Raul ready to rock again with Shock
Former Eastern receiver Vijil takes fast-track on knee rehab
By PAUL DELANEY
Staff Reporter
A year ago at this time the question facing former Eastern Washington University wide receiver Raul Vijil was whether he had the ability to take his game to a new level.
His team since the spring of 2006, the Spokane Shock, had decided to take their own leap of faith that they could compete in the reconstituted Arena Football League. Vijil, the team's all-time leader in over a half-dozen offensive stats, didn't want to be left behind.
Vijil easily proved he could play at a higher level, catching 82 passes for 33 touchdowns and 1,083 yards in just 10 games. His season was cut short, however, when he suffered a knee injury in a game at Milwaukee last June. The Shock also raised their game and continued their unlikely success in the arena game by winning an AFL title while Vijil reluctantly watched from the bench.
Now Vijil's finding out if he can answer yet another question: will the knee he torqued and twisted last June be healthy enough to allow him to continue living his dream?
“(I'm) ready for another year, definitely, I'm feeling good,” Vijil said before he and his team departed for San Jose for their AFL opener. “I feel 100 percent.”
There were definitely a lot of question marks out there – even with the coaching staff – but Vijil surprised a lot of people by coming back in well under the time the books and docs say it takes to mend both his ACL and MCL. “People won't even notice that I'm (was) hurt,” he said.
His own bravado aside, Vijil backed up the brag and looks to be ready. He led the Shock with 13 catches, 161 yards and even made a bending, over the boards, acrobatic catch for a touchdown. It was too little, too late, however, in the 76-48 butt kicking the SaberCats administered last Friday night at HP Pavilion in the South Bay.
If only the Shock had played San Jose with the same confidence and preparation Vijil has shown since a teammate was blocked into him and ravaged his knee. “I've been pretty lucky and blessed to have this career I've had with limited injuries,” he said.
At the time he was injured Vijil was in a lot of pain, “But I didn't hear a snap or a pop.” He remembered slowly being able to bend the knee, jogging a little on the sidelines and saying, “Allright coach, put me back in.” The trainer grabbed him and said, “Oh, no, we're going to put some ice on that.”
And looking back, Vijil's glad about the decision head trainer Nick Carlson and his staff made by keeping him on the sidelines. “They knew what happened and did the right thing.”
Vijil went on the league's injured reserve list – a minimum of four weeks – and missed the remainder of Shock's run to an ArenaBowl victory but earned his third championship ring in five seasons.
He let his MCL heal on it's own but right after the season went under the knife to repair the ACL. The natural process for mending the MCL was an eight-week process and Vijil said, “I didn't want to be bed-ridden when the guys are all out there celebrating after the championship game.”
Emitting a nervous laugh, Vijil said, “Oh man, it's a process.” Six to eight months is normal recuperation time. “If I'm going to play again – the season starts in about five and a half months – I'm going to have to put in some extra work,” Vijil said.
He was in the training room a week after surgery and everyone was wondering, “What are you doing here?” The rehab continued pretty much 24-7, even when laying in bed and watching TV with measured bending.
Then came the strengthening portion, which consisted of resistance training. “It's all about getting the strength back,” after having his patella tendon substituted for a new ACL, which involves “a transformation from a tendon to a ligament.”
While rehabbing the knee, Vijil also resurrected his pursuit of his college degree. It was something he had to leave behind when he signed with the Shock in 2006 to play this new-fangled form of football.
Vijil will be finished with school, and, as luck – and the AFL schedule makers – would have it he plans to walk across the red turf June 11. “I've actually looked at the schedule and we have a Friday home game (June 10) the weekend of graduation, so it (walking) might be a possibility,” Vijil said.
Hopefully it's without a limp and not on crutches.
Paul Delaney can be reached at pdelaney@cheneyfreepress.com.
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