Injuries Already Mounting Up In NFL Training Camps

NFL News - August 11th, 2009 - Written by Mike

The one thing that no coaching staff wants to see during preseason football are injuries. This week has seen three teams with their starting receiver on the sideline. The Carolina Panthers had a big scare when Steve Smith was carted of the field Monday night and headed straight to the locker room for x-rays. Smith hurt his shoulder during a play, during practice, where he and Chris Gamble collided and Smith went down in pain, all the while clutching his shoulder. Smith had the team doctors look at him on the sideline where he threw his helmet down and kicked it in what appeared to be an upset state of mind. No word on the x-ray results yet, and no time table to have Smith back on their sideline. The Panthers may be in big trouble if this injury sidelines him into the regular season, due to his production compared to the rest of the receivers on the Panthers roster.

The St.Louis Rams may be without wide receiver Donnie Avery for the first two regular season games. Avery is the Rams new number one receiver since Torry Holt went to Jacksonville. Last Friday Avery suffered a stress fracture to his left foot during one of the Rams scrimmages. Avery is going into his second year in the NFL. Avery had 53 catches for 674 yards in his first season with the Rams. The Rams need some of their other receivers to step up and show they are ready to make their presence in the Rams new west coast offense. Rookie Brooks Foster, as well as veterans Ronald Curry, Tim Carter, and Laurent Robinson will have to impress the coaches to fill the void until Avery is back. Second year receiver Keenan Burton has a chance to shine also.

Antonio Bryant will be out the rest of training camp with a torn meniscus in his left knee, which he hurt in December in a game against the Panthers. In that game he had nine catches for 200 yards and two touchdowns. That was the second best receiving game ever by a Buccaneers receiver. Bryant missed three straight practices for his knee before he got on the field Friday and Saturday. The Bucs took Sunday off, and on Monday Antonio was back on the sideline with swelling of the knee, he was hoping not to need surgery, but the Buccaneers want him healthy for the regular season. Bryant should be back for the regular season opener against the Cowboys on September 13 after he has arthroscopic surgery. The Buccaneers made Bryant their franchise player this year after his 83 catches for 1,248 yards and seven touchdowns for Buccaneers last season.

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