MRI Confirms Emmanuel Moseley Tore his ACL
CHARLOTTE -- The 49ers just lost one of their best players for the rest of the season.
An MRI confirmed this morning that Emmanuel Moseley tore his ACL Sunday afternoon during the 49ers' 37-15 win over the Carolina Panthers, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Moseley jumped to defend a deep pass and when he landed, his left leg got caught awkwardly in the artificial turf.
The 49ers haven't said who will replace Moseley at cornerback initially. My guess would be second-year cornerback Ambry Thomas, simply because he started in the playoffs last season. But he struggled at times -- there's a reason the 49ers spent big bucks on cornerback Charvarius Ward this offseason and moved Thomas to the bench. And then in training camp, Thomas was one of the worst players on the team. Look for rookie Samuel Womack to challenge Thomas for the starting job.
But before we move on to the next man up, let's reflect on how Moseley got injured.
First, his injury was avoidable. It came with four minutes left in the fourth quarter when the 49ers were winning by 15 points. On the previous series, the 49ers had the ball at the Panthers 42-yard line facing fourth and 1. Had they gone for it and picked up the one yard with, say, a quarterback sneak, they would have essentially ended the game and Moseley probably wouldn't have had to go back on the field. Instead, Kyle Shanahan punted and asked his starting defense to close out the game.
Second, the injury happened on artificial turf in an outdoor stadium. Why the hell do the Panthers have artificial turf? They have the richest owner in the NFL, plus they have an abundant supply of sunlight to grow grass. Why not pay for the good stuff and protect the players? It seems clear that more injuries happen on turf than grass, so ditch the turf. Makes no sense to me.
Before the game started, I wondered if the turf would lead to an unfortunate injury. I'm sorry Moseley is the latest victim.
