Thursday, September 28, 2006
Damage to Kearse's knee not as bad as first feared
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By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com
In the wake of reports that the left knee injury suffered by the Philadelphia Eagles' Jevon Kearse on Sept. 17 included tears to three of four ligaments and ancillary involvement termed "severe," the star defensive end underwent surgery Thursday that revealed the damage was not nearly so catastrophic and that the rehabilitation for the eighth-year veteran will not be as daunting as originally anticipated.
Kearse
In fact, the only repair made by renowned Miami-based orthopedic surgeon Dr. John Uribe during the Thursday procedure was to the lateral meniscus cartilage. In terms of what was reported about the injury in the days after it occurred, the meniscus damage is considered relatively benign.
Kearse did suffer a fracture to his left tibia, but that injury required only casting, not surgery.
Uribe did not have to address the ligaments, the kneecap or quadriceps at all during the procedure.
"So we're probably talking, according to Dr. Uribe, about a 12-week rehabilitation period," agent Drew Rosenhaus told ESPN.com on Thursday night. "That still means Jevon would not have been able to play again, under the best circumstances, until the very end of the season. So I can't fault the Eagles for putting him on injured reserve and ending his season. But certainly, for everyone concerned, this is great news. It means he should be back on the field next spring for all of the offseason conditioning."
Kearse was injured late in the second game of the season, an overtime loss to the New York Giants, and Eagles officials feared catastrophic damage to the knee.
Broadcast and published reports indicated that Kearse had suffered a complete tear of the medial collateral ligament, partial tears of the lateral collateral and posterior cruciate ligaments, a dislocated kneecap, a torn knee capsule, a strained quadriceps tendon and a strained hamstring.
In light of those reports, there were intimations that, because of the severity of the injury, an extended recovery period, and Kearse's scheduled base salary of $5.2 million for 2007 and lofty salary cap charge, Philadelphia might release him. That likely won't be the case, however, given Thursday's results.
In his two appearances this season, Kearse had notched 3 ½ sacks and appeared well on his way to his first double-digit sack campaign since 2001, when he was with the Tennessee Titans. After the Eagles recorded only 29 sacks in 2005, defensive coordinator Jim Johnson vowed to re-energize the team's pass rush, and the utilization of Kearse in a variety of roles was part of that plan.
With Kearse sidelined, right end Darren Howard has moved to the left side and second-year veteran Trent Cole joined the lineup at right end. Philadelphia is tied for the league lead in sacks, with 16.
Kearse, 30, was the Titans' first-round choice in the 1999 draft, was named defensive rookie of the year that season, and registered 36 sacks his first three years before injuries curtailed his production. In his first two years in Philadelphia -- which signed him as an unrestricted free agent in 2004, awarding him a contract that made him the NFL's highest-paid end at the time -- Kearse had 7½ sacks each season.
Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. To check out Len's chat
Damage to Kearse's knee not as bad as first feared
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com
In the wake of reports that the left knee injury suffered by the Philadelphia Eagles' Jevon Kearse on Sept. 17 included tears to three of four ligaments and ancillary involvement termed "severe," the star defensive end underwent surgery Thursday that revealed the damage was not nearly so catastrophic and that the rehabilitation for the eighth-year veteran will not be as daunting as originally anticipated.
Kearse
In fact, the only repair made by renowned Miami-based orthopedic surgeon Dr. John Uribe during the Thursday procedure was to the lateral meniscus cartilage. In terms of what was reported about the injury in the days after it occurred, the meniscus damage is considered relatively benign.
Kearse did suffer a fracture to his left tibia, but that injury required only casting, not surgery.
Uribe did not have to address the ligaments, the kneecap or quadriceps at all during the procedure.
"So we're probably talking, according to Dr. Uribe, about a 12-week rehabilitation period," agent Drew Rosenhaus told ESPN.com on Thursday night. "That still means Jevon would not have been able to play again, under the best circumstances, until the very end of the season. So I can't fault the Eagles for putting him on injured reserve and ending his season. But certainly, for everyone concerned, this is great news. It means he should be back on the field next spring for all of the offseason conditioning."
Kearse was injured late in the second game of the season, an overtime loss to the New York Giants, and Eagles officials feared catastrophic damage to the knee.
Broadcast and published reports indicated that Kearse had suffered a complete tear of the medial collateral ligament, partial tears of the lateral collateral and posterior cruciate ligaments, a dislocated kneecap, a torn knee capsule, a strained quadriceps tendon and a strained hamstring.
In light of those reports, there were intimations that, because of the severity of the injury, an extended recovery period, and Kearse's scheduled base salary of $5.2 million for 2007 and lofty salary cap charge, Philadelphia might release him. That likely won't be the case, however, given Thursday's results.
In his two appearances this season, Kearse had notched 3 ½ sacks and appeared well on his way to his first double-digit sack campaign since 2001, when he was with the Tennessee Titans. After the Eagles recorded only 29 sacks in 2005, defensive coordinator Jim Johnson vowed to re-energize the team's pass rush, and the utilization of Kearse in a variety of roles was part of that plan.
With Kearse sidelined, right end Darren Howard has moved to the left side and second-year veteran Trent Cole joined the lineup at right end. Philadelphia is tied for the league lead in sacks, with 16.
Kearse, 30, was the Titans' first-round choice in the 1999 draft, was named defensive rookie of the year that season, and registered 36 sacks his first three years before injuries curtailed his production. In his first two years in Philadelphia -- which signed him as an unrestricted free agent in 2004, awarding him a contract that made him the NFL's highest-paid end at the time -- Kearse had 7½ sacks each season.
Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. To check out Len's chat
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