Logan Mankins is a man among boys, per Adam Schefter
One year ago, on the opening Monday night matchup between the Miami Dolphins and New England, Patriots Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins tore his right anterior cruciate ligament, according to a source familiar with the situation.
Not only did Mankins finish the Monday night game, he finished the season, becoming one of the rare, if not the only, players to have played an entire 16-game season with a torn ACL.
Mankins' problems only multiplied in the playoffs. In the Patriots' postseason win over the Denver Broncos, Mankins tore the medial collateral ligament in his left knee, leading him to play the Super Bowl against the New York Giants with torn ligaments in each knee.
This sounds impossible and if it weren't Adam Schefter reporting it, I probably wouldn't believe it.
In the past, when I've heard "ACL tear" I've thought you weren't able to even walk, nevermind play a sport, and on top of that play one of the most physical positions in the sport where you're hit on every single play.
We heard that he had torn his ACL last year, but it wasn't towards the end of the season. We already thought he was tough for playing through it in the Super Bowl, but the entire season?
This brings up a lot of questions. Did Belichick and the medical staff know Mankins had a torn ACL? They must've. Why did they let him play through it? And on top of all that, how was Mankins able to play at such a high level with that kind of injury?
Mankins still was selected to the Pro Bowl last year.
