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  • Leonard Weaver intends to continue career

    Per Leonard Weaver on Twitter via RotoWorld...

    Eagles FB Leonard Weaver (ACL, PCL surgery) confirmed on Twitter Wednesday that he intends to continue his football career.

    Weaver also suffered nerve damage when he blew out his left knee in the season opener. Something to keep in mind for those who still buy NFL teams' injury updates: The Eagles initially called it a "sprain." Weaver is under contract for $2.5 million in 2011. He'll have to show progress to be retained.

  • #2
    Bradley,Graham and Owens were all sprains initially.
    We're looking for people that are fundamentally different,” vice president of player personnel Andy Weidl said Saturday night. “The love and passion for football, it's non-negotiable. They're caring, their character, they do the right thing persistently, and they have a relentless playing style that you can see on tape. The motor, it burns hot. You see them finishing plays. They have a team-first mentality. They're selfless individuals.

    Comment


    • #3
      That was a nasty injury. Wow.

      http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/...om_injury.html

      Eagles fullback Leonard Weaver intends to be back on the field next season, his agent, Harold C. Lewis, said Tuesday, but he faces a long road back from his devastating knee injury.

      "He has no intent of calling it a day," Lewis said. "If you know Leonard Weaver you can be sure he will back."

      [IMG]http://media.philly.com/images/300*537/20110126_inq_eside26-a.JPG[/IMG]



      He added, "He is doing tremendous, and I have no doubt that he'll be back on the field."

      But while Lewis and Weaver have both painted an optimistic picture of the fullback's recovery - it would be surprising if they didn't - both have acknowledged that it was a severe injury and have declined to say specifically when Weaver could realistically play again. A separate source with knowledge of the injury said the fullback faced "an uphill battle" to return to the field.

      Even if Weaver can get ready to play, he would face a challenge from fullback Owen Schmitt, who had a decent season in Weaver's place and has a far less expensive contract. Weaver would have to be not just ready to run but recovered enough to win a competition for a job.
      Weaver, having signed the richest fullback contract in NFL history last year, is owed nearly $2 million more in base salary in 2011 than Schmitt.
      If training camp is canceled by a lockout, Weaver would have more time to recover, but the Eagles would have less time to gauge his readiness to play.

      Weaver, a leader on the team and hailed for his local charitable work, still has months of rehabilitation before the season begins. But Lewis did not soft-pedal the extent of the damage.

      "It was a horrible injury, actually," Lewis said. "This wasn't just a typical ACL or an MCL. This was pretty much major." Still, he was bullish on Weaver's return.

      "He's working his butt off," Lewis said.

      Weaver tore his anterior cruciate ligament and posterior lateral corner in his left knee on Sept. 12. He also suffered nerve damage on the gruesome hit. He had surgery in September to repair the knee and then a follow-up to clean out scar tissue in November. He had tendon surgery on his left foot last week.

      Weaver knew the foot surgery would be needed when the injury was first diagnosed, Lewis said. Renowned orthopedist James Andrews performed all three surgeries and has been pleased with Weaver's progress, according to the agent.

      Weaver, ever-cheerful, has used Twitter to give out regular, hopeful updates on his two-a-day rehabilitation sessions.

      "Man it's sometime crazy for me to think that I'm here in this position, but [I'm] reminded that God is still the healer," he wrote Tuesday.

      In another recent post, he wrote, "on my way to therapy this morning to get back what was taken from me."

      His Twitter account even includes updates on the food he eats before and after his rehab work: a bagel yesterday morning, Subway in the afternoon.
      A recent report from CSNPhilly.com quoted a source saying Weaver has a "remote" chance of playing again. Lewis said Weaver was upset by the story.

      "Don't believe it unless you hear it from me!" Weaver wrote on Twitter.
      Weaver spoke to reporters Jan. 5 and said then that his rehabilitation was "going great, walking great, feeling great, on schedule."

      But, asked if he could be ready for training camp, he said. "I really hope so, but if not, we'll definitely be prepared at some point in the season." He notably didn't say when.

      Comment


      • #4
        God bless him, but.......well, good luck, LW.
        http://shop.cafepress.com/content/global/img/spacer.gifOK, let's try this again...

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        • #5
          Love to see him return to form but my money says Owen will be filling the spot next year. And, even though he was no Weaver, he actually didn't do bad this year
          Wait until next year is a terrible philosophy
          Hope is not a strategy
          RIP

          Comment


          • #6
            More on Weaver's attempt to return...

            http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/...to_Eagles.html

            A YEAR AGO yesterday, Leonard Weaver was rejoicing after getting to play in the Pro Bowl for the first time. They held the Pro Bowl again yesterday, in Hawaii, but Weaver was in Birmingham, Ala., rejoicing over his three sons joining him for a visit, as Weaver continues his rehab under the auspices of Dr. James Andrews.

            This has been a tough season for the big fullback who might have been the Eagles' top veteran addition of 2009, on and off the field.

            [IMG]http://media.philly.com/images/300*376/20110131_dn_z1eagl31s.JPG[/IMG]






            "The question has lingered in my mind - why now?" Weaver, 28, said recently, between rehab sessions for his seriously injured left knee. "I'd just gotten the new [3-year, $11 million] contract. There are things in life that are meant to be messages."

            When Weaver looks at the replay of the sequence from the Eagles' season opener last Sept. 12, when his left leg bent backward and his career changed, what bothers him isn't so much the grotesque bowing of his leg - the element that has made the clip an Internet sensation - but knowing that he cut back, away from the original design of the play, running straight into Packers linebacker Nick Barnett.

            "If I hadn't cut back, I would have hit my head on the goal post," Weaver said. "There was nobody there . . . I remember the pain. I remember the moment. But I'm not squeamish. I looked at it the day after it happened, several times, to get back over that fear."

            One irony is that Weaver's tackler, Barnett, played only 3 more weeks before suffering a season-ending wrist injury. Barnett was in the news this weekend, clashing with quarterback Aaron Rodgers over Rodgers' comments about injured players choosing not to rehab in Green Bay, then wanting to be in the team photo, for the NFC's Super Bowl representative.
            Like Barnett, Weaver has been feeling a little left out lately. A couple of reports about his injury have stressed the improbability of Weaver being able to come back to play again, let alone at a Pro Bowl level. In numerous tweets and in two interviews for this story, Weaver questioned why the long odds he faces would be the focus, instead of his determination to beat them.

            Yes, this is uncharted territory, Weaver acknowledged. There is no record of an NFL player coming back from a torn ACL, a torn posterior lateral corner, and nerve damage. Recently, Weaver underwent his third surgery since suffering the injury, this to his left foot, a tendon-transfer procedure aimed at allowing him to once again raise the foot.

            "Football is uncharted territory," Weaver said.

            Weaver, who said the tendon transfer was a success, said there are instances of high-school-aged players returning from such injuries, aided by their youth. He feels he is young enough that "I'm still in that range; chances are pretty high."

            Attempts to speak with Andrews, who has performed Weaver's surgeries, were unsuccessful. Andrews' office cited patient confidentiality standards and the wishes of the Eagles in denying an interview.

            "I will be back," Weaver said. "There's a first for everything."

            He especially took offense at an implication that Owen Schmitt, Weaver's injury replacement, played so well this season that the Eagles don't really need Weaver.

            "When you go to training camp, you have to compete," said Weaver, who provided the 2009 Birds with a much better inside running option (70 carries, 323 yards) than Schmitt (no rushing attempts) did this past season. "I love Owen, but they're anointing him as the starter . . . If I don't come back well, then he will be the starter."

            People speculating that he won't be back or he can't unseat Schmitt are trying to "shove a knife in my back," Weaver said. "I think that's a little crazy."

            He finds those reports much more offensive than the fact that if you Google "Leonard Weaver injury," you get nearly 45,000 results, many of them with video, people oohing and aahing over the carnage.
            "That doesn't bother me," Weaver said.

            Weaver won't countenance that he might not make it back, but he does concede he has been given no time frame by his doctors, Andrews and Eagles orthopedist Dr. Peter DeLuca. "They don't want me being down," he said.

            Weaver is pointing toward this year's training camp, but he also notes that the current labor unrest could work in his favor, perhaps postponing camp a month or 2, giving him more time. Right now, Weaver said, he rehabs twice a day, and has been able to get his knee to bend 130 degrees. He needs 160.

            Weaver figures to spend a lot more time in Birmingham, particularly if the labor situation results in players being locked out of team training facilities.

            "My first priority right now is to get healthy," Weaver said. "This is something I'll be able to look back on and say I'm proud I overcame it. I want to be an example to the kids."

            Comment


            • #7
              Love his enthusiasm but I agree with FRESH...good luck Weaver. He is a guy who is extremely easy to root for.
              FRESH > cancer

              I hate everything the Cowboys stand for. If you think they are America's team, then you support everything that is wrong with America. The excess, the greed, the lack of maturity, the lack of responsibility, the lack of control. - Luzinski's Gut

              Comment


              • #8
                Wow, this always sounded bad, but this sounds even worse: A tendon transfer in his foot?

                http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/nflbu...r_2011/4394511

                When Philadelphia Eagles FB Leonard Weaver signed a three-year, $11.2 million deal which included $6.5 million guaranteed, he became the highest paid player at his position at an average per year of $3.67 million.

                Weaver, who is known as one of the classiest players in the league, suffered a horrific left knee injury during the first regular season game last season. Subsequent major left knee surgery and later, left foot surgery, has left his career in serious doubt.

                CSNPhilly.com reported earlier this year that Weaver had a rare surgery called tendon transfer for his injured left foot. In this type of surgery, doctors remove a tendon from an unimportant area and surgically attach it to muscles at the top of the foot, which when successful gives the patient the strength and ability needed to lift his foot.

                While Weaver continues to rehab his injuries in the hope of playing next season, the good thing is his $2.5 million base salary is guaranteed for skill and injury, a source confirmed. This means if the Eagles decided to cut him, they would still owe him $1 million for 2011.

                Weaver, who is signed through 2012, also carries a base salary of $2.5 million for the final year of his deal. The contract carries a roster bonus of $500,000 due on the first day of the new league year for the final season.

                FB Owen Schmitt, who filled in for Weaver last season, is signed through 2011 at a base salary of $555,000.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Per RotoWorld...

                  In addition to multiple knee surgeries, Eagles FB Leonard Weaver has also undergone a rare tendon transfer surgery on his injured left foot.


                  Fox Sports' Adam Caplan believes Weaver is the first NFL player to test the procedure, which seems similar in nature to Tommy John surgery. Weaver's $2.5 million salary is guaranteed for skill and injury, so the Eagles owe him $1 million even if he's cut. The odds are stacked against Weaver playing in 2011, if ever again.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    http://www.csnphilly.com/05/02/11/Ea...098&feedID=692

                    Eagles' Weaver tweets he's a 'long shot' for 2011

                    By Reuben Frank
                    CSNPhilly.com

                    Eagles Pro Bowl fullback Leonard Weaver said his return for the 2011 season is a “long shot” but said his surgically repaired left knee has healed and he’s “optimistic about the whole situation.”

                    Weaver, who suffered a devastating knee injury in the Eagles’ opening-day loss to the Packers in September, addressed his situation in a series of posts on Twitter Monday and also addressed the Eagles decision to draft a fullback in the seventh round on Saturday.

                    “As far as me coming back next season? It seem(s) like a long shot even thou(gh) I'm optimistic about the whole situation,” Weaver tweeted, adding, “And just a quick update for everyone.....the rehab is going great, kevin wilk and his staff are doing their job the right way.”

                    Wilk is the Birmingham-based clinical physical therapist who is overseeing Weaver’s rehab. Wilk is associate clinical director for Champion Sports Medicine in Birmingham, where noted knee specialist James Andrews has performed three operations on Weaver in the past eight months.

                    The most serious of the procedures was a tendon transfer surgery in January, in which Andrews removed a tendon from the back of his foot and surgically re-attached it to the top of his foot to try to give Weaver the ability to lift his foot.

                    Nerve damage Weaver suffered on the play – his only rushing attempt of the season – has hindered his ability to lift his foot.

                    Weaver tweeted that his knee injury – a torn anterior cruciate ligament and torn posterior lateral corner – has healed.

                    “I'm up walking and moving faster than before,” Weaver tweeted. “My knee is healed and were (sic) are waiting on the foot!!!!”

                    With Weaver’s career in jeopardy, the Eagles drafted USC fullback Stanley Havili in the seventh round on Saturday.

                    Weaver said he’s looking forward to working with Havili once the lockout is over and teams are allowed to get back to work.

                    “I can’t wait to be able to work with him and watch him grow as a man and player,” Weaver tweeted. “I look forward in sharing my knowledge of the game and tips to help the young man become the best. Its my job to prepare him. ...

                    “I’m happy about who the eagles have drafted because these young men are going to bring us great success.”

                    He added, “The eagles drafting a fullback and who they drafted doesn't scare me or makes me fear anything. Its the nature of the business.”

                    And he concluded with this: “However, I want you fans and family to know this I will return.”

                    Later Monday evening, Weaver was back on Twitter with more:

                    "Man it has been a roller coaster of feelings and emotion towards my injury. You try to be positive and easy going, but you know what... Inspite (sic) of all that has been said about me and my injury, I'm stating to all who will listen and see ... I will play again, I will never give up or give in. ... I will not stop until I help bring a Super Bowl back to Philadelphia. ... That's what I came here for, and that's what I intend to do."

                    In 2009, his only full season with the Eagles, Weaver averaged 4.6 yards on 70 carries and caught 15 passes for 140 yards and earned his first Pro Bowl selection. His former teammate, Owen Schmitt, started at fullback for the Eagles last year and was a Pro Bowl alternate.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      He's toast. Hello Havili
                      Last edited by Zepster; 05-03-2011, 11:21 PM.
                      Stand for the flag you assholes!

                      Eagles, Flyers Phillies fan since 1977. GO O'S!!

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                      • #12
                        Sad to report what we all kind of expected. Weaver's contract was terminated when he couldn't pass a physical today, per Les Bowen.

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                        • #13
                          He was a good Eagle. Thanks for the service, Weaver.

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                          • #14
                            I was so happy when they signed Weaver and he was a terrific player for them, I hope he can get himself healthy. All the best, Leonard.
                            Don't kid yourself Jimmy. If a cow ever got the chance, he'd kill you and everyone you cared about!

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Weaver just tweeted that he's sad to say that he was just released. He then tweeted again, "The kicker is that the organization didn't call me and tell me. I had to find out by a reporter." He then tweeted again that he still wishes the best for the Philadelphia Eagles.

                              That kind of blows. As smart as the Eagles are most of the time, they are sometimes pretty cold when it comes to this kind of stuff. At least call the guy first before you tell anyone else. How hard would that be?

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