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It is training camp, and there is an injured running back. This has been the theme for the Arizona Cardinals seemingly every year now. Beanie Wells would miss time, but this year it is Ryan Williams.
Williams suffered a torn patella tendon in the 2011 preseason and missed the entire season. He missed much of the offseason workouts heading into 2012 but played in the preseason. He suffered a season ending shoulder injury in the regular season.
This past offseason, he had his knee cleaned up a bit and he was fine most of the offseason. However, now in training camp, he is having knee soreness. He was set to get a second opinion on his, but then changed because he trusts the medical staff here.
He had a message for the member of the media on Friday. "The good thing is nothing's wrong with my knee, so everything's good" he said. "It's just part of the process, I guess."
He had an MRI and everything came back fine. "Everything is healing properly,' he said.
The knee is apparently structurally sound. He is having pain, though. He says that time and treatment are what are needed.
The strange question -- why is he hurting if his knee is fine?
He says that it is his "fatty pad up under that tendon" he hurt two years ago.
Techinically, it is not a "fatty pad," but rather infrapatella fat pad, which is described as a soft tissue that lies beneath the kneecap.
In situations where forces are directed at the patella it acts as a shock absorber, thus protecting the underlying structures.
In the case of a forceful direct impact to the kneecap, the fat pad can become impinged (pinched) between the femoral condyle and the patella. As the fat pad is one of the most sensitive structures in the knee, this injury is known to be extremely painful. This condition is normally long-standing as it is aggravated by extension (straightening) of the knee joint. Hence the fat pad comes under constant irritation and may become significantly inflamed.
Williams said that it is a common thing. He cited that the team trainer has had this happen and also that Yeremiah Bell and Carson Palmer also have dealt with this before.
The way to treat it is rest, ice and heat. He does not know how long it will keep him sidelined. In the meantime, he can "ride a bike, do core work," but it is "a lot less than [he] thought [he] would be doing at this time."
He feels frustrated with the whole thing because of how hard he has worked and the timing. "It sucks that it came at this time," he lamented. "I wish it would have come in the offseason, maybe OTAs."
At some time he will be back, but he wants to make something clear.
"For everybody out there that thinks I'm hurt, I'm not hurt. It's just something that in due time will heal."
He is sore. His knee needs rest. He is reassuring everyone. While there is nothing "wrong" with his knee, he is hurt. He just doesn't have an injury, per se. It is soreness and pain.
You want to root for him because of how good a kid he is. When he is on the field, he sometimes takes your breath away.
Unfortunately, this is starting to sound like Beanie Wells 2.0, who always had something come up to keep him from being 100 percent.
Let's hope he is right and that he is evading defenders during the preseason, showing that he is going to be durable enough to make it through the season.
More from Revenge of the Birds:
- Arizona Cardinals training camp 2013: 10 observations from Friday practice
- Arizona Cardinals training camp: Bobby Massie having a 'so-so' camp
- Arizona Cardinals preseason games to air locally on ABC 15
- Arizona Cardinals training camp 2013: Dan Williams to miss some time with knee, ankle injuries; is having Pro Bowl camp
- Arizona Cardinals training camp Friday practice open thread
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