Hobbs refutes retirement reports; Justice has successful knee cleanout
Ellis Hobbs isn't retiring just yet, and Winston Justice's left knee cleanout apparently did not indicate a need for career-threatening microfracture surgery.
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Ellis Hobbs isn't retiring just yet, and Winston Justice's left knee cleanout apparently did not indicate a need for career-threatening microfracture surgery.
Those were the major nondevelopments of the day in Eagles Nation.
There has been speculation about Hobbs' possible retirement since the 27-year-old corner and kick returner suffered his second serious neck-disc injury in as many seasons, on a kickoff return against the Giants Nov. 21. That setback ended his season after eight games, the exact number of times Hobbs took the field in 2009 before injuring his neck and requiring surgery.
"No!" Hobbs said yesterday, as a reporter started to explain that he was calling about weekend reports saying Hobbs definitely will retire. "I haven't done anything. I'm just relaxing."
Hobbs played last season under a 1-year, restricted free-agent tender. Given his medical history, it might be hard for him to find a team willing to take such a risk, even if he did decide to try to continue to play. It's probably true that the Eagles don't expect Hobbs to try to play again. But in the end, the decision will be his, and Hobbs insists he hasn't made it yet.
Justice, meanwhile, underwent what the Eagles called an arthroscopic debridement - a cleanout - by Dr. James Andrews yesterday in Birmingham, Ala. A report in the Wilmington News-Journal had said Justice might need microfracture surgery, in which the surgeon drills holes in the kneecap in an attempt to grow cartilagelike tissue where there is none. Results are often less satisfactory than for more straightforward tendon repairs.
In any case, the Eagles said the cleanout was a success and that the team expects Justice to make a full recovery for the 2011 season.
Justice was injured against the Texans on Dec. 2 and missed three of the final four games. He started in the wild-card loss to Green Bay, but was pulled in favor of King Dunlap in the fourth quarter after being called for three penalties.
Attempts to reach Justice last night were unsuccessful.
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