The Carolina Panthers have less than two weeks to decide whether or not defensive end Jared Allen can muster the strength to compete in the Super Bowl after missing the NFC Championship Game with a broken foot.
Allen, 33, injured his foot in a 31-24 NFL divisional playoff win against the Seattle Seahawks on Jan. 17. With two weeks to get healthy before facing Denver, however, the gritty veteran is working a harder than ever in hopes of potentially playing in the first Super Bowl of his 12-year career.
“I’m excited for the fact that he’s got two weeks to get ready, and prove to me that he’s ready to roll, which I believe he will knowing him,” Panthers coach Ron Rivera told the Charlotte Observer. “That’s just who he is.”
After an MRI confirmed that Allen had indeed sustained a fracture in his foot, Rivera decided to hold him out of Sunday’s victory 49-15 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship – a decision Allen lamented at first, but later praised.
“I love coach, I have nothing but respect for him and I respected his decision. Obviously, I wanted to be out there, but he must have had a crystal ball; he knew something I didn’t,” Allen told Black and Blue Review. “The guys played great and I’m just excited to get back on the field and play one more game.
“I’m ready to rock and roll. It’s going to be the longest two weeks in the world getting ready for this game.”
On Monday, Rivera told reporters that Allen could have potentially played in last week’s contest, but there were other factors that went into the decision. According to Rivera, Allen could have been active, but aggravating the injury further would have put him out of the game and left Carolina with just three defensive ends.
With another week to heal, however, have Allen’s Super Bowl prospects increased?
If you ask Dr. Ian S. Goldbaum, a board certified podiatrist with over 30 years of experience, the decision to let Allen play will ultimately come down to the severity of the fracture and the ability of Carolina’s training staff to work around it.
“It really depends on how bad the fracture is,” said Dr. Goldbaum, who has offices in Delray Beach and Boynton Beach. “That’s where having a good trainer comes into play. The training staff will have to wrap and pad and offload the area in order for Allen to be able to push off of his injured foot. By looking at his x-rays, the training staff will know the location of the fracture, the angle of the fracture, and the range of motion of the fracture. With this information, they will attempt to stabilize the injury with external bandaging and padding.”
The foot is designed to withstand the considerable forces placed on it by walking, running, and jumping. There are 26 bones of the foot, connected by joints and supported by thickened ligaments to absorb the impact of movement.
As of right now, it is only being reported that Allen has broken a “small bone” in his foot, which leaves much to the imagination and limits the public’s ability to accurately diagnose the injury from afar.
“There are 26 bones in the foot and a lot has to do with whether or not the fracture is displaced,” said Dr. Goldbaum. “If it’s a Jones fracture then he’s going to eventually need surgery to put it back together. If it’s only a partial fracture of one of his metatarsals — let’s say 15% fractured — then he can certainly attempt play through the injury.”
Allen, the NFL’s active sack leader with 136, has started 13 games and recorded two sacks in his first season with the Panthers.
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