Broncos’ Sanders didn’t have one, but two ankle surgeries
Ex-Patriot: Brady joining 49ers in ’20 not farfetched
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Emmanuel Sanders’ comeback was more complex than he had let on.
The Denver Broncos’ 32-year-old receiver revealed this week he had surgeries on both ankles in the offseason, one to repair his left Achilles tendon, which he tore in practice in December, and one to fix a severely sprained right ankle a month later.
Sanders recounted fans approaching him at the mall last winter and asking, “How’s the Achilles doing?” while pointing at the boot on his right foot.
“I’m like, ‘I’m good. But it’s not my Achilles. It’s actually my ankle,’” Sanders said Tuesday. “But I kind of kept that under wraps because I didn’t want you guys writing stories of hey, there’s no way he can battle through two surgeries. So, I just said I’m going to keep it under wraps and let you guys know once I get myself back healthy and feeling good.” He’s at that point now.
BRADY: Before Tom Brady grew into the greatest quarterback in NFL history he was a kid from San Mateo, Calif., who dreamed of playing for the 49ers. Could Brady’s dream, put on hold for decades, finally come true at age 43?
One of his former teammates went as far as saying if Brady ever plays for anyone else but the Patriots, it would be for his hometown 49ers.
Ex-NFL defensive end Chris Long wrote a guest column for Sports Illustrated in which he speculated perhaps there’s an outside chance Brady would utilize the optout clause in his recently signed contract to head back home.
First off, as Long speculates, “the largest unconfirmed rift in professional sports” would need to come to a head and Brady would have to break free from coach Bill Belichick. While Long sounds dubious about any real troubles between the two, the truth is if Brady wants to move on he’ll be able to after the season.
Andrew Luck will likely miss the rest of the preseason with an injury near the front of his left ankle.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard says he isn’t sure if the injury will keep Luck out of the Sept. 8 season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Indy’s starting quarterback has been dealing with lower leg pain since straining his left calf in March. Luck missed all of the team’s offseason workouts and has not participated in any full team drills at training camp.
PATRIOTS: Former UNM defensive back D’Angelo Ross cleared waivers Tuesday and was reverted to New England’s injured reserve.
The Patriots put Ross on the waived/injury list with an undisclosed injury Monday.
Ross, an undrafted rookie who had an impressive pro day at UNM, was reportedly impressing in training camp.
Also, quarterback Danny Etling’s tenure with the Patriots has come to an end.
The team completed a trade with Atlanta on Tuesday to acquire tight end Eric Saubert for a conditional draft pick. The Patriots released Etling to make room for Saubert on the 53-man roster.
Etling, a seventh-round pick out of LSU in 2018, spent last season on the practice squad. After the Patriots drafted Jarrett Stidham in April, Etling tried to convert to wide receiver. But competition at the position pushed him far down the depth chart.
GIANTS: New York wide receiver Golden Tate has learned the appeal of his fourgame suspension for a violation of the NFL’s policy on performance enhancers was turned down.
The decision by an independent arbiter was announced Tuesday and means the 10-year-veteran will miss the first four games of the regular season, starting with Dallas on Sept. 8.
Tate, who signed a $37.5 million contract as a free agent with the Giants in March, announced the suspension in a Twitter post on July 27. He said he intended to appeal it and felt his case had merit because he was using a drug prescribed by a doctor.