Kansas City Chiefs GM says Justin Houston didn't re-injure himself in playoffs
While the Kansas City Chiefs contemplate the possibility that star linebacker Justin Houston could miss the 2016 season, the team isn't looking back and wondering "what if?".
General manager John Dorsey insists the team was very careful about Houston's return from a hyperextended left knee suffered in November when it activated him for the playoffs.
Speaking on a conference call to reporters, Dorsey said "No, he did not reinjure it (in the playoffs). The training staff, they all had a plan together to kind of work through this thing. There was a timeline estimate and he slowly began to get out there and practice, and you could see that everything was ... I mean, it was good, it was stable, it functioned."
Houston even went to famed orthopedic surgeon James Andrews for a second opinion in December and Dorsey says he was also given the all-clear there. Then in February, Houston returned to Dr. Andrews who found that his ACL was attached but "not functioning properly." Dr. Andrews then performed ACL surgery that is expected to sideline Houston anywhere from 6-12 months.
But Dorsey says there was no sign of the injury in playoff win over the Houston Texans that Justin Houston returned for.
From The Kansas City Star:
"It was a long process," Dorsey said. "As it unfolded and you come back and they run an MRI on the thing and everything is there (in December), then you have to think that's very positive.
"But then when they went back in February ... they came back and had some other findings."
But was there any way to see the ligament was not functioning properly before Houston saw Dr. Andrews in February?
"No," Dorsey said. "One, he played in the (Texans) game. And two, when you go to a man as renowned as Dr. Andrews ... I mean, everybody who plays this game, if they go to a second opinion, the majority of them go see Dr. Andrews. And when Dr. Andrews comes back and gives you something that's positive, that's a good thing."
