[media-credit name=’YANA PASKOVA/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]For the University of Wisconsin football team, spring practices are all about one thing — preparing for the upcoming season.

That charge is not simply limited to the players on the field participating fully in every drill but also for those Badgers who are limited due to injury, of which there are several.

"We want to see mental reps; we are big believers in that," said first-year head coach Bret Bielema. "What they can do is they can know the call and know what the [play] is and take as many mental reps as possible."

At least three projected starters for the 2006 squad will almost certainly miss all of spring practices, as defensive linemen Jamal Cooper and Matt Shaughnessy and offensive lineman Joe Thomas all recover from their respective knee injuries.

Although spring practices are valuable, coaches expressed caution about bringing an injured player back during spring practices, not wanting to have a player go too early and potentially be re-injured.

"It's up to the doctors," Bielema said when questioned whether he would allow injured players to return during the spring. "There are certain guys that are along a little bit further. … They've kind of started this natural progression to get to where they need to be, and as the doctors say they are more and more able to do things, we will roll them in."

Thomas, who tore his right anterior cruciate ligament while filling in on defense during the Capital One Bowl, is of chief concern, as he is the most highly-touted player returning to Wisconsin this year.

While Thomas hasn't dressed and will not participate in spring drills, he is still working diligently towards returning as soon as he can for his senior campaign.

"He won't be going at all in the spring," Bielema said of Thomas. "He is progressing, doing all the things we are asking him to do. He was the latest of those three injuries; when you look at the three knees they had with [Cooper], Matt Shaughnessy and [Thomas], his happened last."

"I'm just doing some running and doing a lot of strength exercises, doing some quickness stuff, trying to get my balance back," Thomas said. "I'm just trying to take it slow."

Bielema has been telling anyone who will listen that just as Thomas is one of the most athletic linemen to ever walk on the field, he is one of the most impressive healers also and has been ahead of schedule in his recovery.

"I'm coming along better than I expected," Thomas said.

Cooper went down in Wisconsin's third game of the season against North Carolina with an ACL tear in his left knee and had surgery to repair the knee on Oct. 4.

The early surgery date has allowed Cooper to progress quickly, and he is currently only being held out of contact drills.

"Jamal Cooper is probably the most progressed [of the injured players]," Bielema said. "He just can't have contact."

"I'm right on schedule, I just wish I was just a little bit ahead further," Cooper said. "But oh well, can't do anything about it."

Although Cooper has healed adequately, the junior has expressed frustration at missing so much time to an injury he initially thought was just a bruise that he might just be able to walk off.

"It's frustrating," Cooper said. "Real frustrating because [I'm not] doing too much. I still feel like I want to go, but I don't think my knee is ready yet, so I'm just getting frustrated. … I'm just tired of waiting to play football, for real. I've been waiting for so long. I'm just ready to play."

Shaughnessy, who will be a sophomore, has dressed but has been little more than a spectator thus far, which according to him isn't the worst thing in the world.

"It's all right, I guess," Shaughnessy said. "You learn a lot of stuff when you are watching."

"He seems like he's taking it pretty well," said Cooper when asked how Shaughnessy's spirits seemed to be.

Shaughnessy injured his right knee in the home finale against Iowa on Nov.12.

Bielema expects all three of the seriously injured players to be back in time, not only for the fall but also for summer conditioning.

"We'll start summer conditioning in mid-June, and our goal is to have all three of those guys fully involved in that," Bielema said. "We expect all three of those guys to hopefully be full-go through all of summer drills."

Others limited: Another of UW's notable injuries and recoveries include last year's all-everything recruit Travis Beckum, who went down with a right knee injury in the Hawaii game last year. Beckum, who has changed positions to tight end, has practiced and done well so far this spring, looking more like a natural receiver than former linebacker.

Junior linebacker Casey Hogan, who broke his leg during the Oct. 8 contest at Northwestern, has not dressed at all and might be out for the all of spring practices.

Also, junior defensive back Ben Strickland has been held out of some contact drills because of a shoulder injury.

"Strickland actually has a little bit of a shoulder injury, so he's been limited at certain things," Bielema said.

Lastly, sophomore Gino Cruse isn't expected to participate in spring practices, so that, according to Bielema, he can "concentrate on his academics at this point."