Eagles doctors discovered an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in defensive tackle Mike Patterson’s skull following last year’s lockout. A brain AVM is a tangle of blood vessels in the head. Doctors ultimately cleared Patterson to play football in 2011, putting off treatment until after the season.
Patterson underwent surgery in January, and the Eagles were convinced he’d be healed by training camp, after six months of rehab. Head trainer Rick Burkholder revealed to reporters Sunday evening, however, that Patterson is not recovered and will not participate in training camp.
As relayed by Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Patterson has been placed on the non-football injury list with “no timetable for return.” Burkholder stated Sunday that the organization believed Patterson would be healed by now, “but he’s not,” and “it could be a couple months” before he’s ready to play football.
If Patterson fails to receive medical clearance before Week One, the Eagles could place him on reserve/NFI, costing Patterson the first six regular season games. They could reevaluate his recovery after that point. For now, it looks like Patterson won’t be ready for the start of the season.
Patterson has been a starter for the Eagles since his rookie season in 2005. In 15 games last year, he collected 35 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Philadelphia will likely ask more of first-round pick Fletcher Cox during Patterson’s absence.
Either way, for a team we like to bounce back in 2012, this was not an ideal start to camp.
source: PFT.com
author: Evan Silva
photo: Getty Images via Yahoo Sports!
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