Texans coach Gary Kubiak confirmed today that linebacker Brian Cushing has suffered a torn ACL and will miss the remainder of the season.
“It’s what we thought, obviously, he tore his ACL and we lost him for the year, and he’s going to have surgery in probably two or three weeks when the swelling goes down,” Kubiak said at his press conference. “It’s a big blow for our team. You feel so bad for Brian, because he’s worked so hard, he’s playing so well, he’s the leading tackler on our team.”
Cushing was hit in the knee from behind by Jets guard Matt Slauson on a play that many Texans fans and members of the Houston media have decried as dirty. But Kubiak declined to get into all that, saying “cutting is part of football” but stopping short of directly answering whether the cut block from behind that Slauson performed crossed the line.
“That’s in the league’s hands,” Kubiak said. “It doesn’t change the fact that we’re sitting here today having to deal with losing a heck of a player. I’m more concerned with that.”
Kubiak expressed confidence that backup linebacker Tim Dobbins will play well in assuming Cushing’s spot in the starting lineup. And he expressed confidence that Cushing will work hard and return to the field as strong as ever.
“Brian’s got a brilliant future ahead of him,” Kubiak said.
But that future begins with the 2013 season.