Stewart's Achille's Surgery Will Not Be His Heel

Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart, who just capped of his sophomore season with an incredible finish, gaining 1,100 yards on the ground, has had surgery on his left foot.  Both Stewart and DeAngelo Williams gained over 1,100 yards on the ground this season, separately, and neither of them participated in all 16 games.  The duo known around the NFC South as Double Trouble continue to make their case as the best backfield in the game.

Stewart had surgery on his toe before even being drafted by the Carolina Panthers prior to the 2008 season.  He missed significant practice before the 2008 season, but was still incredibly effective even as a rookie. 

Stewart’s Achilles tendon injury kept him from practicing most Wednesdays this season, and even with the injury problems he was the featured back at the end of the season, when DeAngleo Williams was out with an ankle injury of his own. Stewart was a large part of Carolina winning three of their last four.

Injuries have been no stranger to Jonathan Stewart, the 13th overall selection in the 2008 NFL Draft out of Oregon.  He has overcome those injuries time and time again.  He has displayed incredible toughness and determination to play through these injuries and produce on a consistently high level.

Stewart's injuries are certainly not a positive, but his ability to play through them is.  Jonathan Stewart has set franchise records already and if he is 100 percent healthy, the sky seems to be the limit.

The 2010 season will be Stewart's third full season in the NFL and an injury-free season  would seem to spell playoffs for the Carolina Panthers, who in 2010 will have the league’s 26th rated schedule in terms of difficulty. 

An injury-free season would also seemingly mean Stewart will continue to break records and shred defenses. With Stewart and Williams anchoring the backfield and seemingly more stability at quarterback if Matt Moore continues to take snaps, the playoffs appear to be a well within reach.