At first glance -- unless you're a Steelers fan -- Week 1 wasn't a particularly brutal week for injuries in the NFL. Nearly every key skill position player who suffered an injury during the game was able to return to play to the game quickly. Many of them played effectively.
But it's Monday now. The adrenaline has worn off and swelling and and pain and stiffness have taken over. And you can bet that some of these minor injuries are going to limit practice time and lead to more game time decisions in Week 2 than we had yesterday morning.
NOTE: This column is a living document. I'll be updating as needed after team press conferences, imaging reports, Monday Night Football injuries, etc. Major changes to the content will be noted in red. I'll also be retweeting any key pieces of news and my own reaction and analysis, so make sure you're following @JeneBramel and checking my timeline on Twitter throughout the week.
INJURY ROUNDS
Roddy White | high ankle sprain
Before we run the list of injuries from the Sunday games, let's revisit yesterday's pregame reports on White. Don't focus on the confirmation of the high ankle sprain early yesterday morning. There were rumors that was the case and White had not been practicing fully for weeks, so an ankle injury on the more concerning end of the spectrum was always within reason. What we didn't know is how little White had done for three weeks -- Jay Glazer reported that late Sunday morning may have been the first full-speed cutting White had done on the ankle since the injury. And we couldn't know that the team had clearly prepared Harry Douglas to run the routes White would usually run in the middle of the field. Those key pieces of information often get leaked by other teams. They don't in Atlanta. The Falcons don't provide incomplete or misleading information. They give the media nothing. And nothing is harder to interpret than false information, no matter how good the lies are.
Hopefully, you followed our advice yesterday as the story developed and sat White if you had another WR3 or better option.
We now have much better information. We know that White had done very little for three and a half weeks, despite a monster divisional matchup on the road to start the season. We know the Falcons trust Douglas to run White's route tree. We had Mike Freeman and Jay Glazer and Adam Schefter note that White's ankle injury was much worse than White had let on. And now we have White himself saying, "It's hard to cut. It's hard to do just about everything at the position." and that "it will maybe be a few more weeks before I can go out there and be myself."
White may be overstating his injury some. He did get some looks in the red zone yesterday and his ankle did hold up when asked to block outside briefly. But his comments and the already 3+ week recovery period are a clear indication that his high ankle sprain is a Grade 2 injury. Not enough to involve the bone or a tear significant enough to require surgery, but one that will take 4-8 weeks to heal. I don't think we'll see White miss games, but his target count will probably suffer for at least another week or two and it's possible that we won't see him in full form again until after the Falcons' Week 6 bye. Given how the Falcons operate, we may not know White is ready to resume his usual role until we actually see it on the field.
120 ET: From Roddy White this afternoon...
As far as fantasy if I don't participate in practice than don't start me it's a red flag
— Roddy White (@roddywhiteTV) September 9, 2013
Had you followed his advice in your W16 championship game on a short week last year when he was DNP/Limited/Limited -- very similar to last week's three "limited" practices -- you'd have missed out on his 8 catch, 153 yard, 2 touchdown effort. Of course, only White knows if his "limited" practices last December were closer to a full practice while his "limited" practices last week were, in truth, really DNPs. It's another indication that we may not know White is ready to play until we see him do so in a game.
DEZ bryant | Ankle
Bryant came back into the game for one play (a two point conversion) after his ankle injury and told reporters "he thinks he'll be fine." Replays showed his leg and ankle twist awkwardly underneath him, but the rotation looked more like a low ankle sprain than a high ankle injury. His offensive linemen obscured the television angle of the on-field medical exam, but the tape over his shoe when he returned was also consistent with a low ankle injury. Unfortunately, as we saw with Percy Harvin last year, a low ankle injury can sometimes require weeks of recovery. Bryant's return to the game doesn't rule out a more severe injury. Additional examinations and imaging studies may be needed today. Bryant may not miss time, but don't be surprised if he doesn't practice much this week. We'll know more between this afternoon and the Wednesday practice.
400 ET: Late afternoon reports are that Bryant's imaging studies are negative and that he has a sprained foot but no specific diagnosis or timetable has been reported. Based on the television replay and reinforced tape job, I think it's less likely to be a Lisfranc or other midfoot injury but that can't be confirmed without a more specific diagnosis. Without more information, it's impossible to know if it's a low grade outer foot sprain (0-1 week) similar to the preseason Jamaal Charles injury or something that could keep Bryant out multiple weeks. I'll update when we get further reports.
Shane Vereen | wrist injury
330 ET: Per Jay Glazer, Vereen suffered a fracture of a small bone in his wrist early in yesterday's game, continued to play through it, then experienced numbness after the game. Ian Rapoport later reported that the injury is a dislocated bone in the wrist. Both report that Vereen will have surgery and miss a few weeks. The extent of the injury will be key here. If it's a minor fracture without damage to associated structures, Vereen could be back in 4-6 weeks. If cleared to play in a cast, he could hit the more optimistic end of the timetable. If there's a dislocation that requires fixation by pin/screw, Vereen's absence could extend to 6-10 weeks. The surgeons I've spoken with today haven't been able to narrow the injury down based on the media reports. Hopefully, we'll know more after Vereen's surgery.
430 ET: Local sources are also reporting fracture for Vereen and an early timetable of four weeks. A hand surgeon I spoke with felt that Vereen couldn't have played through a dislocation. If true, that's good news, as Vereen's timetable will be shorter with a fracture rather than dislocation.
Danny Amendola | groin
Amendola gutted out a huge second half yesterday after aggravating his groin injury. Unfortunately, aggravated muscle injuries are often worse than the initial injury. Though he finished the game with a combination of adrenaline, taping and guts, he was clearly limited. I'm speculating here, but I doubt Amendola would've returned yesterday if the game hadn't been close. I don't expect him to see any practice time this week and he's going to have a very difficult time getting ready for a Thursday night game. Don't be surprised if he's still considered a game-time decision in Week 3.
reggie bush | dislocated thumb / strained groin
Bush is another player who played through an injury that could prove to be a bigger issue today. Bush dislocated his thumb early in the first quarter reaching for a pass. A dislocated joint always involves some degree of ligament damage and sometimes is associated with broken bones near the joint. That didn't seem to be a major concern yesterday. Bush wasn't taken in for an x-ray immediately and he wouldn't have been allowed to return if he didn't have full function in his thumb immediately after it was relocated on the sideline. But he also didn't talk about an x-ray after the game, which suggests he may not have been tested at halftime either. Were it a pinky, there'd be little concern. A thumb is another story, however, and the book may not be closed on this yet. The groin injury didn't seem to limit Bush on his strikingly impressive third quarter streak down the field for a touchdown, but there could be more to it today as well.
jamaal charles | quad strain
Charles and Andy Reid both said after the game that Charles' quad injury was minor. That's reassuring. And I'd fully buy their story -- the Chiefs had no need for Charles up 21-2 on a Jacksonville team that could not move the ball -- had Charles not come back on the field early in the fourth quarter for one carry only to leave again. Hopefully, that proves to be a smart decision and Charles' injury is more of a cramp than any microtearing in the muscle. His practice participation this week will tell the tale.
Maurkice Pouncey | ACL / MCL tear
Pouncey's injury will likely prove to be the most devastating NFL injury of the weekend, especially since the mechanism -- his own lineman taking him out on a cut block attempt -- was very likely avoidable. The Steelers were worried enough to send him for an off-site MRI during the game and their fears were confirmed. With luck, Pouncey won't have any significant meniscus damage and will fully recover in time for the 2014 season. The injury will have a serious ripple effect on the Pittsburgh offensive line and philosophy. Pouncey was an essential part of the zone blocking changes Pittsburgh had made this offseason and a stabilizing force for a line that was again young and thin. Ben Roethlisberger's injury risk goes up -- he was sacked five times by an inconsistent Titans' defensive front -- and the running game is sure to suffer as well.
Tony Romo | ribs
Romo was sandwiched between three Giants' defenders and took a shot to his rib cage late in the second quarter last night. It appeared that a shot to his right and front chest wall from the crown of Mathias Kiwanuka's helmet did the most damage. Romo's rib cage has taken a beating over the years. Two years ago, a shot to his front/right side cracked ribs and caused a collapsed lung. Late last season, Romo suffered a cracked rib on the left side after a hit in Washington. Romo returned to play through both previous injuries, but took a week or two to return to full form. We'll know more about the extent of his latest injury early this week.
Follow-Up Appointments
Rob Gronkowski | Back
Gronkowski has been practicing in pads for two weeks. He'll have had twelve weeks of rehab after his microdiscectomy and his re-conditioning process appears to be progressing smoothly. Conventional wisdom and media reports -- with which I agreed last week -- suggested that Week 3 or 4 was the most likely return date for Gronkowski. After yesterday's close call in Buffalo, Danny Amendola's aggravated groin injury and the lack of any production from preseason darling Zach Sudfeld, it's easy to wonder if the Pats won't push that timetable up a week and let Gronkowski loose in Week 2. We'll see.
Le'Veon Bell | foot
I think we're getting closer to Bell's return. He's now three weeks into the non-weight bearing stage of his rehab, a process that has taken 2-4 weeks (though sometimes longer) for backs with midfoot injuries in the past. The decision to re-sign Jonathan Dwyer throws a slight curve into the narrative. It could be read as the Steelers worrying that Bell won't be ready for a few more weeks. More likely, it's in response to the Pouncey and LaRod Stephens-Howling injuries and a potential need to go back to a simpler power running game, for which Dwyer may be a better fit than Isaac Redman. We'll know more by midweek.
In the Training Room
Mark Sanchez | shoulder
There are conflicting reports on Sanchez and whether or not he may have a partial tear of the labrum in his throwing shoulder. He'll see Dr. James Andrews for another opinion this week. If a labral tear is confirmed, the discussion will quickly turn to whether or not surgery is the preferred course. Surgery would likely mean at least four months of rehab. If they elect to try to rehab without surgery, there may not be a clear return date. Many studies report rehab failures in overhead throwers with symptomatic tears, so rehab without surgery isn't a sure thing for Sanchez. Best case scenario will be a non-labral injury. In any event, expect Sanchez to be out for multiple weeks.
Ryan Broyles continued to be managed slowly in his recovery from an ACL injury despite very rosy preseason reports. He wasn't on the injury report but didn't make the Sunday active roster. ... Dwayne Allen suffered a hip injury of unknown severity yesterday, but reports of a foot injury (which could have been an aggravation of the stress reaction he'd been fighting in the preseason) were apparently not correct. ... The Steelers also lost Larod Stephens-Howling (ACL) and Larry Foote (ruptured bicep) for the season. ... Blaine Gabbert needed 15 stitches to close a cut on his throwing hand yesterday. That's an injury that will take 10-21 days to fully heal. Though the team seems hopeful he'll recover enough to play in Week 2, they've now announced that Gabbert will miss this week's game.
I'll be updating this feature throughout the day. Footballguys Insiders will get a full update with additional fantasy perspectives on Wednesday, with analysis of the week's game-time decisions early Sunday morning. Follow me on Twitter @JeneBramel for breaking injury news and analysis throughout the week.
