Well, I've waded through 31 pages of mostly negative dung, and finally found an athlete's point of view.
And let me dispense some of your worst fears --
Tony could play next week if he had to.
A subtle compression fracture that requires an MRI for diagnosis is really minor. Yes, it's broken, but it's not displaced and there's absolutely no structural instability. There's no disc herniation, nerve compression, or limitation of motion. I've managed hundreds of these, and they are uncomplicated. Only severe compression that might be seen with osteoporosis requires intervention.
My guess is that Tony will miss 3 games at most.
You can all him unlucky, but his injuries include a pilonidal cyst (minor lumbo-sacral condition),
partial lumbar nerve compression (micro-surg.),
lumbar transverse process fracture (minor),
the well-chronicled clavicle injuries (healed),
and now the L1 minimal compression.
His legs and throwing arm are completely spared, and none of the afore-mentioned issues is likely to result in anything more than the obligatory football arthritis. Things could be much worse.
He also has not had the worrisome concussion history that plagued previous Cowboy QBs.
Can y'all just get your popcorn ready and relax?
Or have you already wagered too much on this season?
Either way, there are millions of undernourished people in the world, and if you help one you'll feel really good.
