This entry is part 7 of 14 in the series In the Training Room

In the Training Room

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According to WLFI Channel 18′s Anthony Calhoun, Anthony Gonzalez is expected to be out for an “extended period of time,” up to several weeks, due to a knee injury sustained in the November 1st game against Houston.  The assumption is that he sustained the injury when Texans’ safety Bernard Pollard, an accomplished knee-killer, rode Gonzo out of bounds and drove him into the turf.

Coltzilla does not have any inside knowledge, but it is reasonable to speculate that he suffered a broken or dislocated patella (kneecap) on the play.  Updates to follow as we get them.

Update Nov 5 – it is now being reported by John Clayton that Gonzo’s injury is to his PCL.  One re-tweet, by CBSSportsNFL characterizes the injury as “,” though there didn’t seem to be any information in Clayton’s post to justify that assessment.  A PCL injury would not be surprising – one is typically suffered when the knee hits something hard and the tibia is forced backward without the benefit of bending the knee.  PCL injuries are also known as “dashboard injuries” because the most common mechanism of getting them is as a driver or passenger’s knees hit the dashboard in a collision.  Looking at the head-on knee-on collision Gonzo suffered on the turf thanks to Mr. Pollard, it’s not surprising that the diagnosis is PCL.

The most important question will be whether Gonzo’s PCL was torn, or merely sprained / strained.  If torn, Gonzo will need surgery and 6-12 months to rehab the knee.  If sprained, strained, or partially torn, the PCL could be in good enough condition in 2-8 weeks.  Given that Gonzo wasn’t completely incapacitated on the initial blow, I am hopeful that this wasn’t a complete tear.  However, the force with which he hit the turf makes me think that we’re looking at a recovery of at least a month, if not more.

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