Chiefs QB Matt Cassel injures his leg (O. Wagner/AP)
ESPN Radio’s senior NFL reporter, John Clayton speculated on Freddie Coleman’s Sunday afternoon radio show that Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, Matt Cassel, may have suffered a medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprain in Saturday night’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
If true, Cassel could be sidelined for a month or more depending on the severity of the sprain. It should be noted that the Chiefs have not reported anything about Cassel’s injury status other than an X-ray taken Saturday night was negative.
Clayton noted during his segment on the radio that many football players miss anywhere from 4-6 weeks of playing time with this kind of an injury, but quarterbacks often return earlier than that.
Regardless of how badly Cassel is hurt, you can be sure of one thing, you won’t hear a peep out of the Chiefs until it is mandated by the NFL on the official league injury report. General Manager Scott Pioli made his mark with the most tight-lipped organization in sports, the New England Patriots. Head coach Todd Haley has already shown an uncanny ability to deflect reporters’ questions with the best of them.
If Cassel is going to miss a significant amount of time, it throws the back-up quarterback situation into question between Brodie Croyle and Tyler Thigpen. Croyle is currently #2 on the depth chart, but has been fragile during his NFL career. With the problems that the team is having with their offensive line and its ability to pass block, how long would it be before the more mobile Thigpen would see action?
Comments
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yes, mechanism of injury appears consistent to one that would cause an MCL sprain or worse. Left leg was held by Seahawks' Brandon Mebane while Casell fell on his right side causing a 'valgus' stress to his left knee. Left inside of knee (medial side) can forcefully be stressed with lower leg (tibia) and upper leg (femur) moving in opposite directions, tearing the MCL. The medial meniscus lies directly attached and beneath the MCL and can tear also. If the sprain (torn ligament)is severe, the femur and tibia can hit into each other causing a painful bone bruise, which can take several weeks to heal. With an isolated grade 1 MCL sprain, a player may come back in a couple of weeks with a hinged knee brace. Platelet rich plasma therapy has been touted anecdotally in the news (but no science yet) to rapidly aid in healing and return to play.
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