Willie Young considered having injured finger amputated

After a tackle of Packers running back James Starks three weeks ago caused a slice in his middle finger, Lions defensive lineman Willie Young almost decided to have the finger amputated rather than wait for it to heal, according to Chris McCosky of The Detroit News.

Young, 27, said that the finger was cut to the bone and that some nerves were severed in the injury. Despite the severity of the injury, Young has not missed a practice or game and told McCosky that he has decided to fight through the pain:

"I just tape it up and eat the pain," he said.

How bad is the pain?

"On a scale of one to ten," he said, "nine point nine, nine, nine, nine."

The defensive lineman said that he was originally of the mindset that he should have it amputated, but has changed his mind after the finger has made some progress in the healing process. Through 12 games in 2012, Young has tallied seven tackles, but hasn't yet recorded a sack after finishing with three in 2011.

Click here for a picture of the finger as of Friday, via Justin Rogers of MLive. (Warning: It's not the prettiest sight).