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Your Houston Texans escaped San Diego without any injuries worth mentioning, but this was not the case after playing the very physical Tennessee Titans. We've already received an update on Andre Johnson's concussion status, and thankfully it doesn't appear too serious.
Now we're hearing reports that Duane Brown is recovering from "a pretty bad case" of turf toe. Tania Ganguli of ESPN has the story from Brown himself:
"Injured my right big toe," Brown said during his weekly appearance on Sports Talk Live. "It's a pretty bad case of turf toe. Just taking it one day at a time, see how it heals by the end of the week."
Brown was asked if he was a game-time decision.
"That's what it looks like right now," he said. "We have practice tomorrow, Thursday and Friday. We'll just see, man. I really can't tell you how it's gonna work out. I'd love to be out there at Baltimore this weekend. But I really don't know right now."
Ouch. From what I've heard, turf toe can be very painful and a continuously nagging injury even after a few weeks of healing. Anyone who owned Antonio Gates in fantasy football a few years ago should be an expert on turf toe. For those who didn't, here's an explanation from WebMD:
The most common symptoms of turf toe include pain, swelling, and limited joint movement at the base of one big toe. The symptoms develop slowly and gradually get worse over time if it's caused by repetitive injury. If it's caused by a sudden forceful motion, the injury can be painful immediately and worsen within 24 hours. Sometimes when the injury occurs, a "pop" can be felt. Usually the entire joint is involved, and toe movement is limited.
Short of surgery, the only real treatment is plenty of rest and immobilization of the foot, which leaves Brown very doubtful (in my mind) for the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. I'm sure there are ways of temporarily relieving the symptoms long enough for the All-Pro left tackle to play, but the injury will surely linger.
Here's hoping the injury isn't as severe as he thinks it is. In case you're wondering, Ryan Harris is the primary backup at LT.