Today In Scary Sports Injuries: Didier Drogba Is Knocked Unconscious For 30 Minutes

Well here is a frightening sports moment. In the 64th minute of Chelsea's match with Norwich City today, Chelsea forward Didier Drogba took a frightening knock on the head courtesy of Ruddy, the Norwich goalkeeper. The result was Drogba being unconscious for 30 minutes.


Given that punch and that fall, that the initial diagnosis of Drogba ended is only a mild concussion is good news to say the least. Chelsea would go on to win the match 3-1 and remain unbeaten in thus far this season in the English Premier League.

Eagles Week 9 Recap: Eagles Win Game, Refs Win Money

• The Vegas point spread in the game was Eagles favored by 3.  The Eagles won by 2.  Carl Cheffers has to be absolutely giddy about that, for 2 of his ticky-tack calls wiped out 2 Colt turnovers in drives that would ultimately end with an Indianapolis touchdown.
• Michael Vick certainly adds a dynamic to the Eagles that Kevin Kolb does not.  I like Kolb, but at this point, Michael Vick is the man for the Eagles.  Andy Reid is going with a merit system, and based on that, he is right with going with Vick.  He is in win-now mode, and with the NFC as bad as it is, I can't say that I blame him.  Before, I did.  But this putrid NFC changes everything.  It also helps that Kolb did get to play in a few games after all because of Vick's injury.
• The question of the future now.  You can't keep both QBs next season, so do you work out a new contract with Vick and trade Kolb, or let Vick walk and keep Kolb?  At this point, I would say extend Vick and trade Kolb, but, that is something that could change multiple times as the season nears a conclusion.  
• Coming into this game, the Eagles were 11-0 in the game after the bye week under Andy Reid, while Peyton Manning was 3-0 all time against the Eagles, in games that were not even close.  The more impressive streak held up.  Eagles are now 12-0 after the bye week, the longest such streak in NFL history.
• Before this game, Peyton Manning had been sacked 7 times all season.  The Eagles got him twice tonight.
• Before this game, Peyton Manning threw 2 INTs all season.  The Eagles, more specifically, Asante Samuel, intercepted him twice tonight.
• The Eagles 1st 4 red zone possessions resulted in 1 TD and 3 FGs.  For all the talk about the refs that you will see below, if they lost that game, that would have been the reason.  When facing Peyton Manning, touchdowns are imperative in red zone situations.  The Eagles were seemingly the better team all night long, and it should not have been as close as it was.  After all, the Colts had over 40 seconds at the end of the game to drive into field goal range and kick a game-winning field goal.  Luckily, Manning overthrows and an Asante Samuel interception prevented that.
• Ellis Hobbs was injured this week and did not play.  2 weeks ago, he was the guy who got beat  time and time again by Kenny Britt.  In his plate this week was Dimitri Patterson who had a fantastic game against a fantastic opposition.  Patterson was not beaten for the big play at all, something Ellis Hobbs has not been able to boast.  If Andy Reid makes Patterson a regular starting CB alongside Asante Samuel, I would be quite happy.  From what I've seen, Dimitri Patterson is a better cornerback than Ellis Hobbs.  Sure Patterson allowed lots of underneath completions, but in comparison to the deep completions given up by Ellis Hobbs on an alarmingly consistent basis, I'll take it.
• There were positives and negatives for Sean McDermott tonight.  The positives:  He beat Peyton Manning, something that Jim Johnson never did.  Also, his defense held Manning and the Colts offense to 7 points in the 2nd half, very impressive.  The negatives:  After the Collie hit, Sean McDermott kept calling plays and blitzes that were not working, allowing the Colts 10 easy points in the final 2:23 of the first half. 
• DeSean Jackson played his first game in 3 weeks after suffering a severe concussion.  If he missed a step, it sure as hell did not look it.
• Michael Vick played his first game since the start of the Redskins game 5 weeks ago.  If he missed a step, it sure as hell did not look it.
  
• I will use the next 3 bullets to address 3 things of importance that need to be said.  First of all, what happened to Austin Collie was an extremely scary incident.  Thankfully, reports indicate that Austin Collie is all right.  You never want to hear that a player has a concussion, but in this case, that is sort of good news, as the worst was definitely feared, especially seeing what happened to that Rutgers player a few weeks ago.  However, that hit on Collie was called a penalty, and a penalty it was not.  Before you get up and arms about this, learn the NFL rules.  Because if you think I'm wrong, then you don't know the NFL rules.  Once a player catches and establishes possession of the ball, as Austin Collie clearly did, the receiver can no longer be declared "defenseless."  Here is a description of the play, per Matt Mosley "Eagles safety Quintin Mikell unloaded on Collie after he appeared to make a catch with 2:23 left in the first half. Mikell led with his shoulder and it appeared to be a clean hit as he made contact with Collie, who then pin-balled into Eagles rookie safety Kurt Coleman. After watching several replays, I'm not sure how Coleman could have avoided the helmet-to-helmet contact, which appeared to cause Collie's injury."  Here's the video.  The catch was made and Collie established possession.  The receiver was not defenseless.  Therefore, there is no hit on the defenseless receiver, even though they called the penalty on Mikell, and not Coleman, the guy who administered the concussion-causing blow.  In situations like that, the helmet-to-helmet is not a penalty.  Unfortunate things can happen on perfectly clean plays. This is one of those situations.  Like it or not, Mikell's hit and Coleman's hit were clean football plays.  What has been stated above are not opinions.  They are facts.
• This is the explanation Carl Cheffers gave of his call. "Well, if he is completing the catch, his second foot is not down yet or it's just down, we still give the defenseless receiver protection. So if it is a bang-bang type play, with his second foot coming down, he still gets protection on that play. The fact of the matter is, is that ball was incomplete. So, he has protection throughout that entire process on that play because we don't even have a completion -- at no time did he have possession and become a runner to where he would have transitioned out of being a defenseless receiver."  If the mumbling and the jibbersih seem familiar, well, it should.
• Now whether or not it should or should not be a suspension has no bearing on whether it will be suspended.  Knowing Goddell, it will be suspended.  Les Bowen said it best, "This is Mr. Goodell's NFL: Guy is hurt, so it must be a penalty."  Given all that has happening, Goodell will damn the rules of football straight to hell and fine and/or suspend Quintin Mikell and/or Kurt Coleman for no valid reason.  And that's a shame.
• And lastly, a big hullaballo is being made of Eagles fans booing while Collie was motionless.  Let's set one thing straight.  They were booing the OFFICIAL.  They were not booing Austin Collie.  They were booing one of the WORST CALLS OF THE SEASON.  They were not booing a motionless man.  They were booing an INCOMPETENT OFFICIATING JOB.  They were not booing a guy who needed to be stretchered off the field.  They were booing the fact THE REFEREE COST THE EAGLES A FUMBLE RECOVERY.  They were CHEERING when Austin Collie was being wheeled off the field.  Wait, what?  That doesn't follow the script!  I challenge you to find another crowd in the NFL that would not have reacted in the same way.  Donovan McNabb got a standing ovation 5 weeks ago when he returned to Philly for the first time.  Why is that being forgotten about now?
• And lastly, the win probability chart. (advancednflstats.com)

Roy Halladay: Warrior

Roy Halladay, everyone. If the Phillies go on to win this NLCS, Halladay's performance tonight will become legendary. The series is now going back to Philadelphia with Roy Oswalt on the mound for the Phillies in Game 6. The Giants will counter with Jonathan Sanchez. In order to win the 2010 NLCS, all the Phillies need to do now is win 2 consecutive home games. It's not over yet, folks. And until it is, do not count the Fightin Phils out.

Tonight In Bad Sports Injuries: Carlos Santana's Knee Is No Longer Smooth

Click Here To Watch The Video Of The Carlos Santana Because I Can't Embed A YouTube Video Because The People At MLB Take Down Any MLB Related YouTube Videos 5 Minutes After They Get Put Up Because They Let This Thing Called "Copyright Laws" Take Precedence Over This Thing Called "Free Publicity."

Just as an aside, I went to an Indians-Phillies game earlier this year with Carlos Santana as the Indians catcher.  All game long, I kept waiting for CBP to play a Carlos Santana song when Carlos Santana stepped up to the plate.  They never did.  I cried.

In all seriousness, that is one ugly injury.  All the best to Carlos Santana and hopefully the rookie has a speedy recovery, as that is never something you want to see, both from a mental/emotional standpoint and a physical standpoint.

Why Yes, Greg Dobbs And Brian Bocock Will Have No Problem Replacing Chase Utley And Placido Polanco

It's official. The Eagles can now lay claim to having the most competent Front Office in Philadelphia sports. I don't have a huge gripe with with Ruben Amaro for dumping Cliff Lee to Seattle to bring in Roy Halladay. Fine. But he traded him to Seattle for pennies on the dime and the big prize prospect from that deal, Phillippe Aumomnt, is looking like shit in the minors. And today has come his coup de gras. Let's face facts, this Phillies starting line up is pulling a 2009 Mets on us. Now the AAA Mets of 2009 floundered spectacularly, it is unknown how the Phillies are going to do, but when you are calling up the always offensively and defensively inept Greg Dobbs and SHORTSTOP BRIAN BOCOCK on the day the your 2nd baseman (Utley) and 3rd baseman (Polanco) get placed on the DL, you are displaying a huge level of ineptitude that shows everyone this Phillies team is the farthest thing possible from a playoff team.

The best thing anyone can ever say about Greg Dobbs is that 2008 was a half decent year for him. Ever since then, he has been the world's most inept pinch hitter not named Eric Bruntlett. He rarely gets on base and his defense is beyond the worst of the worst, making numerous on the field errors that leaves 10-year olds scratching their heads wondering how on earth a professional baseball player could be so dumb.

As I mentioned above, Brian Bocock is a shortstop being called up to (likely) be at least a part-time replacement for 2nd baseman Chase Utley. Not only is a shortstop, but his levels of ineptitude are just as confounding. When the Phillies signed Bocock back in January to a minor league contract, 49er16 sent me the following email about him that I hope he does not mind if I share part of.

Two years ago when Omar Vizquel was still with the Giants, he was hurt at the beginning of training camp. Without a backup SS, the Giants decided to promote Bocock to the majors once the season started. Bocock at that time, never played higher than Single A. Needless to say, he was completely lost at the plate. Of course since Bruce Bochy is an idiot, Bocock batted leadoff even though he looked scared shitless standing at the plate. After about a month, the Giants finally sent him to the minors and replaced him with Rich Aurilla. Yes he was that bad.

Think that the fact that his terrible stint with the Giants 2 years ago was just that and he is surely a better baseball player now? Think again!

His numbers in 2008 with the Giants: .143/.258/.156
His numbers in 2010 with the AAA Lehigh Valley IronPigs: .179/.239/.231

So not only is a shortstop being called up to replace a 2nd baseman, but a shortstop whose batting average in AAA is below .200! You can forget all about bringing up Cody Ransom, you know, an actual 2nd or 3rd baseman with a batting average of .233 and an OPS of .722, when you can bring in Greg Dobbs and SHORTSTOP BRIAN BOCOCK!!!!!!!!!!!..............basically guaranteeing that this Phillies team will need a miracle and a half if it wants to contend for a 2010 playoff spot.

The Flyers Goalie Carousel Continues: The Return Of Boosh?

Goalies that have dressed for the Philadelphia Flyers this season:
Mike Emery
Brian Boucher
Michael Leighton
Johan Backlund
Jeremy Duchesne
Sebastion Caron
Michael Lee Teslak
Carter Hutton

For the Eastern Conference Finals, the starter was Michael Leighton while Backlund backed him up. This Stanley Cup Finals could see a different back-up goalie for the Philadelphia Flyers. It's the same guy who started the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the Flyers: BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH! From CSN Philly

Goalie Brian Boucher practiced with his team again Friday, and is 99 percent certain he’ll back up Michael Leighton when the Flyers open up the Stanley Cup Final Saturday at the United Center.

“Today was another day,” he said. “Every day, it’s gotten stronger. I feel a lot more confident every time with my situation on the ice. I haven’t had any problems.”

Boucher sprained the MCLs in both of his knees in Game 5 against Boston. He still has a noticeable limp, but said he has felt more comfortable the more he has practiced, and that he would be ready to go for Game 1.

“He looks good,” Danny Briere said. “I think just like everybody else, he’s excited. He’s excited to be back on the ice. Just like Jeff (Carter) and Simon (Gagne) and Ian (Laperriere), he thought his season was over. But as we’re moving along, all these guys have the chance to keep playing now.

“Brian looks like himself. Just like the way he was before. So that’s very encouraging going into the Final. We have both guys, I don’t know their records – who has how many wins other than 12 that we have – but it’s got to be pretty close. We’re comfortable with both of them.”

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

Something that will be interesting to see is how this affects Michael Leighton at all. Whereas Backlund got 40 minutes of NHL ice time during the season (and a little over a minute during this post-season) and was likely there only in case of an injury, Brian Boucher has been a proven commodity for the Flyers in goal this post-season, and maybe be more likely to be called upon if Leighton struggles. What will this do to Leighton, knowing that a plug could very well be pulled if he can't play well? Will he wilt under the pressure and force Boucher to finish up this playoff run that he started, or will Leighton rise to the occasion and thus go from being placed on waivers earlier this year to starting goalie in the Stanley Cup Finals who keeps his team in the game?

Only one thing is for sure: Tomorrow's Game 1 can't come soon enough! LET'S GO FLYERS! (CLAP-CLAP CLAP-CLAP-CLAP)

NHL.com Shows No Sympathy for Sami Salo

(Hat tip to Wyshynski on Twitter)

Coming up later today: JFein conducts an exclusive interview with Sami Salo's Testicle.

Men Everywhere Weep For Sami Salo

Remember back in 2008 when Patrick Thoreson blocked a shot with his balls in the playoffs? Good news for him! He is no longer the only one to have ever done so! Watch here as a puck (purportedly) ruptures Sami Salo's testicle right before your very eyes!



The good news for Salo is that Thoreson's testicle was initially feared as ruptured only to have to been not ruptured after all and still in tact with the rest of Patrick to this day. The bad news is for Sami Salo, it is looking like he will not be that lucky. However, for getting in front of that hard slapshot, I've gotta admit, I really admire his balls.

For all the latest updates on the life of Sami Salo's nether regions, you can now follow @salostesticle on Twitter! Or what's left of them anyway.

Update: Per Vancouver Provence writer Jason Botchford, the testicle is NOT ruptured. The human being in me is glad to see that Salo's ball is all right and will thus likely not need to be removed. The cold-blooded comedian in me wishes this were not true. Ruptured testicle jokes are just way too fun. Oh well, he still took a puck to the balls. I can still make jokes about that, right? Even if the testicle is not ruptured?

Ryan Madson Fought A Chair....And The Chair Sent Madson To The DL

This is something straight out of the page of bizarro world and/or the 2009 New York Mets. Or a combination of the two. After blowing a save in the 10th inning of that crazy game against the Giants, Ryan Madson was a very angry person. He wanted to destroy some shit. His method: kicking a folding chair. But what young Ryan did not realize was that folding chairs do not like getting kicked. When you kick them, they tend to make you instantly regret it. Ryan Madson will now attest to that statement for his misplaced anger at innocent metal folding chairs has resulted in him being placed on the 15-day Disabled List with a broken toe. From CSN Philly.

Angry after blowing a save for the second time this season in Wednesday’s game against the Giants, the reliever exited the dugout, slipped and then drop kicked a chair. Admittedly it’s not the smartest act of Madson’s career.

“I let down my teammates. I let down the fans that want us all to be out there playing hard for them. I feel terrible about that,” Madson said, before gimping around the clubhouse in a calf-high protective boot. “I've done it before. Not kick stuff, but I've gotten upset before and never broken a bone. It's just one of those things. I learned from it. I won't do it again. I realize how much I'm letting my teammates down.”

Still, if one act can describe the way things have gone for Madson this season, it’s the TKO with the metal chair in San Francisco. In nine appearances this season, Madson is 1-0 (the win came in the game for which he kicked the chair) with four saves in six chances. His ERA is a robust 7.00 while opponents have batted .333 against him.

If there is a silver lining in this it’s that the timing was not awful. Madson was placed on the disabled list just as the team’s usual closer Brad Lidge was activated. Instead, the Phillies will have to make some adjustments for the seventh and eighth innings without Madson in his regular role.

“It’s one of those things that happened,” Manuel said. “He told me how he did it and he’s very embarrassed by it. He was very apologetic.”

Oy ve. I can't.......I can't even......oy ve.....thank goodness for the Flyers tomorrow.

You want something that I did not think I would be doing now back in March? Saying oy ve about the Phillies and eagerly anticipating the Flyers. Shouldn't the 2 be reversed?

Injury Bug Bites Again As The Flyers Lose The Heart And Soul Of Their Team

There are certain guys on the ice who do all the little things so well, that they become just as vital, if not more so than the playmakers, snipers, and the strong defensemen. For the Flyers, that player is Ian Laperriere. And now Ian Laperriere is going to be out for at least a month with a brain contusion and a slight concussion. From Flyers beat writer Tim Panaccio.

Forward Ian Laperriere, who suffered a fracture of the right orbital bone blocking a shot in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against New Jersey, has a concussion, and, even more dangerous, a brain contusion.

He is out indefinitely and likely won’t play again this spring.

“I will play with injuries, but not to my brain,” Laperriere told CSNPhilly.com.

Laperriere’s eye injury does not require surgery.

Laperriere was examined by doctors here and in Pittsburgh on Tuesday where Joseph Maroon, the vice-chairman of neurological surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, confirmed he had suffered a brain injury after reviewing a CT scan.

While some Flyers fans will want him to return ASAP, I am of the mindset that he will be better off sitting out the rest of the playoffs for the simple fact that if he is out for at least or even about a month, that puts us late in the conference finals and possibly into the Stanley Cup. If the Flyers make it that far, that likely means that his likely call-up, Andreas Nodl, has done a fine job and the Flyers have done a fine job at rallying around the injuries. Lappy is a fucking warrior and as much as I know he wants to play, it would kill me to see him comeback too soon and suffer a more permanent injury, especially with the brain involved.

For those that have not seen it yet and would like to know what kind of puck to the face it takes to knock out one of the game's good guys and tought as nails warriors, here is the slightly squeamish video.



Having taken a falling golf ball to the eye before, I honestly can't even watch that without seriously wincing in pain. For realz.

I have talked to people who were at that game Game 5 in Newark, and I can confirm those cheers that you heard immediately after the whistle, were cheers of Devils fans, presumably cheering the fact that Laperriere got hurt. Classless. Classless. Classless. Yeah, I know that Philly fans get the rep for cheering an unconscious Michael Irvin (and the same three words that I described those Devils fans can be used to describe those Philly fans: Classless. Classless. Classless.), but how many of you heard about those evil Devil fans cheering an injury to one of the game's toughest, hardest, working, and classiest players? Again, I repeat, perception is not reality. Reality is reality and the reality is there are douche bag and jackass sports fans everywhere, only you just do not hear about them because it is much more funner to single out one city for having a bad reputation than to rail against North American sports fans everywhere, is it not?

Enough of my soapbox and onto an actual piece of goodness on the Flyers injury front. It appears that Simon Gagne, who was originally projected to be out til around the time of Game 6 of a Conference Semifinal series may return as soon as Game 3 of said series. His toe is healing at an extremely fast pace. OMGagne.

Somebod Please Find Me The Nearest Bridge I Can Jump Off Of

Me. Bridge. Death.

Both Simon Gagne and Jeff Carter are getting foot surgery after their injuries last night. Gagne is going to be out 3 weeks. Carter is out indefinitely.

Sure Gagne has had a hard luck series with little production and Carter could not find much of a groove until last night, but their presence and their threat on the team will be missed. Ville Leino showed promise in the few games he saw at the end of the year, but Phantom call up David Laliberte has the fear of the unknown riding at an all time high. He played in a few games at the beginning of the year and did manage 2 goals in 10 games, but he is a scorer who is going to be asked to fill the role of a grinder. They would have been better off calling up Nodl, in my opinion, but there is going to be plenty of time to change their mind if the Flyers can finish off New Jersey. But I am now worried and fear that even if we beat the Devils, that our chances of losing in the next round have increased tenfold.

Me. Bridge. Death.

Brokeback Mountaineers

Kyle Kendrick Will Be Pitching In The Starting Rotation After All

The Phillies have to be playing some sort of bad April Fools Joke or something. Joe Blanton is not Roy Halladay or Cliff Lee. But there is one thing that he is good for and that is 190 innings per year of consistent and above average pitching. Well so much for that. Joe Blanton is starting the year on the DL and will be out for three to six weeks. Do not despair though as this means victory for Team Kendrick! Grandpa Moyer may be in the line up as well, but Kyle Kendrick is in the starting rotation for the start of the season. From Phillies beat writer Todd Zolecki's blog, The Zo Zone.

The Phillies announced this morning that right-hander Joe Blanton has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a mildly strained left oblique muscle.

He is expected to miss anywhere from three to six weeks. The best case scenario is Blanton rejoins the rotation sometime during the Phillies' nine-game road trip April 20-28 through Atlanta, Arizona and San Francisco. In the meantime, Kyle Kendrick joins the rotation. Expect Andrew Carpenter to take Kendrick's place in the bullpen.

Blanton, who has never been on the DL in his career until today, strained the muscle while throwing in the bullpen yesterday. He will not throw again until April 8 at the earliest.

"We'll progress him as tolerated," team physician Michael Ciccotti said.

The biggest issue here is not the fact that Blanton is missing the first 3 to 6 weeks of the season, but rather that an oblique injury is an injur that can be recurring and can hamper a guy throughout the year once he does return to the line up. The season has not even started yet and the injury bug is already starting to bite the Phils pitching staff. In addition to Blanton, both Brad Lidge and J.C. Romero will be starting the season on the DL. Sigh.

Charlie Davies Is Beyond Human

We all remember a few months ago when U.S. Men's National Team striker Charlie Davies was in a car accident and we all assumed that it was a foregone conclusion that with the injuries he suffered in that accident that Davies would be nowhere close to making to to the World Cup. Well looky here. What once was an impossibility is now looking highly probable and he may even return to the pitch for some club action before that! From Goal.com

Suffering serious injuries to his bladder, right tibia and femur, elbow and face, Davies would have to undergo months of rehabilitation. This month though, just over three months since the accident, Davies is jogging again, according to reports from ESPNsoccernet.

"Charlie is pretty much light years ahead of where anybody would tell you he should be," said Jim Hashimoto, the former U.S. national team trainer who is overseeing Davies rehabilitation. "When everybody heard about the accident, including myself, it was like, 'OK, this is going to be a long one' -- and it's still going to be a long one, but to see his progress is pretty amazing."

Davies himself is confident about his return and expects himself to be back playing with Sochaux by the beginning of March at the very latest. To further that, he not only wants to be back playing, but at the top of his game by the World Cup.

"The World Cup is easy for me to be back for," said Davies. "I want to get back to France, and I don't want to just get back -- I want to be good. I don't want to be that guy just to make the [World Cup] team and just sit there. I want to be back and starting and scoring, playing well and doing the things I know I can do.

"People haven't seen the progress I've made, and maybe they don't know the kind of person I am and the motivation and new appreciation for being able to play that I have."

Wow. How amazing is that.

From an emotional standpoint as well as a soccer standpoint, the kind of boost that that cound provide the USMNT is beyond huge. Davies is an exciting player and if he can play at the World Cup at near full strength, the U.S. just became that more dangerous a foe to deal with and the emotional boost they will have if he plays that first game against England will just be ginormous.

E.J. Henderson May Not Be Human

You can never fully trust the word of a doctor commenting on the injury of someone that he has never seen or evaluated, but if what Dr. David Thorson says is true, then we may be seeing E.J. Henderson back by training camp. No, that's not in a wheelchair maybe walking and saying hi to his old teammates back, I'm talking about putting on pads and helmet and actually hitting people back. Via the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

"Assuming everything is as it should be, my guess is he'll be participating in training camp," said David Thorson, a physician who works with the St. Paul Saints, Twin Cities Marathon and the U.S. ski team. "The bone heals fast, and he's a healthy guy."

Thorson said the femur — the longest and strongest bone in the body — should heal in six to eight weeks and that Henderson could resume running in eight to 12 weeks.

Athletes, though, typically need about nine months to fully recover from the fractured femur.

"There's a physical recovery and a psychological recovery," Thorson said. "Sometimes, the psychological takes longer."

Thorson said he has worked with six professional athletes — most of them skiers — who suffered fractured femurs and all of them returned to competition the next season. Thorson noted that skiers put much more stress on the leg than a football player because of the centrifugal force.

"Every athlete I've had was competing at a high level after (successful surgery) and competing at a high level a year later," Thorson said. " "They're not 100 percent back, but they're back doing what they need to do."

Thorson watched the Vikings' 30-17 loss Sunday to the Arizona Cardinals and saw Henderson's injury.


Like many fans and teammates, Thorson was horrified by the unnatural bend of Henderson's left leg.

"I said this isn't good the way the knee went," Thorson said.

But after learning that Henderson had a fractured femur, Thorson said the player should feel fortunate that he didn't suffer a serious knee injury.

"In some respects, this may be better news than other injuries," Thorson said. "(Major knee injuries) can be more difficult to recover from."

Okay, that is disgusting on so many levels. And here I was thinking he would be lucky if he could ever walk right again.

While it is certainly good for the Vikings that Henderson will be back by training camp, him being done for the year certainly puts them in a bit of a bind defensively as Jared Allen cannot be playing 12 positions at once and the Williams can't be on the field for more than half the game. Yes, they really do spend 30 minutes of game time devouring cheeseburgers. That secondary is susceptible to the passing attack if Kurt Warner showed us anything at all on Sunday and the Vikings would be in big time trouble if they have to go against the Saints in the playoffs. Message to Andy Reid: just because a team is susceptible to the pass does not mean you can throw it on literally every play of the game!!! If you try to do that Andrew Walter Reid, Pat Williams will be picking off 30-yard deep balls in no time.

But going back to E.J. Henderson, if you have been living under a rock and have not seen this video yet, I would advise you to see it just so that you can appreciate how amazing it is that this guy can be back by training camp. Then again, if you are at all squeamish to odd contortions of the human leg, I would advise you to not to watch it and just take my word that this would be an incredible recovery.

Keith Ballard Does Something Very Few Have Ever Tried: He Knocks Out His Own Goalie

This video would actually be a lot funnier if Tomas Vokoun was not taken off the ice on a stretcher.



Ouch. While the situation is certainly a funny one, I certainly feel bad for Vokoun and wish a speedy recovery for him. I can only imagine how painful that was. Ballard obviously did not see Vokoun or anyone for that matter right in his stick's line of path, but that's what happens when you don't pay attention to what is around you. Good thing there was not a forward wearing less protection than Vokoun, otherwise that situation could have gotten real ugly real fast.

Westbrook To Play This Sunday At San Diego

One of the big questions coming into the San Diego game was whether or not Brian Westbrook will be able to plahy or not. It looks like the we have an answer and that answer is yes. From ESPN.com

Westbrook, who also has been bothered by a sore ankle, practiced twice this week. He deemed himself ready to go Friday before the team left for its flight to California.

"I'm feeling a lot better," Westbrook said. "I'm ready to go."

Westbrook, already limited much of this season with knee and ankle injuries, suffered the concussion when he took a knee to the head in the Eagles' Oct. 26 win over the Washington Redskins.

Westbrook sat out one game and practiced last week before Philadelphia's game against Dallas, but ended up sitting out because of a headache. Reid said there should not be a similar problem this week.

In the five games Westbrook has played this season, he has split time in the backfield with rookie running back LeSean McCoy, the team's second-round draft pick from Pitt. For the season, Westbrook has carried the ball 41 times for 197 yards, an average of 4.8 yards per carry, and has scored one touchdown. His longest run was 25 yards against Oakland. He has also caught 17 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown.

Asked what Westbrook was listed for Sunday's game, Eagles coach Andy Reid said, "Playing."

While he is officially listed as probable, by the looks of things there is no way he's not playing.

Despite that, though, I have mixed feelings about Westbrook. For one, I think he is the most overrated player on the Eagles. ESPN, Fox, and CBS like to talk about how critical he is to this team, and frankly, now that Shady McCoy is here, I don't see it. He is explosive on the screen pass (although if executed right, very many a running back can be explosive on the screen) and he is a really good blocker, which frankly, is the only skill that Westbrook has that Shady does not have. It also helps Shady's cause that I see him being an effective 30-carry a game back whereas with Westbrook, if he gets 15 carries in the game, chances are he'll go down with an injury his 16th. Now if Andy Reid really wants to get creative with the run game, what he can do is a New York Giants circa 2008 with an Earth, Wind, and Fire combination with Weaver, Westbrook, and Shady, but a 3-headed monster requires that Andy Reid stick with at minimum a balanced attack and we all know Reid's history with that. Shady would get most of the workload, Westbrook can get 5 carries to the outside and a bunch of screen passes, and Church Van Weaver can get the yards up the middle on 2nd and short and 3rd and short. This is the first time in his entire tenure at the Eagles that Andy Reid had a competent running full back who can get the yards up the middle, and from the way he has given him the ball in the past few games, that is something that Reid likes a lot.

If This Day Was Any Worse For The Eagles, An IR Placement, Steroids, And Drew Rosenhaus Would Have A New Eagle Client. Oh, Wait....

It may be Veterans Day today, but that does not mean not necessarily make it a good day if you are the Eagles. For the Eagles, this has been the day from hell and then some. As if it was not bad enough that CB/kick returner Ellis Hobbs had to put on IR, solid back up Joselio Hanson is a 'roid user, and if that was not bad enough, a certain favorite Eagle of mine has decided to ditch his old agent and hire Drew Rosenhaus. Say it ain't so, DeSean! Via All Things Philly Sports

First, let's deal with the injuries. Cornerback and primary kick returner Ellis Hobbs was placed on IR today with a spine injury, a move that ends his season. Hobbs had been an effective kick returner as well as a contributor in nickel and dime packages on defense, so this is definitely a blow to the Eagles. To replace Hobbs, the Eagles signed free agent CB Ramzee Robinson, who had played in 19 games in two seasons with the Lions in his career.

Later, more news came out about another pair of Eagles who are injured. RB Brian Westbrook and LB Akeem Jordan both sat out of practice as they each dealt with injuries. Westbrook is being held out due to his ankle injury but the Eagles still think he will be able to play against the Chargers on Sunday. Jordan, on the other hand, appears very likely to miss this weeks game, a move that further weakens a questionable linebacker group.

The Eagles also learned today that they will be without nickel corner Joselio Hanson for a month due to an unspecified reason. The early speculation is that Hanson did something to violate the NFL substance-abuse policy, a move that would force him out of 4 games. To replace Hanson, the Eagles called up CB Jack Ikegwuonu from their practice squad.

Finally, and possibly the worst news of all, Eagles WR DeSean Jackson has ditched his current agent and signed on with Drew Rosenhaus. Yep, that's the same Drew Rosenhaus who helped drive T.O. out of town a few years back. A move like this means that Jackson is going to want a payday sooner rather than later, and we all know how the Eagles feel about renegotiating contracts. This could get ugly.

In defense of Rosenhaus, sort of, he currently represents CB Jack Ikegwuonu and Shady, and they have not caused any problems so it may not be all bad, but if D-Jack does ask for a raise, the Eagles better be willing to give it to him. As I alluded to, D-Jack is my favorite Eagle and he is a very rare talent that Andy Reid unbelieveably picked up in the second round. It would be a shame to see a fallout this offseason over money when DeSean may be a huge piece to the puzzle that is keeping this Eagles organization on top for many years down the road.

McNabb Claims He'll Be Starting On Sunday

I've said many times that McNabb would mostly comeback Week 5 against Tampa Bay, and that apparently will be the case. McNabb and Reid have both echoed the sentiments that McNabb will play this Sunday against Tampa Bay. Via Yahoo! Sports

Donovan McNabb(notes) is ready to pull on the No. 5 gameday jersey, take the snap, drop back and throw the ball downfield.

McNabb plans to start when Philadelphia plays Tampa Bay on Sunday, his first action since breaking his rib in the season opener. McNabb still feels some discomfort and needs a protective jacket to absorb punishing hits.

“You’re talking about one of the all-time greats playing quarterback,” coach Andy Reid said Wednesday. “Somebody who has been here a long time and when it’s all said and done will be one of the all-time greatest to play that position. It’s always good to get that kind of a player back in there.”

This time, McNabb will have Michael Vick(notes) to help out.

McNabb hasn’t played since he took a hard shot in the end zone after a rushing touchdown Sept. 13 in a win over the Carolina Panthers. He missed two games before the Eagles (2-1) had their bye this past weekend.

“The bye week came at the right time and gave me an opportunity to get back out there this week,” McNabb said.

McNabb practiced on Wednesday and should have his familiar, and banged-up, running back behind him. Reid said Brian Westbrook(notes) also should be able to play on Sunday. Westbrook, who practiced Wednesday, sat out the Eagles’ last game with a knee injury.

McNabb still feels some discomfort when he laughs, coughs or sleeps on his side. Extended periods of sitting and standing are also uncomfortable for the five-time Pro Bowl quarterback, who doesn’t expect to be fully recovered for another two to four weeks.

While McNabb playing injured certainly worries me, I am grateful that our next 3 games are against Tampa, Oakland, and Washington. That's 3 easy games that should turn into 3 easy wins. All they have to do is make sure that the ball gets into the arms of Jackson, Westbrook, and McCoy, hope the defense does it's job, and the rest should be history.

Eagles Still Not Ruling Out McNabb For Sunday's Game

Oh man. You know how I said last Sunday that we would know more about McNabb's status for New Orleans on Monday, well, it is now late Thursday night and either Andy Reid is channeling his inner Mangini and just hiding his cards to keep the Saints off-balance for Kolb, or there really is a chance that Donovan McNabb could play in this Sunday's home-opener against the Saints. Via The Associated Press.

The Eagles aren't giving up hope of having Donovan McNabb on the field when they play their home opener Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.

McNabb made a brief appearance on the practice field Thursday afternoon but did not take part in any drills, after fracturing his rib on a touchdown run late in Philadelphia's 38-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers last weekend.

"Donovan is working very hard," offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said. "You know Donovan, he's doing everything in his power to get back out there, make it to this game. He's played with a broken ankle, a broken sternum and all these things. Donovan is a very tough man."

Given the way that Kolb has played in his brief appearances this year and last year, if this is just a smoke screen, you really can't blame Reid. After all, Kolb has struggled and if he can keep the Saints guessing and off balance, then advantage Eagles. If McNabb does play, it certainly is not the lack of practice time that I worry about. As far as him playing goes, I'm more concerned about how effective he'll be throwing the ball given the fact that he will be throwing with a broken rib, something that while he can play with (Westbrook played a lot of the season with 2 broken ribs last year), is very painful to do and certainly throwing the ball and taking body shots like McNabb has a tendency of doing will not do much to alleviate his pain.