Armchair Quarterback: Recovering from hurt knees tough
Knee injuries have become the beginning of the end for many of the league’s top running backs, who like great prize fighters, tend to push the envelope past their prime even after the writing is on the wall.
The “retirement” this week of Denver Bronco great Terrell Davis is the latest example of the difficulty associated from coming back from reconstructive knee surgery, especially in the running back position. Davis, former Super Bowl MVP in the Broncos win over the Packers and one of the few players who can boast a 2,000-yard season, has tried, in vain, to return from a major knee injury suffered two years ago while trying to make a defensive play following a turnover.
The franchise, who apparently either thought Davis still had something left in his tank or maintained loyalty to the once great back, kept giving him opportunities as the starting back during his return from injury. He was pushed back into the starting role even though it meant the team had to somewhat shelve impact backs Orlandis Gary and Mike Anderson. And, each of the two seasons, it became apparent that Davis could not perform anywhere near his former level before the injury.
This year, in pre-season, the knee again began to swell and would not respond to treatment, thereby leaving Davis no choice but to retire, or at last step away for a year.
Given the example set by Davis, it begs the question of how other impact backs will fare, coming off similar injuries this season. Most notably you have Jamal Lewis of the Ravens and Edgerrin James of the Colts, both of whom will be attempting their comebacks from major knee surgery.
Granted, there are some success stories such as Terry Kirby, who suffered that major knee injury on national television while he was with the Dolphins several years ago. He has since come back to have some mediocre seasons with the Browns and is now trying to make it with the Raiders.
There’s also Terry Allen, who had major reconstructive surgery on both knees. He, unlike Kirby, was able to make an impact on his return, serving several good years with the Vikings and then being picked up last year to have some good games, even against our Titans, with the Ravens as he neared 40 years of age.
However, the ability to return to prime form after a major knee injury is a rare accomplishment nowadays. Defensive linemen are bigger yet faster nowadays, making the need for that super cutting ability at the line to afford the back separation. A major knee injury, no matter how well it rehabs, still limits the cuts a back can make. Other injuries, such as those to the foot as suffered by Eddie George, can be overcome as we’ve seen in George’s crisp form showed thus far in pre-season. The knee is another animal all together.
It will be interesting to see if Lewis and James will be the exceptions. It should also be noted Lewis came back from an injury to the opposite knee from the one now injured, while he was the Tennessee Volunteers. However, this is pro ball. For James, it’s either sink or swim seeing his immediate backup, Dominque Rhodes, is out for the season. Rhodes was seen as a prime backup until his injury.
Even the great Marshall Faulk has show the way a knee injury can affect a player. Even though he hasn’t had major knee surgery, his recurring knee problems have kept him from playing more than 12 games in the past two years. Of course, the Rams, ever a deep team, have Trung Candidate, who did overcome an earlier leg injury, to fill in during those games. Sure, Faulk will be the first back picked in everyone’s fantasy league this year, but it just goes to show how lingering a knee injury can be, even when not as extreme as those requiring surgery.