Ventura County Star reporter Joe Curley had some interesting things to say about the herniated disc injury that ended the season of Los Angeles Rams K Greg Zuerlein this past week.
Apparently, Zuerlein had been in pain all season despite never landing on an injury report. Special Teams Coordinator John Fassel felt like it wasn’t affecting his performance, so he was kept him on the roster. It was only until his pregame meal in Seattle that Fassel knew things were getting troublesome.
Fassel called Zuerlein’s performance “gritty,” seemingly impressed with how tough the kicker was, considering how much pain he was going through. Unfortunately, that back pain finally got the best of Greg after the game.
After the team returned on Sunday, Zuerlein couldn’t drive home. Fassel down his back seat and Zuerlein laid face down in back of his car.
— Joe Curley (@vcsjoecurley) December 22, 2017
That’s pretty dramatic and not exactly what you’d expect to happen with a kicker named to the Pro Bowl on a team that’s headed into the postseason. This is a Rams team with an excellent track record with the health of the players, so it’s quite surprising to learn that Zuerlein’s pain wasn’t reported to the press.
Coach Sean McVay has stated that Greg’s surgery was successful, and they expect him to come back next year with no issues. Honestly, it seems like it wasn’t really taken seriously by the coaching staff. A herniated disc is very painful and the fact that Zuerlein was able to kick at all in such a competitive atmosphere shows that he’s a gamer. But should he have been in the game?
This may be a question we will never have answers to. However, the one question that does need answering: can the LA Rams win without Greg Zuerlein?
Stay tuned.