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Davis has potentially career ending surgery on right knee

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    Davis has potentially career ending surgery on right knee

    Davis has potentially career ending surgery on right knee

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Carolina running back Stephen Davis had microfracture surgery on his right knee and the surgery is potentially career threatening.

    But the Panthers downplayed the severity of it Wednesday. Backup running back DeShaun Foster had the same procedure in 2002 and didn't miss a beat, but wide receiver Patrick Jeffers had it and never played again.

    ``I think everybody is different,'' Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said. ``Stephen is competitive and has drive and determination. It was just done and it will be a process that takes several months. We'll take it as it goes.''

    Davis played in only two games this season before having arthroscopic surgery Sept. 17 to clean out torn cartilage in his knee. He played in one game after the procedure, but every time he tried to practice, his knee would swell.

    Carolina put him on injured reserve last week, and he had the procedure Tuesday that requires doctors to drill holes into the kneecap.

    When Foster had similar surgery, he missed one season and came back for a solid 2003 campaign. But Davis is six years older, and has a history of injury problems: He's played just one full 16-game schedule in his eight NFL seasons.

    Davis turns 31 in March and has three years remaining on his contract. Although he ran for a franchise-best 1,444 yards last season, he ended this year with just 92 yards rushing.

    Hurney said Carolina hopes Davis will follow the same rehabilitation path as Foster, who underwent microfracture surgery in October 2002 and returned to practice the following summer for training camp.

    Unsure of how effective Foster would be, the Panthers signed Davis before the 2003 season, a move that allowed them to ease Foster back into the lineup.

    If the Panthers follow a similar plan with Davis, he could begin next season as a backup to Foster, who is out this year with a broken collarbone.

    ``We haven't talked about a timetable at this point,'' Hurney said.
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  • Nick
    Panther RB Stephen Davis fails physical
    by Nick
    Panthers' Davis likely to be placed on active/PUP list
    Thursday, July 28, 2005
    By Len Pasquarelli
    ESPN.com

    Still rehabilitating from knee surgery, three-time Pro Bowl tailback Stephen Davis will not be ready to practice at the outset of the Carolina Panthers training camp, and the club is expected to place him on the active/physically unable to perform list on Friday.

    Team officials have conceded that Davis, who played in just two games in 2004 and who underwent the controversial microfracture surgery on his right knee, will not pass the club physical upon reporting to camp. By placing him on the active/PUP list, the Panthers then have the option of removing Davis at any time in camp, once he passes a physical.

    Carolina reports to camp at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C., Davis' hometown, on Friday and the team's first practice is Saturday morning.

    "It's something that was anticipated," said general manager Marty Hurney, who said that Davis has not suffered any setbacks in rehabilitation, and is on pace for recovery. "It will give him some more time to rehab."

    Davis, 31, will not be able to practice with the Panthers until he passes a physical. The team has offered no timetable for when he might be able to return and there remains some speculation that the knee surgery could eventually force Davis into retirement.

    The microfracture procedure, in which holes are drilled into the kneecap to promote the blood flow to the area, has produced mixed results over the years for other players. It was used on Davis in an effort to curb the severe swelling that plagued the veteran tailback in the early part of the 2004 season.

    Backup tailback DeShaun Foster, the heir apparent to the starting job and a talented back who provides a different dimension than Davis, also is coming off an injury-filled season in which he appeared in only four games because of a shoulder injury. The speedy Foster, a legitimate outside threat, has suffered through knee problems in the past. The Panthers addressed their uncertainty at the position in the draft, selecting former Louisville star Eric Shelton in the second round.

    Shelton was still not signed on Thursday but there were indications a deal is close. With the situation so unsettled, the rookie figures to log plenty of snaps if he is in camp.

    A nine-year veteran, Davis helped power the Panthers to a Super Bowl XXXVIII berth during the 2003 season, rushing for a career-best 1,444 yards. But the heavy workload he has carried during a career that also featured seven seasons with the Washington Redskins has clearly taken a physical toll on him.

    Davis has carried 1,725 times for 7,326 yards and 53 touchdowns. He has four seasons in which he rushed for 1,000 yards but also averaged 324 carries in the four years in which he started 14 or more...
    -07-29-2005, 10:38 AM
  • RamWraith
    Will Davis sign with the Rams ... or not?
    by RamWraith
    By Jim Thomas
    ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
    08/24/2006



    It was strictly unintentional, but the Rams couldn't have drawn more attention to Stephen Davis' free-agent visit had they tried.

    About 20 reporters were gathered in the hallway outside the Rams Park locker room Wednesday afternoon for the daily interview session with players. Here came Davis, the three-time Pro Bowler and two-time NFC rushing champion, in for his workout with the team.

    Cameras and tripods set up in the indoor practice facility for the regular interviews, were quickly ushered outside the room so Davis could run in privacy for Rams coaches and front-office personnel.

    Normally media-shy to begin with, Davis left Rams Parks later in the afternoon without speaking to the media. And without signing a contract.


    League sources said Davis received a contract offer.

    Rams president of football operations Jay Zygmunt would only confirm that discussions will be ongoing with Davis, 32, who visited Philadelphia on Monday.

    From 1999 through 2003, Davis was one of the most highly regarded running backs in the NFL for Washington, and then, Carolina. He topped 1,300 yards

    rushing four times in that stretch, recording a franchise-record 1,444 yards in 2003 for the Panthers' NFC-championship squad.

    But Davis also averaged 300 carries a year over that stretch. And that kind of workload takes a toll. He played in only two games in 2004 because of a right knee injury that required microfracture surgery.

    He started 11 games in 2005, rushing for 549 yards and 12 touchdowns. But the knee problems cropped up again, and Davis eventually was replaced in the Carolina starting lineup by DeShaun Foster. Davis was placed on the injured reserve list Dec. 17. On March 1, he was released by the Panthers two days before he was to receive a $1.05 million roster bonus.



    The knee apparently checked out OK in St. Louis. Davis is believed to have passed his physical here, but he left town before the results of all tests were completed.

    As if to free up a roster spot for the addition of Davis, the Rams released cornerback Dwight Anderson on Wednesday afternoon. Anderson played in three games with the Rams last season, recording five special teams tackles.

    The interest in Davis is believed to be more of an attempt to shore up the No. 2 spot rather than a reflection of concern about Steven Jackson's durability. Jackson received an injection in his foot earlier this week to calm down what coach Scott Linehan described as a tendinitis problem in the heel. But Jackson practiced Wednesday.

    The current top backups are Tony Fisher and Moe Williams. Fisher has eight carries for 35 yards and a TD in the exhibition. Williams has 12 carries for 30 yards and a TD.
    -08-24-2006, 05:14 AM
  • RamWraith
    Davis believes Rams are perfect fit
    by RamWraith
    By Jim Thomas
    ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
    09/02/2006



    It seems like forever since Stephen Davis paid his free-agent visit to Rams Park. But as Davis quickly corrected, "I was here last week."

    Davis, it seems, answers questions like he hits the hole at running back: quickly and to the point. And yes, it was just last week -- Aug. 23 to be exact -- when Davis worked out for the Rams.

    "I had to go back home and talk to my wife and get the OK from her," Davis said, "and my mom and my kids, and just work out some things that we needed to work out."

    With his wife Dee Dee's blessing, Davis signed what was believed to be a one-year, $810,000 contract with the Rams on Friday. Davis said Philadelphia was in the mix as well, but in the end he believed that St. Louis was a better fit.
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    "I've been in a similar system before early in my career," Davis said Friday at Rams Park. "The running game is similar to what I had back in '99 (in Washington). It's a great fit for me. Downhill running, play-action pass. You've got some receivers here that can get open and open up the running game."

    Davis is a three-time Pro Bowler who led the NFC in rushing in 1999 and 2001 with the Redskins. His career high in rushing came in 2003, when he helped get Carolina to the Super Bowl with 1,444 yards.

    But time and knee problems slowed down Davis the past two seasons. He was limited to two games and 92 yards rushing in 2004 with Carolina because he needed microfracture surgery on his right knee.

    He began the 2005 season as Carolina's starter and gained 549 yards with 12 touchdowns. But as the season progressed, Davis' knee regressed. He was placed on the injured reserve list Dec. 17. On March 1, the Panthers released Davis two days before he was due a $1.05 million roster bonus.

    "It wasn't a shock," Davis said of his release. "I saw the direction they were going in. And I had some great years there. They really believed in me. That's all you can ask for, somebody that believes in you and gives you the opportunity to come in and help the team win. That's what I did.

    "I have no regrets. They have a great coaching staff there, great owner, and I really appreciate them bringing me in. But now, it's something new and I'm ready to get where...
    -09-02-2006, 04:59 AM
  • RamWraith
    Davis Visits, Doesn't Sign
    by RamWraith
    Thursday, August 24, 2006

    By Nick Wagoner
    Senior Writer

    A day after the hoopla surrounding the arrival of running back Stephen Davis at Rams Park, things had settled down considerably.

    Davis, who was in town for a visit, a physical and a workout for Rams’ brass on Wednesday, left St. Louis without signing a contract and as of Thursday afternoon, nothing seemed imminent on that front.

    “We brought him in for a physical, gave him a little workout,” coach Scott Linehan said. “He looked like he is as good as ever. We’ll see. We haven’t moved any further than that.”

    Davis visited with Philadelphia on Monday and left there without coming to terms on an agreement as well. Davis had been thought of as one of the top backs in the league as recently as 2003.

    In 2003, he posted a career-high 1,444 yards for Carolina, a number that still stands as a franchise record. For his career, Davis has rushed for 7,875 yards and 65 touchdowns in 10 seasons with Washington and the Panthers.

    Despite his success in recent seasons, Davis has played in just 15 games the past two seasons, including a 2004 season in which he played in only a pair after a right knee injury that required microfracture surgery.

    After parting ways with Carolina in the offseason, Davis waited until recently to begin looking for a new home. The Panthers released him on March 1 and Davis has waited patiently for another opportunity to come along and to ensure that he was in the best possible physical condition.

    Linehan said Davis looked good in his workout Wednesday.

    “I just wanted to see him move, make sure there isn’t a noticeable limp of any kind,” Linehan said. “I wanted to see him cut, mostly the cutting type things. He did some routes. He did a little bit of going through bags and agility type stuff, but nothing overly extensive other than we wanted to see his movements and make sure he looked like he is running pain free. He looked very good.”

    Since the Rams placed backup Marshall Faulk on the physically unable to perform list early in the preseason because of his own knee surgery, they have been in a perpetual search for a true No. 2 running back.

    Tony Fisher currently holds the position, but he is more suited to a third-back type of role. St. Louis signed Moe Williams after failing to acquire Michael Bennett in a trade. Williams is also coming off microfracture surgery.

    Fisher has eight carries for 35 yards and a touchdown and Williams has contributed 12 carries for 30 yards and a score in the preseason. Fred Russell has also made an impression during the exhibition games, but there is little doubt that Linehan and the Rams have been looking for more help at running back.

    “I don’t think it was like we were keeping it a secret that we are still looking for a No. 2 type back,” Linehan...
    -08-24-2006, 06:54 PM
  • RamWraith
    Texans' Davis in danger of being cut
    by RamWraith
    WOW! How big is not drafting Bush now?

    Aug. 29, 2006, 5:40AM

    If season started today, Lundy would be No. 1 on depth chart

    By JOHN McCLAIN
    Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

    Running back Domanick Davis, the Texans' career rushing leader, is in danger of not making the team this season.

    Davis, who missed five games in 2005, has not practiced since the first week of preseason because of a bruised left knee that is unrelated to the arthroscopic surgery he underwent on the same knee in December.

    Unlike Wali Lundy and Vernand Morency, Davis has been unable to be on the field to impress his new coaching staff, specifically head coach Gary Kubiak and offensive coordinator Troy Calhoun. Kubiak said Monday that if the regular season began today, Lundy would start against Philadelphia.

    Each day, Kubiak grows more concerned about Davis' lack of availability. The roster will be reduced to a final 53 on Friday, one day after the Texans close the preseason at home against Tampa Bay.

    "I'm very concerned," Kubiak said. "There's not much we can do about it, but I'm very concerned about that situation.

    "It'll be a tough decision for the final 53. We'll make the decision based on what's best for Domanick and the team."

    The Texans will have several options. They can make Davis, 25, part of the final roster and wait for him to get healthy. They can place him on waivers. They can put him on injured reserve, which means he wouldn't play this season. They also could trade him, which is unlikely because he's damaged goods.

    Davis, 5-9 and 227 pounds, can't be placed on the physically unable to perform list because he passed a physical before training camp.

    Asked what has to happen for Davis to be on the 53-man roster, Kubiak said: "We have to see something that shows he's making a lot of progress. Before the game Thursday, we'll probably have a sit-down with Domanick, the doctors, possibly his agent and everybody involved in the process, to see where he is. That's going to be a big call.

    "The farther we go without him being on the field, the tougher that decision becomes. And when I say tough, it doesn't necessarily mean that Domanick won't be on the 53-man roster. If he's definitely making progress and everybody thinks he's going to be able to play, then he will be (on the roster)."

    Davis was on his way to a third consecutive 1,000-yard season a year ago but came up 24 yards short because of the knee injury. The surgery removed part of his lateral meniscus.

    Davis didn't participate in the Texans' offseason program while rehabilitating his knee. When camp began, he was on the practice field for two days before suffering the bruised knee that has him sidelined.

    "I see a guy that's done everything...
    -08-29-2006, 05:09 AM
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