The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/100794
������ michigan in the pros Several NFL Wolverines Out Early With Injuries F By Chris Balas ormer Michigan wide receivers Mario Manningham and Braylon Edwards were among a growing list of Wolverines to miss time with injuries entering week four of NFL action. San Diego Chargers rookie linebacker Jonas Mouton, though, was the most serious casualty, sent to injured reserve and out for the year with a shoulder injury suffered in the team���s final preseason game. Mouton, the Chargers��� second-round pick, was expected to play on special teams and will essentially be a rookie again next year when he returns to action. Manningham missed the Giants��� 29���16 win over Philadelphia Sept. 25 with a concussion suffered during a 28-16 victory over the St. Louis Rams Sept.�� 19. He told reporters Sept. 26 he���d passed a baseline test and would be cleared to play against Arizona Oct. 2. ���I���m good,��� Manningham said. ���I am going to be good.��� Manningham was reportedly experiencing sensitivity to light, preventing him from playing in Philadelphia. ���My eyes were hurting when I looked at the light,��� Manningham confirmed. Edwards, meanwhile, underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee and will miss three weeks, ESPN reported. San Francisco head coach Jim Harbaugh refused to elaborate. ���Braylon had a little procedure done,��� Harbaugh said Sept. 21. ���He���s going to be out for a little bit. I hate to speculate [how long].��� Edwards reportedly limped off after making a 21-yard catch on the 49ers��� third play from scrimmage in a 27���24 overtime loss to the Dallas Cowboys Sept. 18. ���We just hope he gets a fast recovery so he can get back out here,��� 49ers wide receiver Josh Morgan said. ���We know he loves playing this game just as much as we do. With somebody who loves to play the game, you always hate to see him go down with an injury.��� Edwards signed a one-year deal with San Francisco after spending the last two seasons with the New York Jets. Finally, former U-M defensive end Brandon Graham, the Philadelphia Eagles��� first round pick a year ago, has been sidelined since December with a torn ACL suffered at Dallas Dec. 12. Graham is expected to return around Halloween, but he���ll have to earn his job back. Graham notched 19 tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles and 13 quarterback hurries while battling various injuries last season. He lost his starting job last October to veteran Juqua Parker. ���The tempo is so much faster in the NFL,��� Graham told the Express-Times. ���The quarterbacks know exactly where the ball is going, and they get it there. You don���t have much time to react. ���I know it���s going to be a tough road [coming back], and I���m just trying to start taking it day by day. I am confident I will be ready ������ He���ll also have to prepare for a new defensive line coach in Jim Washburn, who was hired at the end of last year. He���s also confident, though, that he���ll fit the system, one he said he played in at the Senior Bowl. ���It���s not as hard for a defensive end to learn a system as it is for the inside guys. We just have to get to the quarterback,��� he said. ���This whole experience will make me a better football player. Once I get into the normal swing of things, I���ll be fine. ���The team���s having a lot of success, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Braylon Edwards (shown above left, with former Wolverine Marlin Jackson) suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee Sept. 18 and was expected to be sidelined for three weeks. photo by per kjeldson 86��� the wolverine��� ������ October 2011