different things in there. Have great training staff and great plan in place that we’re following diligently so I can be hopefully Monday, that’s the goal set. You never know. (Thursday) was a really good day with progress forward."
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