Shawne Merriman - A 2008 Season Preview

Photo: Wikipedia

September 14, 2008, Invesco Field, Denver, CO.

Three weeks ago, Shawne Merriman said after seeing so many orthopedists about his knee that he felt he was a doctor himself.

Despite swelling in the joint, he continued to play through the discomfort and do pretty well in last week's season opener in Carolina, sacking Jake Delhomme and totaling 8 tackles, but left in the 4th quarter when the pain was too much.

This week, he was not so fortunate.

Early in the 2nd quarter, on a sweep to running back Selvin Young, Merriman's knee buckled while trying to get past a block of TE Tony Scheffler.

Some Broncos players said they thought they heard the knee pop during the play, as cameras caught only a glimpse of the gruesome position Merriman's knee was in as trainers rushed out to attend to the Chargers' linebacker screaming in pain. He was carted off the field and taken to a local hospital in a full leg brace.

Many criticized him before the start of the regular season for ignoring four doctors' recommendations, including that of noted Birmingham surgeon Dr. James Andrews, to have immediate surgery to repair the lateral colateral and posterior cruciate ligaments in his knee.

As a result, initial reports of this injury are tears of the two other knee ligaments, the ACL and the MCL, as well as a severe subluxation of the patella due to a potential patellar tendon tear as well as damage to the meniscus.

Now the choice is out of his hands as a complete reconstructive surgery will be necessary and Shawne Merriman will miss the rest of the 2008 season. The only question is not when he can come back, but if.

I'm no doctor, but with my grades in biology, anatomy and physiology, a few years as an EMT, and a mom who's been a nurse for 30 years means I have at least a somewhat decent understanding of medical terminology.

Shawne Merriman is not a doctor, and in no way knows better than four doctors who told him to get surgery now or risk a worse injury by playing on it.

This decision just proves his scores on the MCAT wouldn't get him into medical school in Botswana.

But then again, should we be surprised? Whether you want to call it an invincibility complex, stupidity, arrogance or stubborness, this isn't the first time he's going against the odds.

This is the man who tested positive for steroids and missed 4 games due to suspension, leading the NFL to make players who test positive for performance enhancing drugs during a season ineligible for post-season awards.

I'm not saying it's going to happen as the above story does. But, playing before having surgery sure makes the above scenario more than just a slim possibility.

If it was me, the decision would be easy. I'll have the surgery and miss the season rather than risk long-term problems and likely my career by playing with that injury.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks that.