Jump to content
[[Template core/front/custom/_customHeader is throwing an error. This theme may be out of date. Run the support tool in the AdminCP to restore the default theme.]]

Injuries


Shakenbake
 Share

Recommended Posts

Injury Info, sorry for the long post, but with all the injuries this weekend I thought this might help some.

 

Carroll: Discussing QBs McNabb and FavreBy Will Carroll

ESPN.com

 

 

There aren't a lot of injuries to talk about this week, but if quality over quantity is a theme, we've got it. Several players went down that likely went in the top couple rounds of your draft as well as guys who are waiver wire All-Stars. With all the craziness in baseball these days -- really, eight years for Alfonso Soriano? -- it's good to have at least one sane sport with a continuing, never-ending series of injuries to deal with. If you're in a league that requires the rosters be set before the first game of the week, this is going to be a tougher week for you with additional uncertainty because of Thanksgiving football. Managing that risk and making sure you're not left with zeroes on Monday is key to winning, so let's get to the injuries:

 

It wasn't long after the injury happened that the first calls started coming into me. How bad was Donovan McNabb? It might surprise a lot of people to find out I didn't see it, so I had to wait for highlights. The angle we've all seen shows McNabb heading out of bounds and appearing to tangle his feet, making a sudden, awkward stop, then falling down out of bounds. It wasn't a devastating hit that makes for a dramatic highlight, but it was the right forces at the wrong time. McNabb tore his ACL, a near-complete Grade III tear, but until we know more about any associated damage, it's impossible to give a real prognosis. Given all the attention on Carson Palmer and Daunte Culpepper last off-season, people are wondering if McNabb's injury is more like Palmer's or more like the Culpepper injury that is one reason he's on the shelf. I spoke to several doctors about this injury and while they're not treating McNabb, they believe that this is more like Palmer. The surgery is being performed this week by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., assuming the swelling is down enough to allow the surgery. The surgery will clearly tell us about the extent of the injury beyond the ACL sprain and it's this report which will allow us to give a more specific timeline for recovery. McNabb has a six-week headstart on Palmer's timetable, so the plan is that McNabb could return for Week 1 of next season. His track record at returning from injuries is good, so that's a plus in a week where it's tough to find them for fantasy owners that have been carried by McNabb.

 

It wasn't good for Brett Favre, but it was bad for Aaron Rodgers. After Favre left Sunday's game with weakness in his hand due to having his ulnar nerve hit, Rodgers entered the game and promptly broke his foot. It's unclear when the injury occurred, but as he hobbled out of the locker room after the game, Rodgers knew he was done for the season. Favre isn't going to let his funny bone end his games played streak and even if Rodgers was healthy, Favre was likely to get the start. We'll want to watch and make sure that his grip is back and that there's no residual pain or numbness, but these types of injuries tend to be minor with little or no effect after the acute symptoms have gone.

 

Can I just stop trying to figure out what's going on in Denver? The Broncos RB situation is one that no one in football has figured out, so I'm hardly alone in getting deked by Shanahan's crew, but I'm also convinced that it's injuries that are guiding this. Tatum Bell was simply not able to go, or at least that's what the Broncos are telling us. I can't trust them at this point and neither can you. If healthy, Tatum Bell is their clear starter, until he's not. The risk of dealing with these last-second and even in-game changes drops the value of any Denver running back. It's too late to deal them in most leagues, but make a note to yourself for next season's draft -- let someone else have the headache.

 

The reports are better on Marques Colston than they were initially. Taken off the field with what was called a high ankle sprain, the injury is actually a moderate "low" ankle sprain. I put low in quotes since the ankle isn't high and low, but the terminology has made it unclear. Maybe "classic ankle sprain" is a better term. Colston's injury was initially misreported due to the way the trainers were treating it, casing the whole lower leg in ice. This is actually normal treatment for this type of injury, attempting to keep the swelling to a minimum. Colston's future will be told by his response to treatment. If things go well, we should see him back at practice, at least on a limited basis, by Friday. Have your options -- like Devery Henderson or Terrance Copper -- at the ready.

 

When you see your player on the sidelines, leaning on crutches, that's never a good sign. The TE version of Alex Smith was on the Bucs sideline at the end of the game with a boot on his right ankle. The report is that he has a high ankle sprain, but remember that Smith had a right foot sprain a couple games ago, so these could well be related or it could be a simple cascade. Smith hasn't been a great fantasy option this season, valuable only just after the Chris Simms injury when Bruce Gradkowski was using Smith as a safety valve.

 

What was it that Wally Pipp had, a headache? I'm not sure if there's a football equivalent of Pipp (Drew Bledsoe?), but for those fantasy players that have been waiting for DeShaun Foster to get injured, they got a little bit of daylight on Sunday. Foster hyperextended his elbow on a fall, a painful injury, but not serious. He could have come back into the game, but this gave John Fox a chance to see what DeAngelo Williams could do in a game the Panthers defense was dominating. Williams didn't disappoint, but it's not clear if that's enough to get him more carries. Foster's injury shouldn't be enough to keep him out of practice and the knowledge that his grip on the starting job is slipping will also motivate Foster. This split is going to be a coaching decision, not an injury-based one.

 

Kevin Jones was last seen leaving the game on the back of a cart and that's seldom a good sign. Jones injured his ankle, though it's unclear if it was this week's go-to injury, the high ankle sprain, or a more normal ankle sprain. Neither is good for the deceptive back who's actually played better when his blocking has been worse. The Lions also look to be without Shaun Cody next week. He reinjured the toe that had kept him out. With Shaun Rogers returning from suspension, the blow is dulled a bit, but injuries are killing any hopes that the Lions had for a late-season run.

 

Lost in the Raiders tough loss to KC was the big loss. LaMont Jordan tore his MCL during the game on an awkward hit and fall, ending his season. Jordan should be able to come back from this without surgery and without serious consequence, but the same probably isn't true for most people that drafted him. He was a first-rounder in many leagues and a disappointment in all of them. Much of the blame doesn't fall on Jordan, but on the Raiders and their offensive line. That line, the one that can't pass protect also can't run block. It will get worse without Robert Gallery, who dislocated his elbow on Sunday. The team doesn't yet know how significant the damage is, but this is a painful injury and one that usually doesn't heal up in six weeks. Justin Fargas will take over the feature back role for the Raiders, but I'm not sure that Superman would be a good fantasy option if he was the Raiders RB right now.

 

The early verdict on Shaun Alexander is good. He ran well -- not great, but well. To me, he looked like a guy running post-ACL. He ran best in straight lines and seemed a bit hesitant when cutting. What he certainly didn't have was the push he normally did. The goal line play showed clearly that he's not 100 percent. Some of this was the fact that the Seahawks were missing two offensive linemen, but until we see Alexander getting the hop and push back, he's just an ordinary running back. The Seahawks will have Matt Hasselbeck back under center next week as expected. He'll get the full week of practice and shouldn't have any problems. It will be interesting to see if Mike Holmgren can put this offense back in place.

 

The Jags took another season ending injury to a starter in Monday night's game. Donovin Darius joins Reggie Hayward and Mike Peterson on IR after suffering a broken leg. He was caught in a moving pile and as a Giants player -- I couldn't tell who on replays -- rolled over, Darius' leg was injured. The Jags and Darius both seemed upset with DT John Henderson calling the play "dirty." It didn't look that way to me, but those guys were down there and may have had a better angle on it. This is another problem the Jags will have to game plan around, something they've done well with so far. Part of coaching is dealing with injuries, so if you're not going to be able to prevent them, you'd better be ready for this. Does this injury finally make the Jags defense a poor option? I doubt it as the team has adjusted to previous injuries without missing a step. In some cases, it's the players and in some it's the system. It looks like the Jags have a system.

 

Quick Cuts: To answer the big FAQ of the week this week, I have no idea why my shirt looked like that on the Med Check. It was a simple striped Burberry oxford, not something out of Barry Manilow's closet. ... Houston's Andre Johnson left Sunday's game with a deep thigh bruise. Watch to see how he practices as we don't know how Johnson deals with injuries. ... Arizona lineman Bertrand Berry is done for the season after tearing his triceps. He'll have surgery later this week. ... Chad Johnson is still dealing with cramping problems, as seen on his long touchdown Sunday. The hamstring is always in danger with Johnson, so he's risky despite the sudden turn around in his season. ... Jonas Jennings left Sunday's game. The big tackle is a big part of why Frank Gore is one of the NFL's top runners this season. ... Byron Leftwich is scheduled to have surgery Tuesday. He's not on the IR yet, so watch for reports on his timetable. Have a fabulous Thanksgiving.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information