Boomer Esiason: Welker won't be back until 2011

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

I am no doctor but normal look of it is that Welker will be on PUP in 2010 and make a comeback no earlier than December,Maybe as our Christmas gift if we are still in contention by then. - If the team does not have a winning record in December there is no reason to rush Wes back.

 

[BradyManny]

WTF does Boomer know?

Brady was essentially back by February (according to himself). That's a 6 month rehab. Wes could be anywhere between 6-12. Either way, saying he's out for 2010 is absurdly premature. Worst case scenario, I think he's PUP'd, taken off at the latest allowable moment (week 12 I believe) and comes back ready for playoffs.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

WTF does Boomer know?

Brady was essentially back by February (according to himself). That's a 6 month rehab. Wes could be anywhere between 6-12. Either way, saying he's out for 2010 is absurdly premature. Worst case scenario, I think he's PUP'd, taken off at the latest allowable moment (week 12 I believe) and comes back ready for playoffs.

IF they are in playoff contention at that time

 

[blackglass3]

Also, Chad Jackson tore his ACL in the 06 AFCCG and his agent was complaining that he was PUPed at the beginning of 07.

I know he sucked, but his knee was fine while he was doing it.

 

[Rob0729]

Although they are no doctors or have anymore medical insight than Boomer from what I can tell, here is what Profootball Weekly said:

The Patriots have enough to worry about in Sunday's playoff game against the Ravens without WR Wes Welker, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 17 against the Texans. But they also must think about, in time, how Welker's injury will affect the offseason plan. Receiver — already considered a need position because of the lack of a third consistent playmaker — might get bumped up the list slightly. The Patriots might be fine at the position in the long run, especially if Welker and Brandon Tate come back from injuries and Julian Edelman continues developing as the team hopes he will. Athletes suffering ACL and MCL injuries concurrently often struggle to come back as quickly as those who suffer one or the other, and it could be especially tough for Welker, whose game relies on a lot of planting, cutting and quick-twitch movement. But if he's as diligent in his rehab as he is in practice, weight-room and film preparation, Welker should be able to get back to playing form by the start of next season.

ProFootballWeekly.com - Welker facing tough offseason rehab

I don't put anymore stock in this report than Boomer, but I figured I would give the counter view.

 

[blackglass3]

Um, did Tate tear his ACL (either again or the other one)? I remember him being IR'ed, but I was under the impression they did it more as a precaution because it didn't seem his original ACL tear was strong enough yet.

 

[H8R]

Is their a surgery date for WW? I think that has a lot to do with it also. I know Lardarius Webb went down 3 weeks ago and isn't getting surgery until next week. So, essentially surgery seems to be about a month out after the injury. I'm no doctor, I just don't see him being ready for the Pre-season/early next year. The PUP list would be my guess and he might not make it back, at least not 100 percent.

 

[Scouse Patriot]

They wait for the swelling to go down in the knee before surgery.

 

[juny]

Frank Gore had ACL replacement surgery on both knees, in consecutive years, while in college. He was younger than Welker and is a power back but he's still quick for his size and isn't limited at all.

Terry Allen also tore both ACLs and returned for the most productive part of his career.

Ronnie Brown looked great until he suffered an unrelated injury.

Another example is Willis McGahee who tore 3 ligaments in the knee, sat out a season and then started a decent NFL career.

 

[mgteich]

We can put him on the PUP list and see if we wish to activate him and risk re-injury as we did with Tate.

I am no doctor but normal look of it is that Welker will be on PUP in 2010 and make a comeback no earlier than December,Maybe as our Christmas gift if we are still in contention by then. - If the team does not have a winning record in December there is no reason to rush Wes back.

 

[jsull87]

Esiason on D&C: No Welker in 2010

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Boomer Esiason, NFL on CBS on WEEI

Once again i had the exact same injury as welker in jan last year (torn ACL MCL and meniscus). I was running and changing direction again by 9 months. Welker will have top notch physios and is an athlete with a better diet so there is no reason to assume he will not be the same by end of Sept and be fully recovered by november. Ofcoarse things can go wrong in that process but there is no need to be all doomsday about all of it when that is a process hundreds go though and works out fine. Welker has the adv of being around top class trainers also

 

[bostonia3333]

If the docs say a 12-18 month expected recovery with Welker, by all means, I think it's important to wait the entire dog gone year. All great WR's will say in month 4 that they feel great and are ready to come back in month 6 for training cap. As you all have mentioned, Welker's running style is so violent that it is imperative that he's 3000% healthy. Hopefully Welker chooses the Mass General doctor and not Brady's Cali doc!

I remember Jerry Rice suffered a devastating knee injury against Warren Sapp back in 1997. He came back in like month 3 or 4 against the Broncos on a Monday night game and reinjured the same knee on a routine hit on a touchdown--- his knee wasn't bent at any angle either. After 1997, Rice never was the same receiver he was. He never got the same separation and he was able to hang around the league for several years based on reputation and work ethic.

 

[mgteich]

If Welker is fully back from his injury by next November, I think it would foolhardy to expect him to play. It would be much better for him to have the rest of the yer to come back to 100% game shape and to build strength. Of course, the team could take the risk as they did with Tate,

Once again i had the exact same injury as welker in jan last year (torn ACL MCL and meniscus). I was running and changing direction again by 9 months. Welker will have top notch physios and is an athlete with a better diet so there is no reason to assume he will not be the same by end of Sept and be fully recovered by november. Ofcoarse things can go wrong in that process but there is no need to be all doomsday about all of it when that is a process hundreds go though and works out fine. Welker has the adv of being around top class trainers also

 

[jczxohn1]

If Welker is fully back from his injury by next November, I think it would foolhardy to expect him to play. It would be much better for him to have the rest of the yer to come back to 100% game shape and to build strength. Of course, the team could take the risk as they did with Tate,

The team could take the risk, hopefully Welker won't. IMO, he couldn't play safely without a brace and couldn't do his thing with one. Tate is a good example of why not to do it. Also, the previously mentioned Rice situation. Welker's limited ability to produce at the end of next year would be a poor reason to tie up a roster spot, as well.

 

[pao]

Boomer has no clue. He may be right and he may not be.

We know the timeline is very tight to be back for the start of the season and reasonable after being PUPed. Beyond that it all depends how the surgery goes and how the knee responds.

Seems to me that Boomer would have access to sources that know more about that kind of thing than anyone here.

 

[Kontradiction]

I'm no expert, but I think he'll be back at some point next season. Will he be the same Welker we're used to right away? Nope. This is where, if Esiason had said "he will not be the same Welker until 2011", I would be inclined to agree.

 

[mgteich]

I agree 100%. I would like the team to have him on IR for the year and when he is healthy (could be in November) to sign an extension to his contract that ends in 2011.

The team could take the risk, hopefully Welker won't. IMO, he couldn't play safely without a brace and couldn't do his thing with one. Tate is a good example of why not to do it. Also, the previously mentioned Rice situation. Welker's limited ability to produce at the end of next year would be a poor reason to tie up a roster spot, as well.

 

[BelichickFan]

I agree 100%. I would like the team to have him on IR for the year and when he is healthy (could be in November) to sign an extension to his contract that ends in 2011.

How about doing what makes sense and not making decisions before he's even had surgery ? When training camp approaches he can be PUPed if necessary. If he's not ready at the PUP deadline he can be IRed. No need to rush it.

Regarding Tate, there is no significant reason to believe the second injury had anything to do with the first. It wasn't a compensation issue, he got hit in the other knee. It can't be proven there was no link but it sure as heck looked totally independent.

 

[BelichickFan]

Seems to me that Boomer would have access to sources that know more about that kind of thing than anyone here.

Unless it's more serious than an ACL/MCL then it's not a matter of sources, it's a matter of whether his knee responds average, better than average or worse than average to the standard rehab.

 

[mgteich]

Sure, let's wait until August to see if Welker and Tate are ready for the season, and if they are not, we can look to secure a WR or two then. Is this what you are suggesting?

How about doing what makes sense and not making decisions before he's even had surgery ? When training camp approaches he can be PUPed if necessary. If he's not ready at the PUP deadline he can be IRed. No need to rush it.

Regarding Tate, there is no significant reason to believe the second injury had anything to do with the first. It wasn't a compensation issue, he got hit in the other knee. It can't be proven there was no link but it sure as heck looked totally independent.