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oregonpackfan
08-24-2008, 12:12 AM
Merriman has 2 torn ligaments in left knee
3 hours ago
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SAN DIEGO (AP) — Chargers Pro Bowl linebacker Shawne Merriman said Saturday he has two torn ligaments in his left knee and has been told by doctors that he could suffer a possible career-ending injury if he attempts to play without having surgery.

Merriman said he has tears in both the posterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments. He said doctors agree that he needs surgery to repair the damage.

``It could be career-threatening if I did (play),'' Merriman said. ``It's a possibility. That possibility is still open.''

A course of action has not been decided. Merriman, who will consult with a doctor in Miami early next week before making a decision, has been told reconstructive surgery would sideline him for the entire 2008 season. Another option is a less-invasive surgery that would allow him to play at some point in the season.

``They've all said the same things about the injury,'' Merriman said. ``(They're) kind of surprised that I've been playing with it up to this point.''

The Chargers open the regular season Sept. 7 against the Carolina Panthers. Merriman wants to play this season.

``That's first and foremost,'' Merriman said. ``That's what I want to do. That's why this decision is even out there still and not already made, because I want to play, period. The question is what should I do? How long should I play with it?

``It's a thousand different options at this point and I'm just trying to make the best one.''

Merriman left the team Tuesday to seek opinions from other doctors, a trek that included a visit with renowned surgeon James Andrews on Wednesday in Birmingham, Ala. He said he is seeking as many opinions as he can for a reason.

``I'm just trying to make the best decision possible for the team and for my career,'' Merriman said.

Coach Norv Turner has remained optimistic all week that Merriman will be able to play this season. He again expressed that hope Saturday.

``Right now, in talking to him, his mind-set is he's doing everything he can to get ready for Carolina, our opener,'' Turner said. ``He just wants to get a little bit more information on his knee.''

Merriman has made the Pro Bowl in each of his three NFL seasons. He has 39 1/2 sacks in that span, more than any other NFL player.

The Associated Press
Tarlam!
08-24-2008, 12:24 AM
They were discussing this on NFL.com. They advised him to sit out the year and get his knee fixed.

Sounds like a plan.
NewsBruin
08-24-2008, 01:42 AM
Yeah. Neither ligament is super-important on its own, but both work to keep the knee stable.

One bad cut, one bad landing on the back of the knee, and Merriman blows out both important remaining ligaments.

I don't think anyone wants to sit a year, but that's much better than walking stiff-legged with a sideline pass for the rest of his life.
SnakeLH2006
08-24-2008, 03:24 AM
I remember having a torn meniscus in high school football and not knowing it till an MRI weeks later when it "didn't heal" and slowed me down. It's possible to play with one, but not two torn ligaments as orthapedic advancements have been amazing over the last decade, but two busted ligaments is disaster for him and possibly for the team.

As an avid Packer fan, I'm torn (pardon the pun). I love to see him play as he's a VERY exciting player and real force on EVERY play, but as Packer fan, it's best to see him sit out in the chance we GET to Super Bowl 2009. :) Although, that game last year was AWESOME where we cemented our status as a force in the SD game (and beat them with Merriman, Rivers, and Gates healthy, it may be best for him to play to unseat the Pats this year in the AFC...

BTW, just got the new Sporting News, and they listed the Chargers vs. the Cowboys as their picks for the Super Bowl for what it's worth...wonder if that changes without IMO one of the top 5 impact players in the NFL out??
SkinBasket
08-24-2008, 07:11 AM
I say this is karma for foisting that stupid fucking dance on us. The Patriots mocking him was one of the best moments in football this decade.
Chevelle2
08-24-2008, 09:52 AM
I say this is karma for foisting that stupid fucking dance on us. The Patriots mocking him was one of the best moments in football this decade.

The Pats are gay.....anyways...there goes my SB pick down the drain....
bobblehead
08-24-2008, 12:03 PM
I'm still high on the chargers, this guy was an assclown and a cheater anyway. I think given his past he should be tested 3 times daily post surgery as I have no doubt he will be trying to use HgH to enhance his recovery.
MOBB DEEP
08-24-2008, 12:43 PM
shawne, brady, and manning issues merely paving the way for the NY Bretts' ascension....
MOBB DEEP
08-24-2008, 12:45 PM
I say this is karma for foisting that stupid fucking dance on us. The Patriots mocking him was one of the best moments in football this decade.


omg, one of the bamas who like seeing players they dont like gettn injured ala eagles and mike irvin???
SkinBasket
08-24-2008, 01:44 PM
I say this is karma for foisting that stupid fucking dance on us. The Patriots mocking him was one of the best moments in football this decade.


omg, one of the bamas who like seeing players they dont like gettn injured ala eagles and mike irvin???

I don;t know the man, so I don;t care one way or the other if he's injured or not. His dance is fucking retarded though, and I am glad I maynot be seeing it for a while.
Guiness
08-24-2008, 03:57 PM
His absence would certainly hurt the Chargers, but they'd be a playoff team regardless. I think he should get the surgery...and hope to be back for the playoffs.

more from Florio...

http://www.profootballtalk.com/2008/08/23/can-merriman-play-with-torn-pcl/

CAN MERRIMAN PLAY WITH TORN PCL?

With the Chargers and linebacker Shawne Merriman not offering much in the way of details regarding Merriman’s condition, the North County Times sought the opinion of a physician as to Merriman’s ability to play with a torn PCL.

“Next to the anterior cruciate ligament, the posterior cruciate ligament is the most important one in your knee,” Dr. Robert Clifford told the Times. “You need your PCL because you can’t do the day-to-day stuff, like walking down a ramp. If you did that without a PCL, your tibia would slide under your fibula.

“A linebacker has to go side-to-side, stop and accelerate,” Clifford added. “For him, he needs a stable knee. If he was a lineman, it would be an easier choice. But where he plays, he can’t afford not to have his knee be stable and have it slip on him.”

That said, we’ve heard that plenty of pro football players are doing it without a PCL. (”Lots and lots and lots of them,” one source said.) We heard a rumor on Friday that the Chargers believe Merriman has had a torn PCL for as long as two years.

Regardless of whether Merriman can play without a PCL, doing so understandably increases the risk of further damage.

“That’s the thing he has to weigh: risk versus benefit,” Clifford said, “because the other ligaments, the secondary ones, can get stretched, and they are not strong enough to provide the stability. It’s like with a house and you take out all the weight-bearing walls. The other walls might be strong enough to hold the house up, then again, they may not.”

The great unknown with Merriman is the degree of the tear, and whether the knee currently is stable. “If it’s not completely unstable, the combination of a knee brace, strengthening it and other ways to stabilize it might allow him to play,” Clifford said. “But if it’s not stable, he needs to have it fixed.”

Getting it fixed would most likely knock him out for the entire 2008 season.

And, to the extent that Merriman has been playing with a torn PCL, it could be that additional damage has been done, which won’t be corrected merely by replacing the PCL. It’s this scenario that has some within the organization fearing that there’s a chance Merriman could be done. As in done done.