AD tears knee ligament

[stoops the eternal pimp]

Peterson out at least one game but won't need surgery
Associated Press

Updated: November 12, 2007, 2:20 PM ET
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EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson will miss Sunday's game against Oakland with a torn ligament in his right knee, coach Brad Childress said Monday.

Childress said Peterson tore his lateral collateral ligament in the Vikings' 34-0 loss to Green Bay. Peterson will not require surgery, Childress said.

"The good news is that the knee is otherwise stable and the injury is isolated to that ligament," Childress said. "I'm told that's a good-healing ligament."

Childress said the injury is not a season-ending injury, but he did not talk about when Peterson might be back.

"I'm real hesitant to put a timeline on that thing," Childress said.

The coach was informed by team doctors that ligament tears are graded on a three-point scale, with three being the worst.

Childress said he was told that Peterson's tear is "two-plus," but is not as serious as if it were an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), which would have required surgery and ended Peterson's brilliant rookie season.

"This is not one of those," Childress said.

Peterson was injured in the third quarter on Sunday in a 34-0 loss at Green Bay. Packers cornerback Al Harris hit him in the knee just as Peterson was about to make a cut downfield, and the star rookie writhed in pain for several minutes in a scary scene.

Losing the only offensive star they have will be a devastating blow to a unit that has struggled in every game that Peterson has not topped 200 yards rushing this season. It's been a one-man show in Minnesota, with Peterson accounting for 1,081 of the team's 1,551 yards rushing and eight of the team's 10 rushing touchdowns.

The No. 7 overall pick out of Oklahoma broke the single-game rushing record two weeks ago against San Diego, racking up 296 yards to put him on pace to smash Eric Dickerson's record for yards rushing by a rookie in a single season.

Now the Vikings will turn to veteran Chester Taylor, who topped 1,200 yards rushing last season and has been solid in spot duty behind Peterson this year. Taylor is averaging 5 yards per carry in a backup role.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

[Boomer.....]

Well that's good news.

[tdsooner1321]

They just said on the radio that was just a strained ligament and not a tear like espn reported.

[yermom]

this still sucks :(

[Animal Mother]

If I'm not mistaken, it has to be a strain if he doesn't need surgery. A torn ligament would continue to tear, especially the way A.D. hauls arse down the football field.
We need an expert opinion.
Paging Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard!!!

[bri]

Jeez, someone needs to tell Adrian that injuries aren't like Pokemon; you don't need to catch 'em all.

[colleyvillesooner]

They just said on the radio that was just a strained ligament and not a tear like espn reported.

ESPN reported what the Head Coach said. Why would the head coach report what the team doctors told him in such detail if it was wrong?

[Stitch Face]

If I'm not mistaken, it has to be a strain if he doesn't need surgery. A torn ligament would continue to tear, especially the way A.D. hauls arse down the football field.
We need an expert opinion.
Paging Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard!!!

Surgical repair is not always necessary for a ligament to heal, even with a bona fide tear. AD may have a minor tear of the LCL for which the risks of surgical intervention/wound trauma alone would potentially increase his healing time and outweight the benefits. Granted, the more active you are the more likely you are to need surgical intervention. E.g. professional athletes usually require surgery to get back into the game while not a lot of sedentary 67 year-old people with torn knees go in for repair. Depending on how torn it is and how aggressively you're going to be using it, rehab alone may be sufficient for an internal or collateral knee injury.

[Stitch Face]

ESPN reported what the Head Coach said. Why would the head coach report what the team doctors told him in such detail if it was wrong?

Some people throw around sprain vs tear injuries somewhat nonspecifically. As alluded to by Animal Mom and my post above, it does make more sense for an athlete like AD to have a sprain if he doesn't need surgery, unless this is a very minute tear by MRI. The article says his knee is otherwise stable so obviously nothing was torn enough to destabilize the joint. My guess is this is for all intents and purposes an LCL sprain which shows some minor fluid or other signal on MRI consistent with a tiny tear along the edge of the ligament.

[Dan Thompson]

Maybe he could introduce our players on TV.

[Socrefbek]

I watched several replays of the hit. The Green Bay defender went helmet straight to the knee.

While I know it was a legal hit, it still appeared to be a cheap shot with intent to injure.

I wish a pox on that guy :mad:

[Stitch Face]

I wish a pox on that guy :mad:

That's being generous; pox usually heals faster than a bad LCL sprain.

[Chrisrokc]

Maybe he could introduce our players on TV.

THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN. AD at the TT game will juice the team. :D

[soonersn2007]

I wouldn't put a talent like Adrian Petersen out on the field again till I had a QB worth a damn.........the vikings should just fold this season and save him from further injury.

[Vegas Vic]

I sure hope he can come back at full strength.

It's been a rough go with injuries for the Sooners drafted over the past few years.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

Not trying to read too much into it but I dont seem to think Emmitt Smith is a AD fan....could be wrong but the times I ve heard him mention him he has been very condescending....he 's doubted AD from the get go from what I have heard and after weeks of being proven wrong, his call of the injury was pretty dumb...something about AD cant be All Day with a torn knee ligament

[soonersn2007]

I am a cowboy fan, but emmit smith can go eat a bowl full of feces. This particular hit wasn't a result of his running style, tho it could have been.........but it wasn't.

[Crucifax Autumn]

Emmit's a cocknocker if he doesn't respect AD.

I just hope he heals well and leverages his way into a trade to a good team so he can be the player he oughtta be.

[adoniijahsooner]

[QUOTE=bri]Jeez, someone needs to tell Adrian that injuries aren't like Pokemon; you don't need to catch 'em all.[/QUOTE

That wasnt a fragile injury, did you see the way he came in at his knees? I hate those cowardly hits by db's, they ought to make it against the rules to go after someones knees.

[adoniijahsooner]

Not trying to read too much into it but I dont seem to think Emmitt Smith is a AD fan....could be wrong but the times I ve heard him mention him he has been very condescending....he 's doubted AD from the get go from what I have heard and after weeks of being proven wrong, his call of the injury was pretty dumb...something about AD cant be All Day with a torn knee ligament


Emmitt is the most fortunate running back ever, He had a o-line, hall of fame reciever, and a hall of fame quarterback; if he had to run the ball with this vikings team, i dont think he gets 1000 in any season.

[r5TPsooner]

At least he's a millionaire now.

[swardboy]

This article is very encouraging about AD coming back as great as ever, but for me it proves he should NOT be back on the field this year:

http://www.twincities.com/vikings/ci_7445799?nclick_check=1

Minnesota Vikings star rookie Adrian Peterson could return by Nov. 25, but that could be risky
BY SEAN JENSEN
Pioneer Press
Article Last Updated: 11/13/2007 12:35:44 AM CST

var requestedWidth = 0; if(requestedWidth < 400){ requestedWidth = 400; } http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site569/2007/1112/20071112__071113PetersonInjury_400.jpg (http://www.twincities.com/portlet/article/html/imageDisplay.jsp?contentItemRelationshipId=1718386 )(No caption with photo)

The Vikings are not ruling out the possibility of rookie Adrian Peterson returning from a sprained right knee as soon as the Nov. 25 game against the New York Giants.
But a renowned orthopedic specialist said Peterson should shut it down for the rest of the 2007 season.
"It's not realistic," said Dr. Johnny Benjamin, the chief of orthopedics at Indian River Medical Center in Vero Beach, Fla. "Saying it's a Grade 2-plus (tear) is the doctors trying to give coach (Brad) Childress and all the Viking faithful some hope.
"But it's a torn ligament, and a torn ligament is going to take six weeks to heal. And that's for someone like a doctor or news writer, who doesn't go out there and make cuts like Adrian Peterson obviously does."
Peterson and the Vikings were relieved Monday morning when a magnetic resonance imaging exam confirmed that the running back tore his lateral collateral ligament, the least debilitating of the four ligaments in the knee, during the third quarter of a 34-0 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
Childress, who ruled Peterson out for Sunday's home game against the Oakland Raiders, and head athletic trainer Eric Sugarman declined to provide a timetable. But Sugarman said Peterson "absolutely has a chance" to play against the Giants, "unless there's some crazy setback."
"It is not a season-ending injury," Sugarman said. "It just is not."
Childress acknowledged that Peterson could do more damage by returning too soon, and he added, "We're not going to put him out there until he can protect himself." Benjamin said Peterson could return this season - the Vikings have seven games left - but he said the risk isn't worth taking.
"If you're looking out for that young man's career, you'd shut him down," said Benjamin, who works with the Los Angeles Dodgers during spring training and has worked with, among others, former Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper and Denver Nuggets guard Allen Iverson. "But if coach Childress is looking for his job security, then you're trying to figure out a way to get him back on the field.
"If treated properly, Adrian Peterson will be the beast he's always been," Benjamin said. "But if treated improperly, this could be a nagging injury and impact his career, and he may never be the same. He is maybe the best rookie ever. Why would you take a chance on his career by bringing him back too early?"
Peterson said he was thankful that it was "just a sprain," admitting that he initially feared that he suffered a more serious knee injury. He didn't sleep well Sunday night, and he was nervous about his Monday morning MRI.
A few hours later, Peterson was upbeat, and he insisted the injury scare wouldn't affect his psyche or aggressive running style.
"That's me. That's how I run the ball," Peterson said. "I can't do anything about a guy coming and hitting me in my legs. It's football."
Asked if he had any fear of injuries, Peterson said, "That's not something I think about.
"I don't go out there and be worried about getting injured, because nine times out of 10, that's how you get injured," he said. "I just go out there and play fast, and let things happen."
Peterson said he would trust Sugarman and the Vikings' medical staff to help him get back onto the football field. But it is common for injured players to seek a second opinion, especially on a day off like today.
Sugarman said offensive linemen, with a brace, could play with the injury as soon as Sunday. In October 2002, Packers quarterback Brett Favre suffered an LCL sprain, rested during the bye week, then continued his record streak of consecutive games played.
Sugarman said Peterson's knee needs to be more stable than either an offensive lineman's or a quarterback's.
"He is an aggressive, violent runner," Sugarman said. "He's not physically able to do that (cut) yet. You've got to let the trauma settle down."
Benjamin said an LCL tear can heal if "given the proper time," but he added that there are no exercises or magic elixirs to expedite the process.
"You don't want to stress it," Benjamin said. "Let it quiet down. Get it nice and strong and tight again."
There is another challenge, Benjamin said: Even if Peterson's knee heals, his fitness could suffer because his workout options would be limited.
"He may be able to swim and ride a bike and do Pilates," Benjamin said, "but football has that added dimension, and that's contact."
Benjamin pointed to players who miss a significant chunk of training camp but keep working out. "It's not the same," Benjamin said. "You got to get back in football shape."
With 1,081 yards, Peterson leads the NFL in rushing, and he's still on pace to break Eric Dickerson's rookie record of 1,808. But Benjamin said that shouldn't matter.
"Why push him for a rookie record?" Benjamin said. "Part of the issue with professional sports is, there are a lot of things that come into play, and it usually relates to dollars and cents. If I was Adrian's uncle, there would be no way I would advise him (to play)."
Sean Jensen can be reached at [email protected].

[OUmillenium]

If I'm not mistaken, it has to be a strain if he doesn't need surgery. A torn ligament would continue to tear, especially the way A.D. hauls arse down the football field.
We need an expert opinion.
Paging Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard!!!


Thank you for some 3 Stooge nostalgia!!!!

spek

[Animal Mother]

Here's some more, nyuck, nyuck.

If the mental midgets that are the Vikings medical staff advise A.D. to put his livelihood on the line when the team is going down the crapper, A.D. should keep the law firm of Dewey, Cheatham and Howe on retainer. A.D. needs to learn NOW you don’t trust doctors on the team’s payroll. I know he is tough as boot leather and you're suppose to be a team mufut, but he has a long and stellar future in front of him. He should call it a season.

[cvsooner]

The Vikes need to sit him down the rest of the season and play for a draft pick to find themselves a quarterback. That will help AD's knee a lot more than anything.