Just how much time Patriots guard Logan Mankins will miss after recovering from knee surgery has been a mystery all offseason, and that remains the case following last week’s minicamp.
In a surprising piece of news that first became public in March, Mankins needed major knee surgery after it was revealed that he played in the Super Bowl not knowing that he had a torn ACL. From the beginning, there were conflicting reports about whether Mankins would be available by the start of the season, and the conflicting reports continue.
ESPN.com reported this morning that Mankins appears headed for the Physically Unable to Perform list, and he’s expected to sit out at least the first six weeks of the regular season. That report suggests that veteran offensive lineman Robert Gallery was signed as a stopgap measure at the start of the season while Mankins is out.
The Boston Herald, however, reports that Mankins is starting to look good, and suggests that his health is not a concern.
So which report is right? The Patriots are as tight-lipped about injuries as any NFL team, so we’re not going to hear much more than what we’ve already heard. It would be rare for a player who needed ACL surgery in February to be on the field in Week One, but probably no more rare than a player continuing to play without realizing he had a torn ACL.