Colts’ centre Saturday undergoes knee surgery
Indianapolis Colts’ centre Jeff Saturday underwent successful arthroscopic knee surgery and will begin rehabilitation immediately.
The surgery was apparently performed to remove a “loose body”. The Colts were hush about the extent of the injury and would not reveal when Saturday would be able to play, though it is speculated he could be out of action as long as six weeks, meaning he’d miss the start of the season. He has returned to the team’s training camp in Anderson, Indiana where he’ll begin his recovery.
Saturday is unquestionably the anchor of the offensive line. The 11-year veteran has remained consistent and very durable for the team, only missing six games since 2000, when he won the starting job.
He is also a four-time Pro Bowler and has delivered snaps to Peyton Manning throughout Manning’s career.
The Colts have signed undrafted lineman James Williams out of Harvard to provide some depth in Saturday’s absence. The Colts have moved up third-year centre Jamey Richard to practice with the first-team offence.
Colts’ owner Jeff Irsay commented on the extent of the injury: "With scopes you never know,'' he said. "We've seen guys come back in two weeks, you see some guys come back in six weeks. You're hoping it's the shorter side of the scale. It just depends on the guy, how quick he can rebound.''
The Colts are still unsure of what they’ll do in their preseason opener against San Francisco on Sunday. Traditionally, the Colts insert their starters for about 10 plays in the first preseason game. However with Saturday’s absence, the team will likely have to break tradition, at least regarding their offensive line.
Colts’ coach Jim Caldwell claims that injuries are all a part of football: “I told the guys there would be some adversity in training camp," Caldwell said. "The best thing is if you can come out of camp with a little more experience and depth, and we've had that happen before. We hope that can happen again. But we've got to keep on getting better. No excuses just keep getting better."
It certainly will be tough without Saturday, but the Colts have proven time and time again in the past that they never let injuries slow them down. If Saturday misses the first couple of games of the season, the Colts will simply adjust as they always do.
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