We knew Logan Mankins was tough, but a new report about the Patriots guard takes the word "tough" to a new level.
According to the report by ESPN, Mankins tore his ACL in Week 1 against the Dolphins and played all of last season with the injury.
Mankins has acknowledged that he had ACL surgery after Super Bowl XLVI, but it had never been reported just how long Mankins was running around on his torn-up knee.
Reports around the time of Mankins' surgery said he knew he had a partially torn ligament, but he didn't know just how bad it was. He's said he didn't even have an MRI until after the season. As far as he was concerned, he could play, so what did it matter how badly he was hurt?
"I could still run so there was no reason to sit out," Mankins said during training camp. "There was no MRIs or anything so we never knew what exactly was hurt. If you could still run and play, there's no reason to go see a doctor, right?"
How rare is it to play that long with an injury that severe?
From PFT:
We cant think of any player who played an entire season with a torn ACL, which makes Mankins presence on the field in those games fairly remarkable given how long players are usually sidelined by injuries of that type.
New England Patriots
A healthy Mankins should bring plenty of experience and, of course, toughness to an offensive line that looked like it could use both during the preseason.