Doc doesn’t know what gives him a bigger headache between being a sub-.500 team in the Razzball Writers’ League or all of the quarterback concussions suffered last week. This time it’s the concussions that felled Michael Vick, Jay Cutler and Alex Smith.Â
More concerning was the injury that felled Ben Roethlisberger on Monday night against the Kansas City. Roethlisberger got slammed shoulder-first into the turf in the first half and didn’t return. Byron Leftwich finished the game as Pittsburgh picked up an overtime win.
Big Ben has been diagnosed with an SC injury. The SC is short for sternoclavicular which is where the sternum (breast bone) meets the clavicle and is a rather serious injury. This was the same thing that felled Arizona QB Kevin Kolb in week 4 against Buffalo. Kolb hasn’t played a down since. If Big Ben has the same injury, I’d be surprised to see him back on the field in the regular season. The only reason Pittsburgh won’t put him on IR is they would still want him available for a playoff run should the Steelers make the postseason.
Without him, the Steelers WRs see their value take a hit. It’s already bad enough Antonio Brown is still recovering from the ankle injury he sustained against the Giants in Week 9. Brown’s ankle is still reportedly the size of an Olympic softball so his prospects for Week 11 look a little dim.
Then again, with the Steelers taking on Baltimore two of the next three weeks their health prospects also look dim.
As for the other QBs, Smith reportedly threw a touchdown pass against the Rams while experiencing blurred vision. He’s been cleared to play Monday against the Bears but your vision would have to be blurry to start him this week.
Cutler got his bell rung and yielded to Jason Campbell for the rest of the game against Houston. He continues to be treated for his concussion and is not expected to play Monday night.
Vick’s brains got more than a little scrambled last week and we saw Nick Foles take over the rest of the way. With the Eagles adjusting their offense to Foles, this looks like it could be a rest of the season injury for Vick. Philly has dropped five in a row. With HC Andy Reid’s rump getting toasty on the hot seat, Vick might not be coming back this season. It’s still too early to make that call but this doesn’t look promising.
Green Bay is expecting to get Jordy Nelson  back for this week’s game against Detroit. Nelson went down early against Arizona with a leg injury but has healed up over the bye week. The Packers will also be starting James Starks (turf toe) at running back over Alex Green coming out of the bye.
Washington will have a healthy Pierre Garcon for the first time since week two. Garcon’s foot injury kept him from running and cutting at full speed which are two important things for a wide out to do.
Ryan Mathews is listed as a game-time decision as he has been battling a neck injury. Matthews hasn’t practiced the last two days so check this afternoon’s injury report for a more concrete idea about his status.
Beanie Wells is expected to be back in week 12 after being sidelined with turf toe earlier this season. Not like it matters that much as the Cardinals are dead last with 3.4 yards per attempt behind a leaky offensive line.
Darren Sproles is back to a full practice after missing time with a broken hand. Sproles will make the backfield in New Orleans into a four-headed monster but all of those heads could produce against a shoddy Oakland defense this week.
Julio Jones (ankle) is a game-time decision for the Falcons after missing two days of practice this week. I’d be surprised to see him not play after he was able to talk his way back into the game last week and still perofrmm at a high level.
Jim Harbaugh, the head coach of the 49ers, underwent a procedure yesterday to help with working on an irregular heartbeat. News reports indicate it’s a minor procedure but it’s still concerning when he’s only 48 and undergoing this kind of treatment.
 And finally, some speed rounds.
Giants RB Ahmad Bradshaw will undergo tests this week on his neck that has been ailing him; the G-Men are on a bye…Packers LB Clay Matthews has already been ruled out for this week’s game with the Lions…Cleveland RB Trent Richardson has said in the media that he feels better but is not yet 100%; use him as you usually would against Dallas this weekend…Dallas RB DeMarco Murray won’t play this week but might be back next week so this is the last week to get full value out of Felix Jones…Indianapolis will have Donald Brown in the lineup this week but don’t expect much out of him against a stout New England run defense. The Colts will already be without TE Coby Fleener…Ben Tate of the Texans has been DNP so look for Justin Forsett to be the backup behind Arian Foster when the Texans take on the Jags…Darren McFadden is at least a week away from coming back to action.
As always, leave your questions or comments below and good luck in week 11.
–Doc
