WaitingForNextYear

Well, that was brief.  After missing the first portion of the season while recovering from a hip injury, the 12-year veteran Ryan Tucker has been placed on the Injured Reserve with a knee injury – promptly ending his season.

Upon returning from his four-game absence, Tucker was a huge part of the Browns shocking win over the New York Giants on Monday Night Football.  Unfortunately, he could not stay away from the bumps and bruises and has not seen the field since said victory.  In the official press release, Tucker exclaimed his optimism for Next Year.

“I’m looking forward to getting my body completely healthy and returning to play in 2009,” said Tucker. “This has been a tough process, first working my way back from a hip fracture and now having to recover from a knee injury. I know that once I’m healthy, I still have a lot of playing days ahead of me.”

If you’re a Browns fan out there that has a bit of skepticism regarding Tucker’s future, I can’t say I blame you.  The 315-pound Tucker missed four games last season, and seven games in the season prior.  An integral part of the line, there is no denying that this is a pretty big blow for the second half of the year.

Wide receiver Steve Sanders was added to the active roster, taking Tucker’s spot.  With Donte Stallworth questionable for this week thanks to a quad injury, this may be a sign that we may not be seeing much of him against the Ravens this week.  Given the magnitude of this game, there’s no denying the impact that possibly missing both players will have on the results.  Stay tuned…