Butler to Have Season-Ending Surgery - Wagoner

[Nick]

Butler to Have Season-Ending Surgery
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
By Nick Wagoner
Senior Writer

Jerametrius Butler’s 2005 season is over with before it ever got started.

On Wednesday morning, Butler elected to have surgery on the torn posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. The surgery will be done by Dr. Riley Williams III in New York on Monday at 8 a.m.

That surgery will signal the end of Butler’s year.

“He’s going to have surgery on the knee so obviously he is done for the year,” Coach Mike Martz said. “It will take about four months to recover and rehab that thing.

I just feel bad for J.B. I really do. He really was at the point where he was an exceptional player and was really looking forward to the season and that’s devastating to anybody. It’s hard; it’s really hard for J.B.”

Butler seemed to be in OK spirits Wednesday morning after coming to terms with his decision. The decision was not an easy one for Butler because there are athletes in the NFL that have played with the same injury.

The Giants’ Tiki Barber has played through a similar injury and played well, but Barber is a running back, a far cry from Butler’s cornerback position. With this injury, a player can run forward essentially pain free. That put less stress on the injury which is in the back of the knee.

But there is a big difference between running forward as a running back and cutting side to side and turning out of breaks as a cornerback.

“I tried to go, but some players have a PCL tear and they don’t play corner,” Butler said. “I need my leg. I backpedal, I have to plant going 100 miles an hour and without a PCL I can’t do that. I can move laterally, it’s when I backpedal or I break anyway. I can run forward fine. I can beat half of ya’ll right now. But I have to backpedal to do my job. I can’t do my job correctly without my PCL.”

Butler could actually do his job without his PCL if he had to cover members of the St. Louis media, but with the likes of Anquan Boldin, Darrell Jackson and all of the Colts’ stallions on the schedule, Butler couldn’t afford to risk playing. Had he tried to play, he might have given up some costly touchdowns, but the bigger risk was the possibility of further injury.

“His position is so unique at corner that the feeling by the doctors is to keep it stable and backpedal and plant he is going to have some difficulty with it so he’ll go ahead and do the surgery,” Martz said.

Butler injured the knee in the Rams’ first practice of training camp on July 28 on a normal play. Butler felt the knee give way, but continued to play, thinking that the injury wasn’t that bad.

But after practice he went to the training staff and complained about the pain in his knee. The staff recommended that he have an MRI done and Butler complied. In the meantime he was held out of practice.

When the results of the MRI revealed that Butler had a tear in the PCL, he decided to do some research on how other players have responded to the injury and get as many opinions from doctors as possible.

Butler ended up visiting with a pair of doctors and had a third scheduled, but after the first two knew that he didn’t need to go any further.

“I saw two doctors (and) they had the same opinion,” Butler said. “It was surprising that everybody had the same opinion. They didn’t say anything different. They recommended surgery. If two people say the same thing it has got to be right.”

It might be right, but it certainly wasn’t what a Rams’ secondary already in turmoil wanted to hear. Last year, it was starter Travis Fisher that broke his arm in the preseason causing him to miss about half the season.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Fisher will enter this season as the only starter in the defensive backfield that returns at his position from last year. With the loss of Butler, Fisher not only loses his running mate, but also the presence of a close friend.

“I’m losing my homey,” Fisher said. “I wish the surgery well. We have got some other guys that can do a good job of competing out here so someone is going to have to step up. He’s been joking around with it so I think it hasn’t hit him yet. He is playing around with it right now.”

While Butler might have a slight case of denial about his knee, but replacing his five interceptions, 22 passes defended and 100 tackles is no laughing matter. Those duties will now fall into the lap of DeJuan Groce and a number of other players.

Groce is the favorite to land the starting spot opposite Fisher right now, but there will be plenty of competition between now and then. Rookie Ronald Bartell and Corey Ivy have emerged as competitors for the spot and Kevin Garrett and Terry Fair also figure into the mix.

Martz was steadfast Wednesday in his confidence in his defensive backs.

“There are plenty of candidates at corner,” Martz said. “It’s not like we need to go out and find somebody, that’s not the case at all.”

There aren’t many cornerbacks available on the market aside from Ray Mickens, but it’s clear that Martz isn’t interested in bringing in more. Of course that could change should there be another injury or if someone falters.

“With injuries, this is the game that we play,” Fisher said. “Some people have them and some don’t.”

Unfortunately for the Rams, for the second year in a row, one of their cornerbacks is part of the some that do.

[psycho9985]

I'm glad hes getting his surgery,that way will have him for 2006.
this year he'd be a liability and possibly turn that injury into career ending,or at least hurt it bad enough that he might be out 2 years rehabing.

[rawkhrdr]

This really sucks for your already depleted secondary. Hope he is well enough to play next year. I never wish an injury on a person or a team and I always hope to face a team at full strength so we can beat them fair and square. That being said, I am looking forward to our new WR's torching your secondary this year.

[general counsel]

Do you have continued nightmares watching isaac bruce and torry holt torch young marcus truffant, who by the way i happen to think is an outstanding young corner. We both have our issues on defense, from our perspective, hopefully, leonard little will be hitting hasselback enough so that there is little or no time for him to throw.

ramming speed to you and your family, going to be an exciting season for both of us

general counsel

[gap]

Do you have continued nightmares watching isaac bruce and torry holt torch young marcus truffant, who by the way i happen to think is an outstanding young corner. We both have our issues on defense, from our perspective, hopefully, leonard little will be hitting hasselback enough so that there is little or no time for him to throw.

ramming speed to you and your family, going to be an exciting season for both of us

general counsel

The league will have a fix for this. It's called roughing the QB.

Certain teams and players rarely ever get that called in their favor, while those same teams are held tighter than the letter of the 'rule book' when they commit something close.

I watched the replay of the Cards/Dallas, and there was one hit that Warner took that would have been a flag if any other QB besides him or Bulger (Bulger because he is a RAM, and Kurt because of his outspoken Christian beliefs) took. His helmet clearly snapped backwards after the RDE hit him helmet to helmet. Yet there was no hankie on the ground.

The officials either suck really bad (only against the less favored team for some reason), or have an agenda.

gap

[KurtWarner2005MVP]

shoulda signed Ty Law.

I didn't get GC's response to rawk. he was giving his condolences and you in turn say, "ha ha, how'd you like us whooping you?!" why? he said he feels bad for us, say thanks for the sentiment and accept his cordialness. why the need to kick him when he's cool with us?

[Nick]

shoulda signed Ty Law.

I didn't get GC's response to rawk. he was giving his condolences and you in turn say, "ha ha, how'd you like us whooping you?!" why? he said he feels bad for us, say thanks for the sentiment and accept his cordialness. why the need to kick him when he's cool with us?

Pretty sure it has something to do with that closing remark of rawk's: "That being said, I am looking forward to our new WR's torching your secondary this year."