Ben out 4-6 wks with MCL sprain. No ACL tear

[ETL]

Profootballtalk.com reporting this after MRI was done tonight.

(Sorry I can't post link but the new IOS 9 is wrecking havoc with copy and paste on my iPhone safari)

[st33lersguy]

Long enough to put a dent in our playoff chances if Vick doesn't play better than he did today

[86WARD]

Posted this in the other thread as well:

Okay so this is defintely a good thing to come out of this...let's just pray for 4 instead of 6.

Baltimore
@San Diego
Arizona
@ KC
Cincinnati
Oakland

I think they could go 3-3 over that stretch...I think the Cincy game is a definite loss with the way they are playing at the moment, but there's a lot of time between now and then. The rest of the games, I can see go either way...

[JayC]

i'll take it. i was expecting the worse.

[stillers4me]

I wonder how that Michael Vick boycott works out........

[ETL]

With our stellar defense and running game - we should be in all those games.

(I'm being serious. not sarcasm)

[86WARD]

I wonder how that Michael Vick boycott works out........

They may have to step up their boycott game!! We may see Landry Jones out there picketing with them. Probably Jeff Reed too...why you ask? Why not...

[Count Steeler]

Better than season ending.

Here's hoping it is only 4 weeks.

[teegre]

With our stellar defense and running game - we should be in all those games.

(I'm being serious. not sarcasm)

I completely agree.

[Steelman]

A bone bruise in the knee is what is complicating the recovery timeline. Basic MCL is usually 4 weeks, thus the additional 2 for the bone bruise.

Hopefully Ben recovers quickly and can make it back in 5 for Cinci.

[teegre]

Some more good news:
Baltimore is reeling, and the Chargers game will be after 10 days' rest.

If the Steelers win both of those, and split the next 4, I'd be ecstatic.

[steelreserve]

It's great news that it's nothing worse than that.

However, let's not kid ourselves. You can come back from that injury in 4-6 weeks, but then you have a season like Polamalu in one of his nagging-injury bouts. You come back in 4 weeks, obviously aren't yourself ... the next week you put a foot wrong and miss the next 2 games ... then it basically messes up the rest of your season from there on. That injury really doesn't fully heal until you've had 3-4 months of just staying off it.

I'm super-grateful this is all it is, but even if we hold serve with Vick in there, it's tough sledding.

[fansince'76]

However, let's not kid ourselves. You can come back from that injury in 4-6 weeks, but then you have a season like Polamalu in one of his nagging-injury bouts. You come back in 4 weeks, obviously aren't yourself ... the next week you put a foot wrong and miss the next 2 games ... then it basically messes up the rest of your season from there on.

True, but I don't expect Ben to be hurling his body all over the field like a guided missile when he comes back either.

[steelerdude15]

It was better than what we thought the outcome was going to be. I hope Ben has a full and speedy recovery.

[Steeldude]

With our stellar defense and running game - we should be in all those games.

(I'm being serious. not sarcasm)

Huh? Stellar defense?

[j-d-s]

With our stellar defense

That was four years ago - our times of having a stellar defense ended when a guy named Tebow roasted us...

[Edman]

Could've been ten times worse.

The Steelers can still salvage this season if things don't fall apart too much with Vick.

[fansince'76]

That was four years ago - our times of having a stellar defense ended when a guy named Tebow roasted us...

I'd say it ended before that, like back in 2009 when they surrendered 5 4th quarter leads with several of those losses coming against bottom feeders.

[Edman]

I'd say it ended before that, like back in 2009 when they surrendered 5 4th quarter leads with several of those losses coming against bottom feeders.

I'd say it ended in Super Bowl XLIII, where the Defense blew the first double digit lead in Super Bowl history.

Since then, the Defense went from championship caliber to still sorta good, before finally bottoming out.

[steelreserve]

True, but I don't expect Ben to be hurling his body all over the field like a guided missile when he comes back either.

Well, I hope not, but remember when he had the high ankle sprain a few years ago and tried to play on it? That was not good, and I'm hoping it's not like that.

[j-d-s]

I guess Ben at 80% of what he's been doing lately is still better than any backup QB... plus, this time around we got a decent O-Line (credit to Coach Munchak) so he doesn't have to run for his life all the time.

[TD's & Beer]

Wrap it, wear a brace, take the needle, he'll be back in 3, we were going to lose the next 4 games anyway

[polamalubeast]

Good News....It could be worse....I hope the steelers can survive with Vick....

[fansince'76]

Well, I hope not, but remember when he had the high ankle sprain a few years ago and tried to play on it? That was not good, and I'm hoping it's not like that.

He definitely did come back too early in that instance. However, the OL and the running game are both a LOT better now, yesterday notwithstanding.

[TD's & Beer]

If he can get back by week 9 then he can limp through the Raiders and Browns then the bye...rest up for Seattle

[Buckinnuts]

Bret Favre it...a brace and pain pills..he will be just fine...

[polamalubeast]

The defense is far from perfect, but at least they are not historically bad.

There is hope that the Steelers can survive, but I hope that Vick will do the job.

[lipps83]

Bret Favre it...a brace and pain pills..he will be just fine...

Exactly. Give it two weeks rest. This week and next and he should be ready for the Chargers game. Just put a good brace on it, not a Kmart brand. Hell, immobilize it completely, I don't care if he can't swing his leg.

All he should miss is the Ravens game. He isn't running anywhere. He just stands for 95% of the game. Shouldn't be a problem.

[fansince'76]

Exactly. Give it two weeks rest. This week and next and he should be ready for the Chargers game. Just put a good brace on it, not a Kmart brand. Hell, immobilize it completely, I don't care if he can't swing his leg.

It helps to be able to step into throws though. Throwing up wounded ducks isn't going to help the cause.

[ALLD]

Walk like this dude.