With Zack Follett being placed on injured reserve earlier this week because of his neck injury, it's only natural to wonder if his injury could be career threatening. Although this isn't the first time a player has had to be shut down for the season because of a neck issue, Follett has a history of neck problems, so it's not necessarily 100% that he will be able to play again next season.
Follett's career isn't in doubt or anything like that right now, but it is worth thinking about his future because of this neck injury. Even so, it was good that Jim Schwartz is taking an optimistic view on Follett's future when asked earlier this week about his status for next season.
"We remain optimistic, from where he was on the field to where he is now, he’s had a lot of good news. Any time you’re talking about necks and backs, there’s going to be a certain amount of gray area so to speak,’’ coach Jim Schwartz said. "We’re optimistic that he’ll be able to continue. We’re still evaluating we’re still gathering information, he’s still gathering information.’’
Schwartz said that erring on the side of caution was why the Lions went ahead and put Follett on the shelf for the remainder of the season. More tests are needed to see what Follett's status will be beyond 2010, but the Lions felt pretty strongly that he wasn't going to play again this season.