Surgically Removing Backfield Tissue

This is me wondering why I waited so long

I remember from last season that Shawn Springs was pretty dinged up at the end. He didn't play in the Tampa playoff game and barely played in the Seattle debacle. Now he's had surgery on his abdominals that will put him out for a month. Let's see here...a month puts him back just in time for the Sunday night road game against the Cowboys. Great news, considering Ben Emanuel got cut after getting burned in Sunday's game, Kenny Wright got played in the same game, and Ade Jimoh has a chest injury. Mike Rumph, acquired in the Taylor Spurrier trade, has played 5 games the last two seasons, and missed 5 tackles in the Niners' first preseason game. Anyone want to bet a dollar Carlos Rogers is in an undisclosed location this week?

The knock on Springs when he came over from Seattle was that he was injury-prone, but I don't think he's had recurring issues. They're just piling up, and when the body starts to compensate, other places get hurt: an ankle here, broken thumb there, a shin, a cracked shoulder blade (ouch), the odd hammy, and now a hernia-like muscle tear.

The Post piece is inconclusive as to when the injury happened, but it sure is written like this is the final outcome of the back and groin injury he suffered in December against the Cardinals. If so, why is Springs just now confronting surgery? He was absent or basically absent from the playoffs last season, so maybe that would have been a hint he needed some work. Barring that, his offseason training regimen should have revealed the problem was not going away. If he aggravated an injury that was healing on its own, maybe he should have told his doctor he's a football player.

I've had abdominal surgery, right down there in the tight areas, and it's no cupcake. The doctors put me back together like steel, and even though it felt like I was ripping my guts out with every step, they assured me the stitches would hold and the pain would go down. I could barely make it from the bed to the couch on day two, so I expect he'll be a little tender through September.

And what's up with Clinton breaking bad on Gibbs for running him more than one play in Sunday's game? Yes, I agree with you Clinton, that preseason politics are again in vogue, but blaming Coach for your injury? Go out and win me some games and get me some home field advantage throughout and you'll get some time off. Gibbs could have gone 15-1 against the hapless Eagles in the 1991 closer but chose to rest his starters for the playoffs, which the Skins had a week to prepare for. They wound up losing that game to the Eagles and Jeff Kemp, their fifth starting quarterback for the season...but that's a story for another post...


Shawn Springs: photo by Eric Espada