NFL Injury Bug Strikes Linebackers AGAIN
By Erik Lambert
Dec 22, 2013; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills middle linebacker Kiko Alonso (50) against the Miami Dolphins at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Buffalo beats Miami 19 to 0. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
As if the linebacker position hadn’t dealt with enough ailment before the NFL season was even underway. It seems the dreaded injury bug claimed another victim.
Kiko Alonso appears done for the Buffalo Bills
What did the linebackers ever do to the injury bug? Seriously. The 2014 NFL season isn’t even started yet and some of the most prominent names at the position are going down like corn stalks during the harvest. Count Buffalo Bills rising star Kiko Alonso among the wounded. During a workout in Oregon while also rehabbing from hip surgery was apparently when the injury occurred. The Bills are awaiting tests and are hopeful but sadly expect the worst. In other words it’s likely a torn ACL, which will end his season. Alonso was a revelation for the Bills in 2013, amassing 159 tackles and four interceptions, coming so close to winning Rookie of the Year. Now the team may have to find a way to play defense without him.
Sean Lee and Jon Beason among several other victims
The crazy part of the entire thing is that Alonso is just the latest of several high-profile NFL linebackers hit by a nasty injury. It really started when Dallas Cowboys captain Sean Lee tore his ACL during minicamp practice. Then Sean Weatherspoon of the Atlanta Falcons following, tearing his Achilles. The New York Giants were next as 2013 hero Jon Beason broke his foot. This isn’t event counting the hefty suspensions dealt to Darryl Washington and Robert Mathis, or even the lingering absence of NaVorro Bowman who suffered an ugly knee injury in the NFC championship. Is the linebacker position suddenly cursed in 2014?
If the losses keep mounting, NFL fans may have to consider it.