Whenever Alex Anzalone returns to the field, there will be risks. The Lions veteran LB spoke about those, and the options he’s weighing for this week’s Vikings finale.
Detroit Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone’s status for the team’s finale against the Minnesota Vikings appears to still be in the air.
On Thursday, Anzalone participated in his first non-walkthrough practice since breaking his left forearm in Week 11 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was not a fully-padded practice and he was sporting a brace on the arm, but according to the team’s official injury report, he was a full participant in the practice.
After practice, Anzalone openly admitted his arm is not 100 percent—but was quick to note that no player is 100 percent at this point in the season. Still, there are some additional risks he would have to accept if he were to play in the Lions’ regular season finale—which will decide whether the Lions get a first-round bye in the playoffs or go on the road for the opening Wild Card game.
“Obviously, the doctors and the trainers, they go through what the risks are: Waiting a week, waiting two weeks, going through practice, maybe letting it spin next week or the week after that or this week,” Anzalone said. “So I think that for me personally, I think it’s like, ‘Okay, say if something did happen, would I be okay not playing in the Super Bowl?’ So I think that’s kind of the decision I have to make in my own head, and is it worth it?”
Anzalone, like the Detroit Lions, has never been to a Super Bowl, and it’s important for him to keep the bigger picture in mind when making a decision like this. Of course, the doctors play a big part, too.
“It’s a collaborative effort,” Anzalone said. “They do a really good job in the training room, our team docs. They don’t really try to put us in crazy harm’s way. Obviously, that there are risks of playing with injury, coming back, but at the same time, they do a really good job of getting you ready and putting you out there prepared and when they feel comfortable. I think part of my voice and how I feel definitely goes into it, but that’s really it.”
The Lions defense has undoubtedly suffered in Anzalone’s absence. With Detroit down three other linebackers (Derrick Barnes, Malcolm Rodriguez, and just now getting back Jalen Reeves-Maybin), the Lions have gone from allowing just 16.6 points per game through 11 games to 30.0 points per game in the last five weeks. Getting Anzalone back would undoubtedly be huge.
“Alex brings a lot of vet experience back into the room,” second-year linebacker Jack Campbell said. “He’s been in the system, knows what AG (defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn) wants, and he’s a great leader, great communicator. So it would be good to have him back.”
But there are still so many unknowns with Anzalone’s injury. As much as they’ve tried to simulate it, he’s yet to tackle a player to the ground since breaking the arm. It’s impossible to know how he’s going to feel during and after a collision like that until it actually happens. And how much different is it going to feel in one week, two weeks, a month?
“How much more healing is there going to be in the next week or two, the safety of it, that’s what goes into weighing what happens,” Anzalone said.
Lions coach Dan Campbell is expected to give an update on Friday morning, and game designations will come later that afternoon.
