Jeff Backus Has Surgery On Torn Bicep Muscle

by Sean Yuille on Jan 10, 2012 7:09 PM EST in Detroit Lions News

Detroit Lions offensive tackle Jeff Backus, who will soon become a free agent, had surgery on Monday to repair his torn bicep. It's unclear exactly how long Backus will be out because of the injury, but Jim Schwartz did say that Backus will "miss a significant portion of time." However, Schwartz also said that he doesn't expect Backus' injury to last into training camp.

It remains to be seen if this injury will affect Backus when free agency begins. Even without the injury many have speculated that the Lions will move in a different direction, but I'm thinking the opposite will happen. Even with the injury, I think it's likely that Backus will be re-signed to a deal for one or two years. Dominic Raiola thinks Backus will be back, and based on some of Schwartz's comments yesterday, I think Backus is still considered an important part of the offensive line going forward.

"He's been a very, very consistent player over the course of his career. I think that last year we saw him have a couple rough outings early in the year and settle down and had a really good year. I think this year he had some rough outings early in the year, but again, being the veteran he is, he was able to settle down and hold that position down and do a good job for us there."

If the Lions actually had somebody waiting in the wings to replace Backus, I could see them moving on. Considering there is nobody really ready to step in and take over the left tackle position, chances are Backus will be around for another year or two while the Lions groom his replacement.

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I think we have to resign him to a short term deal too.

He is our best option at left tackle right now so he needs to be on the roster. If he gets beat for his spot, so be it but whoever is the left tackle earned the job.

"Detroit doesn't pat itself on the back, it gets the job done."-Barry Sanders

"All I can say is, that boy ballin’," said wide receiver Calvin Johnson on Matt Stafford

by Enforcer on Jan 10, 2012 7:18 PM EST via mobile reply actions

Agreed. We have no other good options now, and a decent replacement is not going to just fall to us.

I hope he’s willing to take a moderate pay cut for a chance to keep some other guys and get back into the playoffs.

No slogans. Just win!!!

by drgarnett on Jan 10, 2012 8:28 PM EST up reply actions

Torn bicep may take from 6 months to a year

Depending on the type of tear, the complete recovery may take anywhere between 6-12 months. I injured my biceps in the gym once and it took me almost 8 months before I could hit the gym again. Lets hope its not serious and he makes a quick recovery to be back before the preseason. As of now he is the best option we have at LOT. It wont be surprising to see the Lions draft someone like Mike Adams who might be available at 23 in the first round when we draft. It will be interesting to see if they go to the free agent market to sign someone. Jared Gaither might be an excellent option and may be interested in a long term deal (a hometown boy). Or maybe this is the time for the heir apparent Jason Fox to realize his potential and take up the role he was signed up 2 year ago.

by MotownMauler on Jan 10, 2012 9:28 PM EST reply actions

home town boy?

I’m almost positive Gaither is from the D.C. area. That was one of the main reasons why when the Ravens drafted Oher and all the trade talks came up about him, he said he wanted to stay closer to home and didn’t want to leave the area for anyone but the Deadskins

by Motown_Soldier on Jan 10, 2012 10:20 PM EST via iPhone app up reply actions