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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
Ho hum. Rob Gronkowski is back and beasting. Calvin Johnson looked like his old self against Cincinnati. All must be well on the injury report this week after a very rough Week 7.
Or not.
If last week was bad, this week was worse and trending toward ugly. There are multiple season-ending injuries possible this week. And like last week, many of these early Monday situations are fluid and will be better defined after imaging studies, second opinions and the week's coaching press conference.
Calvin and Gronk are yesterday's news. It's going to be a busy week.
Doug Martin | shoulder sprain | WEEK-TO-WEEK
Martin fell onto his elbow rather than being driven into the ground onto his shoulder yesterday. That's an important distinction for a shoulder injury. X-rays were reportedly negative, which argues Martin's collarbone, upper arm bone or shoulder blade isn't fractured. And Martin said the x-rays didn't show a separation. Whether that's Martin's way of saying his shoulder wasn't dislocated or that he doesn't have an AC sprain is debatable. But the team has him scheduled for an MRI today.
Given the way Martin fell, there's likely some concern for the shoulder capsule and labral tissues of the joint. Those areas are at risk when the upper arm is driven back up into the joint in the kind of fall Martin had. As always, location and severity will go a long way to determining whether Martin can play through the injury or need additional rehab or surgery. I'll update when the MRI results are released, but I don't expect Martin to be available Thursday night -- regardless of the type of injury -- and the news could get worse as the day progresses.
1100 ET: Ian Rapoport is hearing that Martin's injury is serious enough to keep him out multiple weeks.
1115 ET: Mike Garafolo reporting that Martin may have a season-ending torn labrum. There are many types of labral injuries, but it would appear that Martin's injury is one that affects the stability of the shoulder and will require surgery. That's unlikely going to be a long-term issue for his career, but the rehab will take months rather than weeks if surgery is needed to stabilize the joint.
1130 ET: Albert Breer confirming a diagnosis of torn labrum for Breer and will miss the rest of the season.
1145 ET: Rick Stroud reporting that Martin could elect to rehab his injury in the hopes that he could return this year. The labral tear won't heal without surgery, but a period of rehab to maximize range of motion and limit loss of strength could potentially allow him to delay surgery. There's no guarantees that will be successful but there are favorable precedents. Sidney Rice played through a torn labrum in 2011, delaying surgery to repair both shoulders until after the season.
arian foster | hamstring strain | week-to-week
There are hamstring injuries every week in the NFL. But there's an epidemic of aggravated injuries this year. Whether that's because low grade injuries are being reported more often this year (possible) or players and teams are pushing harder to play through borderline situations (highly likely) is impossible to know. Foster is just the latest skill position player to be listed on the injury report and be limited in practice with a hamstring strain to not be able to finish a game.
If you've been reading all season, you can predict the next sentences I'll type. Aggravations of low grade hamstring strains are usually worse than the initial injury. What may have been a day-to-day situation for Foster last week now becomes week-to-week. Fortunately, he'll have two full weeks to rehab his injury before the Texans next game. If Foster optimistic post-game comments are accurate, he should be ready by then. If the extra week is not enough rest and he's not practicing and playing in Week 9, be prepared for a 4+ week absence to rehab a mid grade strain.
jermichael finley | neck | week-to-week
There were conflicting reports yesterday, but Finley may have briefly lost feeling in his extremities on the field after another scary collision. This morning, sources close to Finley said they expect him to be fine, but those treating Finley were concerned enough to monitor him in a Neuro Intensive Care Unit overnight.
At first glance, that seems confusing. Why was overnight observation necessary for a player expected to be "fine?"
There are a number of possible reasons for the precaution. Finley suffered a concussion recently and the added observation may have been related to that injury. More likely, medical staff wanted him observed for any swelling around his spinal cord and any associated changes in his condition. They may also have seen something on his imaging studies that warranted more testing today.
Hopefully, Finley will be discharged quickly and allowed to begin rehab immediately. This won't be a short-term injury, however. As we've seen with complicated conditions like those suffered by Malcom Floyd, Ahmad Bradshaw and David Wilson already this year, cervical spine injuries are rehabbed very carefully. If there's any evidence of spinal stenosis, disc herniations, contusions of the spinal cord, etc. Finley will miss multiple weeks. Even if the imaging studies are completely clear, Finley's recent concussion and the time needed to strengthen any muscle strains around the neck will likely keep him out through Week 8.
reggie wayne | torn acl | out for season
Adam Schefter is confirming the early morning concern for a torn ACL for Wayne. I'll update this afternoon with any reports of associated injuries or comments from the team.
1200 ET: Ian Rapoport reporting that Wayne also has a torn meniscus. That complicates his rehab. Superhuman Adrian Peterson recovered from an ACL/MCL/meniscus injury without any issues, but it's a worry any time knee cartilage / meniscus is involved.
jay cutler | groin | week-to-week
The Chicago Tribune is reporting that the Bears are "bracing themselves for bad news" while they wait for Cutler's MRI result. The mechanism of injury wasn't clear from multiple replay angles. That's not uncommon for groin and hip injuries, but it's difficult to be more specific in the early stages of an injury without a mechanism or obvious sideline exam angle. I'll have more on Cutler after his MRI is reported.
200 ET: Cutler reportedly has a torn groin muscle. There's been no additional diagnostic information given, but there's no report of surgery. The early timetable for his return has been set at four weeks. As we saw with Amendola, torn groin muscles usually take at least four weeks to heal and often need 6-8 weeks. Unlike the usual optimistic notes from the player and team, the updates on Cutler today have all been underlined with concern. Expect Cutler to miss closer to the 6-8 weeks.
sam bradford | torn acl | out for season
Bradford tore his ACL yesterday and will have season-ending surgery soon. There haven't been any reports of additional injuries (ligaments, meniscus) to the knee. Hopefully, Bradford has an isolated injury and recovers within the usual 6-9 month timeframe.
ben tate | fractured ribs | week-to-week
Tate told reporters that he broke four ribs yesterday. Though he returned to play after the injury yesterday, multiple rib fractures are much more difficult to return from quickly than just one. Like Foster, Tate will have an extra week to recover from his injury. He'll have to progress quickly to be ready for Week 9.
FOLLOW-UP APPOINTMENTS
We're going to need a bigger waiting room. The list of big-name players with unclear week-to-week situations and those getting closer to returning is also a long one this week. Though two big names come off the list after strong performance yesterday (Gronkowski and Johnson), there are others whose return remains uncertain.
jimmy graham | foot | week-to-week
The quiet surrounding this situation is not reassuring. There had been radio silence from all corners since Chris Mortensen's last report of "some optimism" on Graham. Today, Adam Schefter says Graham's Week 8 availability is uncertain. This isn't unusual in New Orleans. There was quiet surrounding an ankle injury I thought was worse that had been reported on Graham during his bye week last year and he missed the first week coming out of the bye.
I don't believe Graham has a season-threatening injury, but I do think there's a good chance he could miss another 1-3 weeks. Various types of foot sprains, plantar fascia tears, stress reactions to bones in the foot are all on the list of possible diagnoses. Unless we hear a specific MRI report or hear that Graham is back on the practice field and moving well early this week, brace for a potential multi-week absence.
percy harvin | hip surgery | week-to-week
Harvin has now returned to practice. That's not a guarantee that he'll come off the PUP list and play this week. He'll have to prove that he's fully conditioned and in football shape. But, barring a setback, Week 9 looks like the absolute latest Harvin will return. We'll know more soon. If Harvin is close to fully practicing, it'll be hard for the Seahawks to hold him out this week. He should be in full form in his first week back. Unless the Seahawks choose to gameplan him into only a small number of packages, he should see upwards of 40-50 snaps immediately.
roddy white | high ankle sprain / hamstring strain | week-to-week
White finally tapped out this week and ended his consecutive game streak. The hamstring strain is clearly the more concerning injury right now. If it's a mid-grade strain -- a legitimate worry since White didn't appear close to practicing last week -- it could be another 2-3 weeks before White is healthy enough to return. The only silver lining here is that the extra time should allow White's ankle injury to heal.
cecil shorts | hamstring / SC sprain | returned to play
There are players that earn an injury-prone label with a history of slow return to play from injury. Then there are players like Ben Roethlisberger, Brett Favre and many others who seem to play effectively through injuries that would keep others out for multiple weeks. Shorts may be working his way into the latter category. After playing through a low grade hamstring strain for two weeks, Shorts upped the ante by playing very effectively despite a painful and limiting sternoclavicular strain yesterday. He'll have one more week to navigate before a very well-deserved rest over the Jaguars' Week 9 bye.
danny amendola | concussion / groin strain | week-to-week
The Patriots aren't likely to provide any updates on Amendola's progression through the return to play protocol. Even the injury reports will be difficult to interpret, as it's extremely rare for an injured New England player to earn a full participation designation. Don't count on Amendola returning until we see him listed probable or he's on the active roster on gameday.
demarco murray | mcl sprain | week-to-week
Earlier reports on Murray's MCL sprain suggested a low grade injury. More recent updates have it as a Grade 2 injury. Realistically, that's a 2-4 week injury. Murray's return is dependent on when he feels there's no longer any give in his knee joint when he cuts. Watch his practice participation early this week for clues on how soon he can return.
james jones | pcl sprain | week-to-week
It was never realistic to expect Jones to play in Week 7 and he'll be a game-time decision at best this week. Even low grade PCL sprains affect the stability of the knee and it's not unusual to see them take 2-4 weeks to heal. Mike McCarthy surprisingly told reporters today that Jones had a 2-3 week timetable from the outset. Plan on Jones missing at least one more week.
steven jackson | hamstring strain | multiple weeks
Week to week doesn't do Jackson's time frame justice. Month to month and indefinite are probably overkill, however. So, I'll leave it at multiple weeks. Jackson has yet to return to practice according to the official injury reports, but Jay Glazer reported last weekend that Jackson suffered a setback recently. That's not a good sign for what was originally reported to be a mid grade injury. The first estimates had Jackson missing at least 3-4 weeks. We're now stretching into the sixth week since the injury and every indication is that Jackson will miss at least two more weeks. The setback lengthens the timeframe, but the bottom line is the same. It'll likely take Jackson two weeks of practice to return to game shape -- a period during which he'll be at risk of aggravating the hamstring again or another cascade injury. That puts his most optimistic return date at Week 10.
300 ET: Mike Smith told reporters today that Jackson could begin practicing on Wednesday. That bumps his timetable up to a possible return in Week 9 if he progresses without any additional setbacks. Given the usual hit rate on Glazer's injury updates, however, I'll believe Jackson is ready to practice only when he's back on the field.
michael vick | hamstring strain | day-to-day
Vick has practiced "fully" during one practice in each of the past two weeks, but is still feeling tightness in his hamstring. With Nick Foles subject to the return to play protocol for a head injury this week. Vick could be back in the lineup if hamstring is ready. The slow return through practice will hopefully have limited Vick's risk of aggravation, but his Wednesday practice participation will tell us more.
fred jackson | mcl sprain | day-to-day
c.j. spiller | ankle sprain | day-to-day
The gray area is deciding whether or not to clear a player to return isn't just an issue with muscle strains. Ligament srpains around the knee and ankle are also potential landmines for players and medical staffs. Even low grade ligament sprains take multiple weeks to heal. Players are sometimes cleared to play if they feel their joints are stable when they're stressed on exam and exercise. But it's difficult to simulate NFL game action on the sideline. Spiller clearly has not recovered from his ankle symptoms yet and Jackson's aggravated MCL injury will set his recovery process back. I have both listed day-to-day as they seem determined to play through their injuries, but either could decide to rest in a given week to accelerate the healing process.
jonathan stewart | ankle surgeries | week-to-week
Stewart will reportedly be cleared to return to practice this week. But recent reports had him still struggling with discomfort while running. Expect the Panthers to bring him along slowly to avoid setbacks. There's still no guarantee he'll have enough range of motion or burst to run effectively. I think Stewart is still multiple weeks away and it's a longshot that he'll be able to handle more than 8-10 carries a game until much later this season, if at all.
michael crabtree | achilles tear | month-to-month
After a more promising report of a possible mid-November return from the NFL Network's Mike Silver last weekend, Adam Schefter reported today that Crabtree's timetable still looks to be late November / early December. Don't expect to see him before Week 15 or 16 unless the Niners absolutely feel it's necessary.
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.
