UPDATE: Tannehill has sprained ACL and MCL - no tear, no surgery!

Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill sustained a sprained ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and MCL (medial collateral ligament) in his left knee that won’t require surgery, coach Adam Gase said Monday.

Gase hasn’t ruled out Tannehill playing at some point in the final three games, the Dolphins are preparing for backup quarterback Matt Moore to start on Saturday night against the New York Jets in the Meadowlands.

JEGnj wrote:Great News. Tanny will be back getting sacked and throwing picks before the end of the season.

DolFan 316 wrote:

JEGnj, I have never said this to you before but you need a forum timeout. Enough is enough. Dr. 316's prescription is deep breathing exercises and spending more time with family the rest of the week.

JMP wrote:LOL  But not a real timeout...we don't have those silly rules here!  

JEGnj wrote:JMP gets it. He had a good season but some people(not really on this page) are treating him like Brady, Rodgers, or Brees. He is a serviceable QB but he is NOT franchise or elite. If there is an opportunity to get a better QB either FA or draft I don't want them to pass thinking Tanny will be the man for anther 10 years.

JEGnj wrote:JMP gets it. He had a good season but some people(not really on this page) are treating him like Brady, Rodgers, or Brees. He is a serviceable QB but he is NOT franchise or elite. If there is an opportunity to get a better QB either FA or draft I don't want them to pass thinking Tanny will be the man for anther 10 years.  

white1 wrote:IMO Tannehill has already reached the level of Alex Smith, and still has room to grow.

Here are Smith's stats this year to date.  The table is hard to read, key point is Smith rating of 92.7, while Tannehill has a 93.5.  

G GS Comp Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Sck SckY Rate Att Yds Avg TD FUM Lost
2016 Kansas City Chiefs 12 12 267 397 67.3 2,831 7.1 12 5 26 134 92.7 34 56 1.6 2 6 4

Smith only had one season that was significantly different, and that was 2012 when he posted a 104 rating in his last year with the 49ers.  I fully expect that Tannehill is capable of that kind of season, and better, and for more than just one year.  

I understand the comparison.  But IMO Tannehill is already there, and I expect him to get better.  

Team doctors performed what is called the Lachman test that showed enough instability to cause them to believe Tannehill tore the ACL. Well, the ensuing MRI suggested Tannehill only has a sprain.
But the dicey part of all this medical jargon is that a sprain is by definition a partial tear.

So while Tannehill does not have a full rupture, his ACL is indeed partially torn. That’s in the MRI he had. And unlike the MCL that heals itself through rest and regeneration, the ACL does not regenerate.

So the only way Tannehill can get that knee stable again is by hoping scar tissue builds up in the area to cover the partial tear -- which isn’t as good as having a new ACL -- and by strengthening his quadriceps so much as to provide added stability. Tannehill would also wear a left knee brace perhaps the rest of his career to ensure even more stability.

But here is the uncomfortable part: Players who have had partially torn ligaments can be more susceptible to a complete rupture later on.

This should remind of Robert Griffin III because in 2012 that quarterback sprained his lateral collateral ligament. And after sitting out a game, Griffin returned to action with a brace. And in the playoffs he completely ruptured the LCL and his ACL and has never been the same again.

No, the Dolphins will not rush Tannehill back on the field in RG3 fashion. But they do plan to play him next season.

So if Tannehill ever takes the field with partially torn ACL that wasn’t surgically replaced, but that rather was stabilized with scar tissue and strength training, it will seem as if he was patched back together rather than rebuilt as good as new.

And that seems a hard way for anyone, even SuperQB, to stay healthy.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/armando-salguero/article120512268.html#storylink=cp

rightchea wrote:a partial tear is better than a full even if he out for the rest of the season that means that he can get better sooner. It sucks that Miami has been put in this situation especially since Miami so close to making the playoffs this season.