NFL News & Notes
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
While there were many encouraging signs in the Patriots preseason win over New Orleans Thursday night, there’s also reason for concern. Injuries are starting to pile up for the Pats with the latest news coming out Sunday that veteran WR Torry Holt has been placed on IR and will undergo knee surgery soon.
With All-Pro guard Logan Mankins continuing his holdout and his replacement Nick Kaczur out with a serious back injury, the offensive line has taken a major hit.
logo
On the defensive side of the football, DE Ty Warren was placed on season-ending IR on Friday with a hip injury that will also require surgery. This is certainly not what any NFL team wants to deal with before they have even played their first regular season game.
Meanwhile, Tom Brady appeared to have injured either the index or middle finger on his throwing hand Thursday night. Brady had the two taped together for the teams walkthrough practice early Sunday but did not have them taped later in the day when the team practiced in pads. Bill Belichick would only say that Brady’s injury was not, “life threatening.” Thanks Bill!
On the bright side, here were some positives from the Pats preseason opener:
-The Pats “1’s” outplayed the Saints “1’s” when both groups were on the field.
-Second year WR Julian Edelman is starting to look like the second coming of Wes Welker.
-Another second year player – safety Patrick Chung – was solid against the Saints.
-Rookie first round pick Devin McCourty held his own on defense starting for the injured Leigh Bodden. He really made an impact on special teams with two returns of more than 50 yards.
-Fellow rookies Brandon Spikes, Aaron Hernandez and Zoltan Mesko also played well Thursday. Spikes was a force on defense while Hernandez showed his athleticism making him a possible target for Tom Brady in the passing game. Mesko averaged almost 44 yards per punt.
Now back to the injury front. While we in New England lament the injuries the Patriots are dealing with, other NFL teams are losing key players to injury as well. Some are for a short period of time while others are longer. Here’s a look:
-Former Boston College eagle and current Dallas Cowboys right tackle Marc Columbo suffered what was first thought to be a serious knee injury. However, the latest reports out of Dallas have Columbo missing only 2-4 weeks of action.
-Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald suffered a sprained MCL in the team’s preseason opener Saturday night. He is expected to miss 2-3 weeks but be ready for the Cards season opener against St. Louis.
-Houston Texans rookie RB Ben Tate will need surgery after injuring his ankle against Arizona in Saturday’s preseason opener. He is expected to be placed on IR shortly.
-Titans rookie RB Stafon Johnson had surgery on a dislocated ankle that head coach Jeff Fisher says could keep him out 8-12 weeks.
-Speaking of the Titans, former Brown University defensive tackle David Howard had a tackle for Tennessee in their exhibition opener against Seattle over the weekend.
-Staying with the Brown theme, there are five former Brown football players currently on NFL rosters. WR Bobby Sewall joins David Howard with Tennessee. The Patriots just re-signed WR Buddy Farnham yesterday after Torry Holt was placed on IR. Tight end Colin Colherty plays for the Indianapolis Colts while Zak DeOssie still plays for the NY Giants.
WR Sean Morey would make it 6 former Brown players in the NFL but he announced his retirement a couple of weeks ago.
Related Articles
- 2010 Patriots Preview (Part 2)
- Belichick to Patriots: Forget About the Past
- Tom Brady: “We’re Not” the Same Team
- NFL News & Notes
- Buddy Farnham Re-Signs with Patriots
- Pats Cut Farnham / NFL News & Notes
Follow us on Pinterest Google + Facebook Twitter See It Read It