49ers linebacker Jaimie Winborn out for the season with a career threatning injury!

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TONE DOG THE 01

TONE DOG THE 01

Sicc OG
#1
May 8, 2002
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#1
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) -- San Francisco 49ers linebacker Jamie Winborn could miss the rest of the season after team doctors discovered a bulging disc in his neck Friday.

Winborn apparently was injured earlier in the season, but the promising third-year pro didn't notice it until experiencing pain in practice Wednesday.

An MRI exam revealed the startling diagnosis of a herniated disc -- a serious neck injury that could have resulted in paralysis.

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``Every 10 minutes I have to think about it and say, 'Man, I can't believe this. Is this really happening?' `` Winborn said. ``But it's just something that I'm going to have to deal with, and hopefully I'll bounce back.''

He is listed as doubtful for the 49ers' game against Pittsburgh on Monday night, but coach Dennis Erickson said Winborn probably is headed for injured reserve for the second straight season.

``I just feel sorry for Jamie,'' Erickson said. ``He had a lot of injuries last year, from what I understand. Hopefully it can get straightened out. I'm more concerned about him. It's part of the game for us. We've got to solve the problem.''

Winborn missed all but three games last season with a lingering knee injury, although he didn't go on injured reserve until December. He has been the 49ers' top reserve linebacker and a key playmaker both as a pass rusher and a pass defender.

Saleem Rasheed is expected to replace Winborn's place in the 49ers' rotation of linebackers. Starter Jeff Ulbrich also is questionable with a sprained ankle, but he expects to play against the Steelers.
 
TONE DOG THE 01

TONE DOG THE 01

Sicc OG
#2
May 8, 2002
2,127
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0
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#2
Very Very Bad news! I hope the homie can recover! Not only is he a leader but also a motivator on Defense. A future Pro Bowler and a cat that can take a game over! It's only his 3rd season DAAAAAAAAMN IT!!!!!
 
TONE DOG THE 01

TONE DOG THE 01

Sicc OG
#3
May 8, 2002
2,127
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0
47
#3
ABC: PIT@SF Mon., 9:00 PM ET


By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com

For the second straight year San Francisco 49ers linebacker Jamie Winborn, one of the key players in an improving defense, will end the season on the injured reserve list.




The concern now for Winborn, and obviously for 49ers officials as well, is whether his latest injury also might end the third-year veteran's career.


Knocked backward during a play in Wednesday's practice, Winborn felt a tingling in his arm as he went back to the huddle, and an MRI exam on Thursday revealed that he has a herniated disk between the C-5 and C-6 vertebrae. For now, surgery is not recommended, but doctors will continue to monitor Winborn's condition.


The team placed Winborn on injured reserve on Friday and signed free agent linebacker Cornelius Anthony, who had been with the 49ers in training camp. Winborn spent all but three games of the 2002 season on injured reserve because of a knee injury.


"This (injury) is probably more serious, from the long-term standpoint, but every time you get hurt it's frustrating," said Winborn, a second-round pick in the 2001 draft who has been limited to just 26 appearances because of his injuries. "You feel like you're just letting everybody down: the team, your family, yourself. But I'm determined (to come back)."


Although not officially listed as a starter, Winborn plays nearly as many snaps as the San Francisco first-unit linebackers, and his loss will force the 49ers to scramble. Second-year veteran Saleem Rasheed will replace Winborn but the former Alabama standout, who has played primarily on special teams this season, has big shoes to fill.


Winborn, 24, typically plays in some "base" situations at the "plugger" position, but he is more involved in "nickel" packages, where he is superb in coverage and a surprisingly effective blitzer as well. The presence of Winborn on the field on third down contributes to the excellence of strongside linebacker Julian Peterson, regarded as one of the league's premier defenders in 2003.


In nine games, Winborn has 37 tackles and three sacks.


"He's has the same value to us as a starter," coach Dennis Erickson said of Winborn. "He is a huge part of what we do."


An articulate player who is well-grounded, Winborn is aware of the seriousness nature of his back injury and will be "very involved," he said, in the evaluation process.


The former Vanderbilt star might be fortunate that 49ers trainers recommended the MRI exam after Winborn complained of soreness in his back. Winborn was prepared just to be treated by a chiropractor and planned to play in Monday's game against Pittsburgh. The training staff insisted a more thorough evaluation was necessary.


"I know the (implications) of what may have happened if I had played (with the injury)," Winborn said. "In that sense, even with all the frustrations, I'm grateful."
 
TONE DOG THE 01

TONE DOG THE 01

Sicc OG
#4
May 8, 2002
2,127
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#4
Season Over For Winborn Back to Homepage
Friday, November 14, 2003



Winborn will miss the rest of the year.

Friday morning Jamie Winborn was placed on the injury report as doubtful for Monday night. Friday afternoon, Winborn's season was over after an MRI revealed a herniating disc in his neck that, if further damaged, could lead to possible paralysis.

“Well, we’re going to take it one step at a time right now," Winborn said after the news. "I’m blessed that we even found it right now because who knows if I would have went out during the game and that happened. It could have just been bad.”

No one is exactly sure when the injury initially occurred to the third-year linebacker. He practiced Thursday and felt pain and tingling in his neck and arm, leading team trainers to order an MRI where the herniated disc was found.

“I just got hit by the pile by a lineman and he knocked me clear in the back and I just fell. The way I fell, it wasn’t in any awkward position or anything. I just fell directly on my back and whatever it was, it just kind of triggered it a little bit," Winborn said. "I finished practice and everything and I told Todd (Lazenby) that I felt like I had a little tingle that is going down my arm. He then proceeded to take the proper actions and he was right in what he thought.”

Winborn vows that he will play again despite the seriousness of the injury.

“I definitely think that I’ll make a return," he said. "But, as of right now, we’ll just take our time and see how it progresses. I definitely think I’ll be able to come back.”
 
TONE DOG THE 01

TONE DOG THE 01

Sicc OG
#11
May 8, 2002
2,127
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#11
Damn Im pissed! This article is more detailed in what happened.

Linebacker's career in question because of herniated disc in neck
November 15, 2003
By MATT MAIOCCO
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
SANTA CLARA -- Linebacker Jamie Winborn, whose versatility has been a key to the resurgence of the 49ers' defense this season, will miss the remainder of the season because of a herniated disc in his neck.
Winborn's future in the NFL beyond this season is also in question after an MRI examination late Thursday revealed the extent of the injury.
"Man, I don't even know," Winborn said Friday when asked how he is handling the sudden news.
"Still, every 10 minutes I'm like, 'Dang, is this really happening?' But it is. I'm coming to grips with it, but I just have to stay on the positive side and keep on working."
Team physician Dr. Robert Millard said in a statement that Winborn has a "significant disc herniation" that does not require surgery at this time. Winborn will get opinions from other specialists in the field before deciding how to proceed, 49ers general manager Terry Donahue said.
"We're optimistic and hopeful it's a season-ending injury and not a career-ending injury," Donahue added.
The 49ers will place Winborn on injured reserve, and linebacker Cornelius Anthony will replace him on the 53-man roster, Donahue said. Anthony was among the 49ers' final players waived at the end of training camp.
In the meantime, second-year player Saleem Rasheed will take over many of Winborn's duties as the team's fourth linebacker.
The news came as a surprise to Winborn, who said he landed flat on his back after being hit by an offensive lineman in Wednesday's practice. Winborn said he felt a tingling in his arm but the sensation was not overwhelming.
Still, he practiced Thursday and wanted to get his back adjusted by a chiropractor when 49ers trainer Todd Lazenby suggested he get an MRI examination on his neck. After looking at the MRI, Winborn said even he could tell that something was dramatically wrong.
"Knowing I had tingling down my arm, they didn't really want to give it an adjustment until they knew exactly what was wrong because it could have been more than what I was thinking," Winborn said. "I'm just thankful that they are really knowledgeable in their area and profession in knowing that it could have been something worse. Had they been wrong, I could have ended up paralyzed or something."
Winborn initially showed up on the 49ers' injury report with a "neck strain" after the team's game Oct. 5 against the Detroit Lions. Winborn said that injury -- it is not known if the injuries are related -- felt much worse than what he experienced during practice Wednesday.
"That's what's confusing to me," Winborn said. "When I had that sprained neck, it felt like, on a scale of one to 10, that felt like a 10. This felt like a two or three."
Winborn did not start a game this season but played just as much as the other starting linebackers. Despite the injury, Winborn said did not miss a practice this season. After first reporting the injury, he recorded 12 tackles against Seattle and 13 against Arizona.
Niners linebacker Jeff Ulbrich, who is nursing a right ankle sprain, will start Monday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He said people who play the linebacker position are accustomed to taking physical discomfort in stride.
"As a linebacker, you're always tweaking your neck and getting pains and kinks," Ulbrich said. "Most of us aren't going to neck specialists every time for every little kink. Otherwise, we'd be on the MRI machine 24 hours a day."
Said linebacker Derek Smith of Winborn: "I didn't know it was that serious. One more blow, a bad blow, and it would've been ... you never know ... life-changing."
Winborn appeared destined for a big season a year ago, when he was named NFC defensive player of the week for his opening-game performance against the New York Giants, in which he recorded 16 tackles, a sack and broke up two passes.
But Winborn missed the final 13 games of the regular season after sustaining a left knee injury against the Washington Redskins. He lingered on the team's 53-man roster until the team decided in December that he needed surgery.
"I just feel sorry for Jamie," 49ers coach Dennis Erickson said. "He had a lot of injuries last year, from what I understand. Hopefully, it can get straightened out. I'm more concerned about him; it's part of the game for us. We've got to solve the problem."
 
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