Mike O’Hara
FOX Sports Detroit
Allen Park -- Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford’s latest injury to his right shoulder “is worse” than a previous one and it’s unlikely he will play again this season, a source said Tuesday.
Stafford re-injured his right shoulder in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 23-20 loss to the New York Jets. He initially injured the shoulder in a 19-14, season-opening loss at Chicago.
In his weekly press conference Monday, Lions coach Jim Schwartz said the two injuries are not related, except that they are to the same shoulder.
Sunday’s injury is believed to be a Grade 3 separation, which would be worse than the Grade 2 separation Stafford sustained against Chicago. The first injury caused Stafford to miss five games in addition to the Lion’s bye week.
The nature of the second injury, combined with the fact only eight games remain, work against Stafford playing again in 2010.
If Stafford needed only the six-week recovery period of the less-severe first injury, Stafford would return with two games left.
Schwartz said Monday he would play Stafford again this year when he’s healthy, but doing so with only two games left might not be in Stafford’s long-term interest.
Stafford has thrown six touchdown passes and only one interception in two starts since his return from the initial injury. But some observers believe he was favoring the shoulder against the Jets. At times, Stafford appeared to rotate the shoulder in a motion that indicated he was feeling some discomfort.
He underwent an MRI exam Monday and likely will undergo further tests.
Stafford, who injured his left shoulder and right knee in 2009, has not undergone surgery on either shoulder. This season, he has been wearing what amounts to a heat patch on his right shoulder in practice and games.
FOX Sports Detroit
Allen Park -- Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford’s latest injury to his right shoulder “is worse” than a previous one and it’s unlikely he will play again this season, a source said Tuesday.
Stafford re-injured his right shoulder in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 23-20 loss to the New York Jets. He initially injured the shoulder in a 19-14, season-opening loss at Chicago.
In his weekly press conference Monday, Lions coach Jim Schwartz said the two injuries are not related, except that they are to the same shoulder.
Sunday’s injury is believed to be a Grade 3 separation, which would be worse than the Grade 2 separation Stafford sustained against Chicago. The first injury caused Stafford to miss five games in addition to the Lion’s bye week.
The nature of the second injury, combined with the fact only eight games remain, work against Stafford playing again in 2010.
If Stafford needed only the six-week recovery period of the less-severe first injury, Stafford would return with two games left.
Schwartz said Monday he would play Stafford again this year when he’s healthy, but doing so with only two games left might not be in Stafford’s long-term interest.
Stafford has thrown six touchdown passes and only one interception in two starts since his return from the initial injury. But some observers believe he was favoring the shoulder against the Jets. At times, Stafford appeared to rotate the shoulder in a motion that indicated he was feeling some discomfort.
He underwent an MRI exam Monday and likely will undergo further tests.
Stafford, who injured his left shoulder and right knee in 2009, has not undergone surgery on either shoulder. This season, he has been wearing what amounts to a heat patch on his right shoulder in practice and games.
