Detroit Lions starting safety Louis Delmas had surgery to reduce swelling in his knee on Tuesday, and is now expected to be out for more than just a few days according to head coach Jim Schwartz.
"He's not day-to-day," Schwartz told MLive.com on Wednesday afternoon. "He's a little bit more week-to-week."
More than just a hard-hitting safety with play-making instincts, Delmas has been a serious asset for Schwartz as a locker room presence and on-field leader since coming to Motown as a second-round pick from Western Michigan University. He was expected to once again anchor the secondary this season with the Lions eyeing another playoff berth, but will now be forced to watch the preseason at the very least from the sidelines.
And after having surgery on his right knee last year, it's painfully obvious that Delmas continues be plagued by injury problems so far in his young career. His aggressive playing style certainly brings a number of positives and negatives to the table, but it's clear that the Lions know what type of player they have here, and want him to be fully healthy when he finally does return in 2012.
In the meantime, expect Amari Spievey and Erik Coleman to pick up the bulk of Delmas' work in the secondary.
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