Kelce MCL, Partial ACL, Scope Will Tell
Eagles head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder said Monday that center Jason Kelce has an MCL tear and a partial ACL tear in his right knee. Burkholder said the injury isn't necessarily season-ending; he said team orthopedic surgeon Dr. Peter DeLuca will do an arthroscope Tuesday and assess the state of the ACL. If it doesn't need repair, the Eagles might decide to brace the knee and let it heal on its own, in which case Kelce might be sidelined only 4 to 6 weeks.
Kelce MCL, Partial ACL, Scope Will Tell
Les Bowen, Daily News Staff Writer
Eagles head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder said Monday that center Jason Kelce has an MCL tear and a partial ACL tear in his right knee. Burkholder said the injury isn't necessarily season-ending; he said team orthopedic surgeon Dr. Peter DeLuca will do an arthroscope Tuesday and assess the state of the ACL. If it doesn't need repair, the Eagles might decide to brace the knee and let it heal on its own, in which case Kelce might be sidelined only 4 to 6 weeks.
Burkholder said around the league, treatment of similar injuries has been a "mixed bag." If DeLuca determines the ACL tear requires surgical repair, Kelce will be sidelined for the season.
Eagles coach Andy Reid said Dallas Reynolds will continue as Kelce's replacement. The team would seem to need to make a roster move to add a backup (Julian Vandervelde? Jamaal Jackson?) but until it is sure what the prognosis is for Reynolds, that's a tough call. Reid raised the issue of the new IR designation, which allows for one player to go on IR and return that season. But you don't want to use that slot for Kelce now and have DeLuca find tomorrow that there is no way Kelce is coming back in 2012. So, bottom line, there almost certainly won't be a roster move today.
Reynolds talked to reporters today about stepping in cold against the Ravens, about his three years on the practice squad, and about his unfortunate name; Reynolds joked that he was affronted the first time he walked into a meeting room and saw "Dallas Sucks" on the white board.
Reynolds said that it actually probably was better he "didn't have time to think about anything" when Kelce went down in the middle of a TD drive in the third quarter.
"Your training and your preparation just kind of pays off and takes over," Reynolds said.
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Reid said left tackle King Dunlap (hamstring) will start this week at Arizona if he's healthy, but Reid indicated that is unlikely. Reid acknowledged Demetress Bell did a starting-quality job stepping in for Dunlap against the Ravens.
Reid said Jeremy Maclin added another hip contusion on top of the one he had and is sore. No indication of whether he'll be able to play.
Other injuries didn't seem serious -- Colt Anderson hyperextended his other knee, the one that didn't have the ACL tear, Jason Babin sustained a slight ab strain but continued to play.
- Actually, Joe Flacco couldn't throw a spiral after Graham racked him up in the third quarter...JPP is too busy hazing players like a dope to be laughing at anything.
— bearsfriend - Jamaal Jackson, if he's still available...— coachc
- Two wins by LUCK!!!!!!!!!!! These birds are stil a bunch of losers who Philly is dancing for joy because they won Two games! Wait until they play the NFC East like the NY GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!! Your going down and the city will be in tears once again as the NY Post has said before!!!!!!!!!!! EAGLES SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!— MRD
- What are you talking about MRD? The Eagles went 5-1 in the east last year without making the playoffs. I say they dominate the East again this year but make the playoffs.. — grimm39
- The loss of Jamaal Jackson set the team back, let Reynolds play but bring back Jackson for depth and experience. Kelce isn't over rated. At center in the nfl there is no where to hide, you are either solid or exposed.— willbert31
- Jason Peters and now Kelce, ouch! After the QB, I feel O-Line is the most important part of a football team, and I think this will hurt in the long-run as the season progresses. Just remember when Jamal Jackson got hurt against Denver in 2009, the O-Line was never the same that year after that.— co
- Is Honeybuns still in game shape?— burholme
Why hasn't anyone mention it looked like a total CHEAP SHOT by Ed Reed— attila- Man, when this guy goes in for surgery they are going to have to put a hairnet on his whole face and not just the top of his head.
- 1st of all Jamal Jackson plays for the colts. 2nd, Dallas Reynolds will be fine. Im sorry, but Kelce is severly over rated. He is excellent in the run game, few centers can do what he does on run plays and screen, perfect for this system..problem with that is we throw the ball primarily in Philly..and he is average in pass protection. No one talks about the fact that he ranked dead last, last year allowing the most qb hurries out of all the centers in the league? Most important thing you need from a center is brains. Dallas is a smart kid, and we are fortunate enough that he has been in our system for the past 3 years, and both Juan and then mudd wanted to keep him around. We cant get as cute in the run game with Kelce out, but Dallas will hold up in pass protection, and he will make the right calls...and thats all that really matters when yuo got a 2nd team center in the game— johnGiam
- johnGiam, how would you have any idea how good Reynolds is? He's been on the practice squad for a few years for a reason. Otherwise a team would have scooped him up long ago, like Tampa did with Vandervelde.— watsonmr
- I swear I saw that beard in a 70s movie starring Ron Jeremy. How did Kelce get it? That aside, I hope he comes back strong - good luck big guy.— Jeffritoe
- What a shock that Kelce couldnt survive one game against the Baltimore Ravens. He looks good against terrible defenses and mediocre D-lines and then gets destroyed against big physical 3-4 dominant defenses, like 340 pound Paul Soliai of Miami who pretty much created a black-hole in the middle of the field which got shady an amazing 27 carries for 38 yards, or 1.4 yards per carry. He was a 6th round pick that is massively UNDERSIZED and it shows against dominant teams with big physical d-lines and he goes OUT FOR THE YEAR after facing Ngata for just a few quarters of play. The entire team played sloppy yesterday, 4 turnovers and a bad call by the refs handing the game to the Eagles. This style of play will not win ANYTHING this year over a 16 game season which will show especially after the 0-line got decimated out of this 1 point probably meaningless victory. Luck does not last over a 16 games season, and "luck" does not win superbowls.— CharlieGarner25
- you're right CG25, luck doesn't win Super Bowls, but superglue on the top of the helmet... that's MAGIC!!!— papabear702
- I've had an MCL injury in the past...a guy his size, plus and ACL...no way. Sit him down, and let him return when he is 100%. He's a great player, and you can't hurry this back.— MidStaterUXB
