Landon Young and Trevor Penning took polar opposite routes to the start of their NFL careers in New Orleans.
Landon Young went to Kentucky and battled in the Southeastern Conference before arriving as a 6th round pick. Penning toiled away at Northern Iowa in the FCS ranks before he was snagged midway through the first round.
But what they have in common, besides both playing reserve roles in 2021: A nasty bit of turf toe.
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"It's a [big challenge] because this is something that we depend on as linemen. ... If our feet aren't planted in the ground, something's wrong," Young said in an interview on the Inside Black & Gold podcast. "So having ligament damage, soft tissue damage, joint damage, all that, it's very hard. And you think it's so minuscule, but in the grand scheme of things we have to use that every single play, and if you don't have that healthy, you're out there for a miserable experience."
Penning suffered his injury in the preseason finale against the Chargers, an injury to the ligament that connects the big toe to the foot. His injury included a tear, which had to be surgically repaired. He's been placed on injured reserve with the option to return, and could return as early as November."
For Young, the injury came midway through his rookie season during a matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. Young was starting due to injuries at both tackle spots, and he actually battled through the game despite the injury. His recovery was ultimately just as steep, with bone and ligament damage that required surgery of its own. He went on IR at that point, ending his rookie season after 10 games.
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So what is Young's main bit of advice to the rookie? Keep working on what you can, keep learning, and keep moving forward, as frustrating as things might get.
"Stay in here, stay involved, come in and absorb as much as you can, because no matter if you're injured or what, there's a time that you're going to come back," Young said. "You're gonna you're gonna rehab. You're gonna get better, you're gonna spend a lot of time [in the trainer's room], but stay in the book, stay in film, so when you come back, it's not like you've took a step down. It's like you're continuing on, if not even got better."
The Saints open up their season on Sept. 11 in Atlanta.
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