Detroit Lions running back Jahvid Best to start the season on PUP list – NFL News
Running back Jahvid Best will not be able to play in the first six weeks of the season as Detroit Lions have put him on the PUP list.
The announcement came on Monday, August 27, 2012, as Lions listed their 75-man roster for the start of the season.
At earliest, Best will be able to play in Week 7 of the regular season. After sitting out the first six weeks of the season, Best can be activated within the next three weeks by Lions.
In the next three weeks, Lions will have a chance to include Best in their 53-man squad. If Lions do not activate Best in the designated time, he will be unable to play for the rest of the season.
Best has been out because of this injury since Week 7 of the 2011 season when he suffered a concussion while playing against San Francisco 49ers.
It was not the first time that concussion had hurt Best badly. Best’s college career also ended with an injury to his head.
Lions have no choice but to put Best on the PUP list as doctors have still not cleared him to be fit enough to play.
Lions head coach Jim Schwartz has previously insisted that concussion related injuries tend to take more time to recover. Schwartz said:
"Particularly with concussions, time is always beneficial. You've seen that with a lot of other guys that have come back. (The PUP) would buy us time if we had to cross that hurdle."
Best, on the other hand, has insisted that he is ready to play. Only last week, Best showed his frustration on being kept out of the game. He said:
"I think just in terms of everything that's been going around with concussions, everybody's being extra careful. If this was four or five years ago, I probably would have played last season. Now that everything's under a thin microscope, it takes a lot longer."
In absence of Best, running back Mikel Leshoure will be the starter for Lions, but he too will be out for the first two games of the coming season as he faces suspension by the National Football League (NFL) for substance abuse.
Therefore veteran Kevin Smith will play in the first two games at running back position.
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