The Jaguars were in a state of shock as they left the field this morning, following a practice that caused star left offensive tackle Tony Boselli to be carted from the field after suffering an injury in the area of his right knee.
Boselli underwent surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament in that knee in January of 2000. He was a starter in all 16 games last season, and his recovery from the ACL surgery was judged to have been complete.
"It was pass-protection on the backside. He pivoted to take the rusher on. He twisted his knee," coach Tom Coughlin said in relaying Boselli's account of the injury's circumstances.
"I'm very concerned about a great football player and where he's at medically right now," Coughlin added.
Boselli was taken from the field by a motorized cart. Boselli was on his back with his right knee in a bent position. An ice bag had been taped to the knee.
"Why do these things happen to people who play as hard and prepare as hard as he does?" Coughlin said when asked if he felt cursed by injuries that continue to decimate the Jaguars' ranks. Of course, the team most recently lost wide receiver Keenan McCardell for a month to hernia surgery.
"He practiced superbly yesterday," Coughlin said of Boselli. "He's been very aggressive and vocal; doing an outstanding job with leadership."
Boselli was replaced at left tackle by Gannon Shepherd, a first-year player who has no NFL game experience. Of course, right tackle is being manned by rookie second-round pick Maurice Williams.
"I'm not going to say because I haven't thought about it," Coughlin said when asked what he might do to stabilize the situation at tackle.
Vic Ketchman is the Senior Editor of Jaguars Inside Report, the official team newspaper of the Jacksonville Jaguars. One-year subscriptions may be purchased by calling 1-888-846-5247.
