NFL injury coverups in full swing
DAMAGE CONTROL: Broncos, Raiders among teams conspiring to hide hurt from rivals
Denver’s quarterback hobbled on a walking boot. Oakland’s wouldn’t discuss the mangled pinky on his throwing hand.
Welcome to December in the NFL, when just about every player on the 32 rosters is nursing something beyond just the usual aches and pains.
Trevor Siemian, the Broncos’ second-year passer, on Sunday night had his best day yet in his first year of starting. Although he got walloped repeatedly by the Kansas City pass rush, Siemian threw for 368 yards — a career high — and two touchdowns in the overtime loss to the Chiefs.
On Wednesday, we learned courtesy of Mike Klis of Denver’s KUSATV that at some point in overtime, Siemian sprained a foot. Siemian did not practise Wednesday, is listed as day-to-day and for now is wearing a protective boot.
Siemian is “a little sore … nothing too crazy,” Denver head coach Gary Kubiak told reporters, according to NFL.com.
Kubiak would not state whether Siemian can play Sunday at Jacksonville for the 7-4 Broncos.
“Really, not looking too far away,” Kubiak said. “Want to take it one day at a time.”
Denver’s archrival in the AFC West, Oakland, has its own quarterback-injury issue to worry about.
Derek Carr dislocated the pinky on his throwing hand in two places in the second quarter of Sunday’s win over Carolina. That sidelined him for a time, but when replacement Matt McGloin struggled big-time as the Panthers rallied to take a lead, Carr came off the bench to heroically rally the Raiders (9-2) to victory.
On Wednesday at his weekly news conference, four days before the Raiders play host to the desperate, 6-5 Buffalo Bills, Carr hid his hands in his hoodie’s front pocket. Carr gave the same pat answer to all questions about the status of his injured pinky:
“It’s great, thanks for asking.”
Setback for Sammy?
This can’t be good. Buffalo Bills WR Sammy Watkins had to be pulled from Wednesday’s practice by trainers after he experienced soreness in his left foot, according to the Bills.
That would be the same left foot Watkins had surgery on in May, which caused him such lasting soreness that he had to go on IR in late September. Watkins was reactivated only last week.
If this indeed is a setback for Watkins, it could crush the Bills’ playoff hopes. They’re 6-5 and probably need to win out to snag an AFC wild-card playoff berth. This week’s game sets up as the toughest to win: at Oakland.
At least two other Bills receivers appear to be long shots to play Sunday: Robert Woods (sprained knee) and Percy Harvin (illness migraines). Neither practised Wednesday.
Detroit to Buffalo
In a strange transaction, Buffalo signed Logan Thomas off Detroit’s practice squad. He was a quarterback in college at Virginia Tech, and tried to latch on in the NFL as a passer since Arizona drafted him in 2014. But after Miami and the New York Giants dumped him this year, Thomas decided to change positions and give tight end a try.
Thomas admittedly knows he has a long way to go at the new position. The Lions signed him just on Monday as such a project player.
The Bills are no different. Thing is, because they signed him off Detroit’s practice squad they have to keep Thomas on their active 53-man roster. Get that? As the season’s climax of importance nears, the Bills just committed to keeping a player on their roster they know cannot play at his position any time soon.
“This is a real developmental-type guy,” Bills head coach Rex Ryan said. “His hands are like ‘this big’ and he’s got this 6-foot-6 height, and he’s very athletic … Is it a project? Yes, certainly it’s a project. Don’t anticipate him doing anything right now. He doesn’t know the plays or anything.”
Diggs update
The Minnesota Vikings hope to get their Diggs in Thursday against Dallas. Stefon Diggs, that is.
The team’s top playmaking wide receiver missed last Thursday’s loss in Detroit with a knee injury, after becoming the first NFLer ever to catch 13 passes in consecutive games earlier in November.
But after being a limited participant in Minnesota’s practices on Monday and Tuesday, Diggs was a full participant Wednesday.
So was cornerback Terence Newman, who missed the Detroit game with a neck injury.
Don’t be alarmed
It’s late in the season. It won’t take much of an injury, if any, to compel coaches to withhold aging starters from Wednesday practices.
Don’t be too alarmed the rest of the way to hear that various stars have missed practices.
New England QB Tom Brady (right knee), TE Rob Gronkowski (lung) and WR Julian Edelman missed the Patriots’ session on Wednesday, according to the Boston Globe.