Yet another reason to compare Detroit Lions second round pick, running back Mikel Leshoure, to Steelers tailback Rashard Mendenhall. They were both the feature back for one season for the Illinois Fighting Illini before bolting early for the NFL.
Both wore the same jersey number in college football before being taken in the same range on draft day. Now both have seen their rookie seasons lost to injury. Mendenhall was shut down on placed on IR in week four of the 2008 season after just 19 carries.
Leshoure suffered a torn achilles tendon in practice; he’s done for 2011. This is really devastating for the Lions offense, as he was expected to split carries wirth Jahvid Best, who himself has had his share of injuries. Given the nature of the tailback position: lots of wear and tear leading to numerous injuries, depth is key.
Also, we know the health history of QB Matt Stafford; therefore if there’s one place Lions fans can least stomach watching a visit from the trainer, it’s the offensive backfield.
And season ending achilles tendon injuries have been in the news a lot lately for both teams from Michigan and Illinois. Leshoure’s fellow Big Ten stars Kalin Lucas, Michigan State Spartans basketball and Dan Persa, Northwestern Wildcats football, both saw their 2010 seasons end prematurely from the same injury. Seems to be a bug that’s going around.
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site that generates millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports
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