Walter Jones Misses Practice with Back Spasms, Undergoes MRI

by John Morgan on Aug 3, 2009 12:08 PM PDT

It's pretty quiet on the training camp front, but this update from Danny O'Neil should raise some eyebrows.

LT Walter Jones missed his second day of practice after suffering back spasms. Coach Jim Mora said it's nothing too serious, and Jones was slated for a nearly full slate of team drills on Sunday until his back locked up. Jones did have an MRI taken, though.

The long and the short of it is Jones is 35 years old and entering his 13th season in the league. The microfracture knee surgery he underwent last season is the most serious surgery of his career. Should it be successful is will alleviate pain in his knee. But no matter how successful it cannot cure the strain of an NFL season. The strain of twelve NFL seasons before it on a now 35 year old body. So this kind of stuff is going to come up. Hopefully it's nothing. Back spasms are a painful bastard, but back spasms go away. Usually. But Walter Jones is nearing the end and we don't need to know exactly how it will end to know that it will soon end.

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Compensation for the knee injury?

Didn’t Matt’s back problems start with knee problems?

by ninjasocks on Aug 3, 2009 12:11 PM PDT reply actions

I thought it was the other way around with Matt.

by BrianL on Aug 3, 2009 12:25 PM PDT up reply actions

I'm almost at the point where I think we should be looking at the future now.

I.E. moving Locklear to LT and Willis to RT. Not that I don’t think Walter’s capable, I’m just looking at the chemistry and future of the offensive line as a whole.

by djafrot on Aug 3, 2009 12:14 PM PDT reply actions

Not a horrible idea,

but then what if we draft a Russell Okung type with a middle first round pick next year? It’s not as if Locklear at the RT and Willis at RG is bad on-the-job training for LT and RT, respectively, and the O-line in general seems to be getting a decent amount of practice at other positions.

by LantermanC on Aug 3, 2009 12:40 PM PDT up reply actions

I was at the camp today, was looking for him everywhere.

Walter, Curry, and Trufant were not even on the sidelines that I could find. Then leaving I heard this on the radio. I know back spasms are not always the most serious of issues, but to have them interrupt his rehap is not a good thing.

by cashless on Aug 3, 2009 12:31 PM PDT reply actions

Could just be cautionary though.

An old experienced vet coming off of surgery, and minor/lingering pain would probably have the coaching staff think twice about making him work too hard in training camp. Same goes for Kerney and Hasselbeck.

by LantermanC on Aug 3, 2009 12:42 PM PDT up reply actions

Curry?

I thought he wasn’t signed yet.

"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."

by Fearless Frog on Aug 3, 2009 2:20 PM PDT up reply actions

With the reports on what type of person/teammate/leader he was,

I would not have been surprised to see him “supporting his teammates.” So I looked for him. However, in a working environment like that, I realized that being there and not practicing could be worse than not being there.

by cashless on Aug 3, 2009 2:48 PM PDT up reply actions

Could have sworn I saw Tru....

by thebyron on Aug 3, 2009 11:04 PM PDT up reply actions

#23?

"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."

by Fearless Frog on Aug 4, 2009 11:52 AM PDT up reply actions

Maybe you did.

At no point was I confident that I had identified all of the people not in uniforms on the sideline, but when I was watching DBs and defense I never saw him watching.

by cashless on Aug 4, 2009 1:49 PM PDT up reply actions

It must have been a mental lapse.

A bunch of people were wearing his jersey and I got confused. My apologies. (To be fair, I have been licking toads all day….)

by thebyron on Aug 5, 2009 4:51 AM PDT up reply actions

Take this for what it's worth...

but several years ago I tore the MCL and PCL in my right knee. Within months I developed a pinched nerve in my lower back. I’m no football player, I’m significantly small than Walt, and my profession is far less taxing, so I can only imagine the collateral damage to other parts of his body resulting from micro-fracture surgery. More than just the procedure on his knee, it’s these things that concerned me about his future.

I'm gonna go calm submissive on your ass.

by Dukeshire on Aug 3, 2009 12:40 PM PDT reply actions

me too

I’ve been watching these guys working out recently while suffering from a pinched nerve in my back that developed while I’ve been rehabbing a rotator cuff injury to my shoulder. Aches and pains do seem to bounce around the body once you start favoring or rehabbing a body part.

It just makes me marvel at how tough these guys are to go through this grind year after year. I’m concerned, but I have a feeling that nothing is going to stop Walter from lining up for the first snap in September. Whether he can make it 16 games is another story.

by Stevo's on Aug 3, 2009 4:59 PM PDT up reply actions

Apparently, Robbie Tobeck piloted his boat near the VMAC and starting playfully yelling at Walt to go practice.

Or something. There are differing accounts of what he exactly said.

"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."

by Fearless Frog on Aug 3, 2009 2:23 PM PDT reply actions

SLOW DOWN.

Micro-fracture is a big surgery and to be back to were Walt is already is quite the jump. Mora and his staff need to work Walt out, but keep him from contact until a week or two before the first preseason game. Last I checked he has played 13 years at a probowl level, he needs to heal and be ready for the “real” season, not week one of camp.

by JustinWF on Aug 3, 2009 8:00 PM PDT reply actions

As it'd been talked about (somewhere, dunno remember where)

this year isn’t same ol same ol for Walt. New ZBS being implemented. I dunno what kind of kid gloves they are or aren’t handling his knee. Maybe they have been cautious. Maybe they ought to be more. I dunno.

by jacobstevens on Aug 3, 2009 10:44 PM PDT up reply actions