Brooks: Q&A With Buffs' Senior Left Tackle Jeromy Irwin
April 25, 2016 | Football, B.G. Brooks
BOULDER – Jeromy Irwin has every right, but he's not crossing his fingers for an injury-free season at the University of Colorado.
Rather than depending on chance or karma, Irwin is depending on intense work/rehab and a steely mindset to carry him through an uninterrupted – he knows it won't be unscathed – football season in the Pac-12 Conference.
Two of his first four years at CU have been curtailed by injury, with a third season also interrupted. In late July 2013 he broke a bone in his foot doing yard work shortly before August camp opened. An ankle sprain sidelined him for a game in 2014, and an ACL tear in the third game against Massachusetts sidelined him for all of 2015. He underwent surgery and began rehab but still was held out of spring drills that concluded earlier this month.
Irwin is expecting to be back, bigger, stronger and more focused for 2016. Standing 6-4, he's finally nudged past the 300-pound plateau (307) and plans on maintaining that weight through the summer and into August camp.
On numerous occasions during spring drills, coach Mike MacIntyre's progress report on Irwin included this description: “He looks like an NFL player.”
And to put it bluntly, the Buffs need him to play like one at left tackle this fall as both a run blocker and a pass protector. He allowed just three QB sacks in 2014 – the team allowed a league-low 23 – but without him for 11 games in 2015 CU's sack yield ballooned to a league-worst 41.
While Irwin's presence/absence was neither responsible for all of the solid 2014 protection nor to blame for the huge jump in 2015 QB takedowns, no one who pays attention to CU's O-line wants to envision another season without him.
CUBuffs.com spent time with Irwin last week for this wide-ranging question and answer session:
CUBuffs.com: First off, how are you feeling?
Jeromy Irwin: Good . . . I'm doing great. If I was to complain, who would be listening? I've heard that comment a lot the last couple of weeks.
The knee is good?
The knee is great. I'm doing great, yeah.
Was it tough to watch all spring?
Yeah, it was really, really tough. It's tough to watch anytime, even last season. (It) might have been the worst; it was really hard to watch last season.
What's the prognosis now?
I mean, as of right now I'm full go. I'm doing everything beside some lateral movement stuff, because I don't have the brace yet. I just got refitted (Thursday). I'm squatting. I had a tough stretch for about two weeks where I had some tendinitis in my patella. But other than that, I shook that off after my trainers got on me a little bit. It's feeling great, I'm about 90 percent right now. I just need to get my leg back to where it used to be and take it from there then I'll be good.
Normally when you have a knee injury like yours the quad takes a little to get back up to speed. Is that where you are?
Yeah, that's where I'm at. It's just waiting on the quad to get back to where it used to be. The quad has been really . . . it's not even the knee that's bothering me. It's getting the quad back. You know, it's attached to the knee and if there are any problems it's usually because of the quad or the IT band (illotibial band) which is all in the same area. So that's kind of been my focus the last couple of months.
Since you didn't have a spring under Klayton Adams (new offensive line coach) and you're switching position coaches, is that going to require any kind of adjustment period come August.
No, I don't think there's going to be any . . . I've seen everything he does, I've been in the PRPs (player run practices) and know all the drills he implements. Obviously they're different than (Gary) Bernardi, but overall as a coach, no. I'm in the meeting room everyday with (Adams) in the spring. I'll be full-go in the summer so I'll be going through all the drills they're going through. It might be a little different when I actually get into camp – obviously some things will be different – but overall, no. It's good.
You see Bernardi (he now coaches tight ends) all the time, but was that a tough overall adjustment for the O-line?
No, I don't think so. I do think it was a little unexpected though. At this level it's all business. We just weren't expecting that coaching change. But I think everything happens for the best . . . it's kind of funny, I go home and talk to Sean (his brother, a senior tight end) and he tells me all the stories about coach Bernardi and I'm like, 'I've been through all that.' And then I tell him all the stuff that happens with coach Adams and it's just funny; we both relate. There's common ground there; we just swapped coaches. We'll joke with our roommates about that. They laugh about that. It's an interesting situation.
More than a couple of times during spring ball, coach (Mike) MacIntyre was asked about you . . . his answer was usually that you're doing well and looking like an NFL player. You've put on some weight, and I'm assuming that it's good weight, right?
Yeah, it's good weight. But for the first part of my injury I got a little pudgy. Other than that, no. I was able to get in the weight room when I got off crutches and from then on I just kept going. I didn't stop – and I'm not stopping.
Looking back on your career, with the foot injury you suffered doing yard work, then the knee, do you stop and say, 'What's happening here? Am I snake bit?'
Yeah, it's hard to grasp that I'm a fifth-year senior and two of those years I wasn't even playing because of injuries. It's, it's . . . I don't know, sometimes I do think maybe I was bit by something. But it's all just situations and circumstances.
And too, you have to realize the on-field (injuries) are part of the game, right?
Yeah, it was just wrong place, wrong time (suffering the knee injury vs. UMass). It was just a freak accident, it happens. We had a lot of ACLs too in the last couple of months following my injury. Just seeing that, it kind of opened my perspective to what can happen on and off the field. I was never really injured in high school (Cypress Fairbanks, Texas). I broke my collarbone once but it was in spring ball and I didn't miss anything. Then getting into college and having to learn how to rehab your body and actually take care of your body coming back from a serious injury has taught me a lot.
What's been the toughest part?
I would have to say when people say it's all mental, they really mean it. Physically you can push yourself a lot farther than you mentally think. But you have to dig down deep when you don't want to come in and work out. There were plenty of days when I didn't want to show up at 5:30 (am) or 6 or maybe 6:30 or 7:30 . . . and sometimes I didn't. My trainers would get on my rear end about it and I would have to get myself back into gear. But it was waking up every day and doing something. There wasn't a day when you can wake up and be like, 'Oh, I'm good today, I don't need to do it.' You've got to roll it out and make sure it's going to be good to go tomorrow. Make sure it's loose. It gets stiff when you go to sleep; every morning I've got to get up and get in there early, roll it out and make sure nothing goes wrong before I get into workouts. It's a mental thing.
Speaking of being a fifth-year senior, there has been talk by coach MacIntyre when it was brought up that maybe you'd apply for a sixth year . . . would you be up for that?
Yeah, actually I've already petitioned for a hardship, which is a sixth year. We've already started the process. I mean, with my college career and my injuries, it's definitely a thought. And what if something was to happen next season where I wanted to get another year? That's definitely in the thought process right now. I'm not completely sure what's going to happen because I'm graduating this May and next season . . . you know, five years is a long time. Jered Bell (safety) did six years. It's definitely in the back of my mind and it'll be there until I'm finished with next season.
Have you talked to Jered about his sixth season?
Ah, I wouldn't say directly. I came up to him and brought up the topic but it was just funny throughout the season. We would call him the 'Old Man' and 'Grandpa' because I think he was 24. I mean, I'll be 23 in July and if I stay for a sixth I'll be 24. So I would be in that position. I think with his circumstances he needed the sixth year. I mean, he tore his ACL three times in his football career. I've only done it once and I can't imagine doing more (rehab). If that was to happen, yeah, I probably would do a sixth year.
Let's say this fall goes completely smooth, you're injury free, you have a good year . . . how does that factor into your decision of coming back for a another year?
Honestly, I came into last year with the mindset of what you just said. I was stronger, faster, bigger. I just wanted to have a good season then potentially pursue my (NFL) career. It was just 'oh, no' when it (injury) happened. So thinking to this year and what you just asked me, if I had a good, healthy season it would just depend. I don't think I'll play bad this season but it really depends. There's a lot of things that go into a season.
That's a hypothetical question and I know you can't answer that until December.
Yeah, December . . . right now I have to focus on the quad and getting that back. But hypothetically speaking if we're talking about that it would definitely be a decision I have to make after the season. I'm not sure what it would be but I'm sure next season if I have a good season you can catch me and we'll talk about it.
Speaking of next season, what do you look for from the offensive line?
I expect great things out of the offensive line. I know in spring ball we had a lot of injuries. We just had some guys get surgery – Isaac (Miller). John (Lisella) tor his MCL but he'll be back soon. I expect a little more of what coach Adams has been stressing – a dominant mentality in the Pac-12. Two years ago when I started with Daniel (Munyer) and (Stephane) Nembot and Kaiwi (Crabb) we were actually one of the better lines in the Pac-12 because we had the mentality and never gave up. We didn't take (stuff) from any teams in the conference. Next year if we can get some of these guys on board and get stronger . . . Drew (Wilson) has been great. That is definitely a factor in this question, because Drew is getting us strong and I think if we carry out what we're supposed to do in May and not take a break and then go into the season as strong as we can with that mentality I think we're going to be great. We've got a lot of guys that played a lot last year. John Huckins and Lisella – those guys really didn't see the field the previous years starting-wise but they got thrown in there all season. John, unfortunately maybe not when he wanted to, but he had to make a couple of starts. I have no doubts about next season. I think we should be a solid group.
This offense, season before last it was in high gear so to speak, then last season there was a drop off. What do you attribute that to?
Statistically, when we compared last season to the season before when we did really good, you didn't see a huge drop off, maybe a little decrease. But when turn on the film you would see, I mean, you would see the same mistakes we were making the year before. Just little things that we needed to do under pressure that we didn't do. It wasn't a setback last season but I think the offensive line not being able to hold up with my injury and some other young freshmen having to start, it was definitely hard for them to handle the upfront guys. And our quarterbacks probably ran around (getting chased) than they did the year before. I think that was a factor in our lack of scoring points and getting up and down the field like we did the year before. Other than that, those few minor tweaks and having a couple of more guys healthy and doing the little things would have made the difference.
There's been so much speculation about Davis Webb (Texas Tech graduate transfer who has committed to CU) and what he's going to do. Did you meet him when he came in over Texas Tech's spring break?
Yeah, I talked to Davis. He actually came to a couple of the meals and we sat down and talked. He's a great guy; he's from Texas – Dallas – so we got along. We were kickin' it; I mean when you meet somebody from down south when you're up here, it's different. There's that culture and assimilation . . . I honestly don't know what's going on with that (Webb has visited Cal since committing to CU). I try to put most of my attention into what's going on now. We need competition; it makes everybody better. I hear he's a good player, so if he comes in and puts a fire under a couple of people's rear ends that'll be great. He'll just make 'em play better. I'm excited. I'm excited for all the guys we have coming in. I know we've got a couple of JUCO transfers coming for next season and we get (defensive lineman) Josh Tupou back – he's already in town.
All of the speculation and indecision, does that do anything to what Davis Webb might bring to this team as far as a cohesiveness? Are there any people saying, 'Well, if he doesn't want to come, then we're better without him?'
You know, it's hard to comment on that. But if I was to say one thing it would be if he comes he comes, if he doesn't if he doesn't. I think the mentality with this team right now is we all have one goal and that's winning. Whoever wants to help us will help us. But you have to come in and you have to prove it. You have to do the work. You just can't come in here and do whatever you want. We're all in this together. If you come in here, that's fine with us but you'd better be ready because we're bringing it. We're on a mission. It's too late if you start thinking about that next season, in the middle of the season maybe when we're losing a game, and saying, 'Oh ($%&@) what happens now?' That's kind of the mentality that we're trying to get going.
What are your summer plans?
All of May I'm not going home. I'm going to stay here and do rehab and lift and squat a lot in the hopes that I'll gain all if not more of my quad strength back. Just about two weeks ago I started squatting again . . . my patella tendon had given me a bunch of issues. Getting used to that and getting into it is going to allow me this May to get a lot of strength back. Then going into the summer I'll hopefully be full-go by at least June or July. I'm going to say June and by fall camp I should be fine to go. I mean I don't know what's going to happen with practice and stuff; we'll take it day by day but I'm excited, ready and I'm definitely going to be here all summer working extra hard just to make sure that I can come back.
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
