I smell a rat after this incident to end Hixon's season before it starts. This knee injury has some similarity to the knee injury suffered by Wes Welker on FieldTurf very early last season, and more players than reported are restless about the matter now as well.
The investigation has begun, but it appears the NFL and the owners are trying to keep it mum for now.
After decades of complaints it took pretty much Vinny Testaverde's injury at Giants Stadium when sliding in 2000 as a New York Jet for finally everyone to ditch Astroturf, and one wonders how many more of these non-contact knee, ankle, Achilles, or hip injuries before someone figures out that maybe going to this Fieldturf is a raw deal though not as hazardous as that Astroturf.
And now I'm concerned about Commonwealth Stadium too of course.
Oh how quickly things can change for the quite the worse, and I would not be surprised if Hixon pursued a lawsuit againt FieldTurf with others future and past to follow ...
Remember the names Hixon and Welker the next time you hear of a non-contact knee injury to a player, especially to a receiver or return man, on FieldTurf.
I fear this is very sad news for Welker and Hixon and long before it is noticed by the mainstream sports media and becomes official with more bad news later. Just like HGH, few of the media types want to touch this issue until of course it becomes overwhelmingly obvious nowadays courtesy of the blogosphere taking the lead to subvert the corporate media agenda by and for itself and its cronies.
At this high level of play, like fine-tuned machines, any permanent impairment especially to the knee, however slight, curbs a player's edge no matter how much we might cheer him on for a comeback the good of the game notwithstanding Welker is the only undrafted free agent since 2004 of a short list of receivers drafted low or not at all since 1990 to become star receivers (not counting new guys still not time-tested enough since 2007 now entering only their third seasons).
Note that this very short list of such guys like Welker with low draft expectations from 1990 to 2007 who have achieved consistent performance stardom includes by my count only the following guys to make a total of seven guys with TWO of them as tight ends with superb receiving skills enough to be able to be slot receivers:
Marques Colston in the 7th in 2006
Antonio Gates (TE) undrafted in 2003
Donald Driver in the 5th in 1999
Joe Horn in the 5th in 1996
Keenan McCardell in the 12th back in 1991
Shannon Sharpe (TE) in the 7th in 1990
These receivers with low draft status succeeding to such a degree only come around basically about three times a decade amidst all the numerous busts drafted higher, so such a development with Welker is awful for the game let alone the fact that it comes from non-contact.
Expect this matter on Field Turf to re-surface in a few weeks about the time the next player is hurt by such a non-contact injury due largely to the turf. The Vikings officially declared it unsafe for at least their home field and are in involved in legal action against Field Turf as well.
On the bright side, I don't recall any such devastating knee injury in the CFL this season and let's hope we don't have to see one and lose analogously to any injury at all another great receiver like Copeland.
Here's ironically yesterday another non-contact knee injury here to end a season if not career considering Hardesty's injury history, but then again it happened on GRASS.
In all fairness, FieldTurf might seriously use this example as evidence for sake of defending themselves.
Congrats to Wes Welker for beating the long odds yet again and even the medical opinions to get this far, but we’ll be damned if this sort of article does not jinx him only after the first game!
It’s a long season even for a player NOT recovering from injury!
Welker’s NFL success makes you really wonder when you see also undersized under 30 guys do much of the same routes from the slot, yet in the CFL, like Dressler and Lewis.
I don't know if this has anything at all due to reports of injuries, but I would think that in Seattle this would not even be an item of discussion if questions about injuries from the turf were at least part of the discussion.
Go figure they are thinking about going back to grass!
Right now the talk is all about the more serious issues of concussions and prolong head trauma including after football.
These issues with knee injuries coming from the turf remain, though maybe they are improving the turf at last?
It's interesting that scouts are frowning upon any backs who played college football mostly on turf and suffered any knee injuries.
Matt Forte's career with the Chicago Bears will always be a case study in that regard, but they still use grass in Chicago and probably won't change that.
