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Carolina Panthers offensive tackle Jordan Gross returned to Bank of America Stadium on crutches Monday, eight days after the broken right leg he suffered against the Atlanta Falcons ended his season.
It didn't take Gross long to feel left out, as teammates scattered for meetings to prepare for Sunday's game against the New York Jets.
"You always make fun of (injured-reserve) guys," said Gross, watching as the door to a meeting room closed across the hall. "You say they've got the best life ever - until you're one of them. Then you realize it's so much easier just to come in and do your job."
Gross cleared up some information about the injury. Initially reported by the Panthers as a broken ankle, Gross said he fractured his fibula and tibia, the leg bones immediately above his ankle. That was the extent of the injury, however. Gross said there was no damage to ligaments or cartilage in his ankle.
"It was a perfect break," he said.
Gross, who played in the Pro Bowl for the first time last season, said the injury happened as he was blocking Falcons defensive end John Abraham on an inside running play.
"He had used an inside rip move," said Gross. "As I was (finishing the block), somebody came and hit my leg the other way. Something had to give.
"I heard it pop. When everyone hears a pop, they panic. So I said, 'Don't panic.' But I (looked) down at my calf and it was pointed to the right.
"I'm not a doctor, but I knew that wasn't good."
As Gross was carted off the field, he laughed with teammate Travelle Wharton about their tendency to be injured against the Falcons (Gross suffered a concussion in 2008 and Wharton a season-ending knee injury in 2006 in games against Atlanta). Gross then clapped to the crowd as he departed the field.
"I heard it did look nasty," he said. "But (teammates) said I didn't scream that much. That improved my street cred a little."
Gross had surgery just a few hours after the Falcons game ended. Team orthopedists Dr. Pat Connor and Dr. Robert Anderson inserted "a rod, a plate and some screws," according to Gross.
"I'll have some metal detector issues at the airport," he said.
Gross, who spent two nights in the hospital, said he'll be in a cast for another week, then go into a protective boot. He'll be on crutches for six weeks and said he expects to be healed in three months - in plenty of time for next spring's post-draft mini-camp.
"They'll probably baby me through stuff," Gross said. "But it's not a big deal. Next season, I have no concerns at all.
"Once it heals up, they say it'll be stronger than before. It should, with all the titanium in there."
Gross is missing time due to injury for a second consecutive year (he sat out one game last season with the concussion). Until then, he had not missed a game in five-plus seasons (84 games) as a full-time starter for the Panthers.
"Both times I've been knocked down, it's been pretty decisive," Gross said. "When I do it, I do it big. It's just the luck of the draw, I guess. Getting knocked out and snapping your leg don't have anything to do with longevity or wear and tear."
