Update: David DeCastro injured in Steelers’ preseason win at Buffalo
Update: 4:05pm, Sun. – David DeCastro dislocated his knee cap, tore his MCL and suffered some damage to his patellar tendon. His ACL is OK, but this is still very bad news for the rookie and the Steelers organization. Sources say it is now unlikely that he will return to the line-up this season.
As someone who happened to recently do all the same damage that DeCastro suffered back in June, it’s been three months and no chance I could play football at any level at this time.
Looks like Ramon Foster will indeed be the starter this season at right guard. Not a bad option considering his experience at the position.
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Preseason games have been becoming a big injury concern for many coaches around the NFL. Continuing with that theme, the Steelers’ 38-7 rout of Buffalo Saturday night may have come at a price.
The biggest loss of the night for Pittsburgh was an injury to first round draft pick David DeCastro. ESPN’s Adam Schefter just reported that DeCastro has a torn MCL and the team is awaiting an MRI at lunchtime to check on the ACL.
Best case scenario: DeCastro has just the torn MCL, he will miss approximately half of the season. Worst case scenario: DeCastro’s ACL is torn as well as the MCL, he will miss the entire season.
Aug 25, 2012; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers rookie offensive guard David DeCastro (66) is down injured during the first quarter in the game against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. DeCastro was taken off the field on a cart. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-US PRESSWIRE
No one wants to see injuries to any player, but the team had such big expectations for DeCastro. He was getting all the hype after being the top guard in the draft and was living up to it in Tomlin’s eyes. Pittsburgh will expect Ramon Foster to slide back into the starting role while DeCastro is out.
Also on the injury front, Brett Keisel suffered an ankle injury late in the first quarter and did not return. Tomlin seemed optimistic about Keisel being able to return to full health soon.
There is no prize for winning preseason games, but they are needed to some degree. They don’t count for anything, but preparation is key for regular season.
There has been talk before trying to reduce the number of preseason games to two, but that was also when there was talk of extending the regular season to 18 games. Extending the season is not a good choice and neither is reducing the preseason.
It is tough enough for rookies to make the team as it is, with not much time to show their capabilities. Reducing their opportunities is not the answer for the proven vets.
Injuries are part of the game, unfortunate but nonetheless necessary. With one preseason game left expect a lot of time by the younger guys for one last look.