Steve Angeli’s return to the field has become one of the most important storylines around Syracuse football, and not just because of what it means for the Orange offense. After sitting out two weeks and getting additional medical treatment, Angeli looked far more like himself in last Saturday’s 31-30 overtime win over North Carolina.
That comeback has also sharpened the focus on the weeks before the benching, when Angeli was playing while still less than a year removed from surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon. Syracuse opened the season with him at quarterback, then went 1-2 in those games as he appeared to have trouble moving around. That led to the obvious question: did he return too soon?
Angeli doesn’t see it that way. He said getting back on the field was the only thing on his mind.
“As a competitor my job is to get myself on the field no matter what,” Angeli said. “So that was my sole focus and that was all that was at the forefront of my mind.”
The bigger update for Syracuse is that Angeli said the issue that kept him in a protective boot wasn’t his Achilles tendon itself. Instead, he said he was dealing with retrocalcaneal bursitis, an inflammation in the bursa sac between the heel bone and the surgically repaired tendon. He said doctors treated it with PRP and cortisone injections.
The change in how he felt was immediate enough for Angeli to sound encouraged throughout the week.
“I feel way better,” Angeli said last week. “I feel like the old me in a sense.
I can run, make plays. I just feel like myself again.
Glad I was able to get that done and get to this point.”
On Tuesday, he said there were no setbacks after the North Carolina game.
“I feel great,” he said.
Angeli said he still doesn’t know whether the bursitis is tied to the old Achilles injury or simply the result of trying to ramp up too quickly. He also couldn’t pinpoint exactly when the symptoms started.
His workload had been building all spring, when he was a partial participant, and it increased again as the season neared. The Cleveland Clinic notes that retrocalcaneal bursitis is often caused by overuse or a sudden increase in walking, running or jumping.
While Angeli was struggling, Syracuse coach Fran Brown repeatedly pointed to the medical staff’s evaluation and said the quarterback was healthy enough to play. Brown also said he believed Angeli was the Orange’s best option during those three games.
The eventual move to Odom came with a clear emphasis on mobility. Odom had impressed in his lone start at UConn before suffering a season-ending injury in the overtime win.
Angeli declined to detail what Brown told him when the change was made.
“That’s really up to Coach, I can’t really speak on that,” Angeli said. “It was just some things that were going on in-house, health reasons, and I can’t really get into that.”
He also said his reaction was shaped by the team first, not himself.
“My job is to support the team and do whatever I can to help them win,” Angeli said.
That attitude drew praise from Brown and teammates, including offensive lineman Joe Cruz. Brown called him mature and credited the way he handled being benched.
“He’s mature,” Brown said. “We’re all emotional when we can’t play the game that we love.
“He’s a class act. I’ve always said that. I think his best football is ahead of him.”
With his health improving and his symptoms calming down, Angeli now has a chance to lead Syracuse again. And after everything that’s happened over the past few weeks, that may be the most encouraging part for the Orange.
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