Washington's Garcia Defeating Lisfranc Injury?

When Washington senior center Juan Garcia received word from the NCAA earlier in the year that he would be granted a sixth year of eligibility, there was rejoicing among the Husky faithful. UW's offensive line was looking like it could be a real strength coming up on 2008, with potentially four out of five starters back for the upcoming season. But then spring ball happened, and sure enough, the dreaded "Lisfranc" injury struck down the beefy center. If you are curious about the ins-and-outs of the Lisfranc injury, hit this link to get your fill.

UW fans are all too familiar with the term Lisfranc. For it was the same injury that ended former Husky QB Isaiah Stanback's promising senior year, six games into the 2006 season. UW would go on to lose four out of their last five after losing Stanback, missing the postseason for the fourth straight season.

So, even hearing the word Lisfranc, the instant fear in Husky-ville was that Garcia was done. Not only did he seem to lose a shot at another year of college football, but that he could also hurt his possible NFL future due to the injury. This Lisfranc deal can be a very devastating thing for any football player, let alone a center who's game is all about strength and explosive power at the point of attack.

One thing to come out of Garcia's injury was that at the time it happened, they announced that he would not have surgery on the injured foot. Instead, they were going to try and rehab the injury, and while no promises were made, there were some optimistic folks who thought maybe, just maybe, Garcia would see the field at some point this season. Sure enough, Garcia is making some real progress, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Garcia has shed the walking boot, and is even ready to start jogging in the coming days. Even Garcia himself is extremely optimistic at this point.

"It's way ahead of schedule," Garcia said, adding that he thinks there's a chance he could return "two games into the season."

Sounds good, right? Well, not yet. He's quite a ways from seeing any real action. And right now, the injury is still in a delicate stage. According to the article, any problems now could throw him all the way back to square one. The hope is that he could possibly be ready for practices by mid-August, and then we'll see. But for an offense lacking experience at several key skill positions outside of QB Jake Locker, they could sure use Garcia's leadership and mean streak up front.