Mike Vrabel announced on Wednesday, that the team captain is unlikely to practice this week.
The New England Patriots are facing several injury questions heading into their Week 17 matchup with the New York Jets. One of them was answered by head coach Mike Vrabel on Wednesday.
Barring any divine intervention, Vrabel does not see ailing linebacker Robert Spillane return to practice this week.
“I don’t. Unless we get a Christmas miracle — Tiny Tim starts walking or something,” Vrabel told reporters at Gillette Stadium.
Joining the Patriots as a free agent in March, Spillane has served as the team’s No. 1 linebacker and a defensive. leader dating back to the offseason. The team captain went on to start New England’s first 13 games of the season and, while playing 95.4% of snaps, registered a team-leading 97 tackles as well as a pair of interceptions.
However, he suffered a foot injury leading up to the Patriots’ Week 15 game against the Buffalo Bills. The ailment limited him in two practices and subsequently forced him to watch the entire contest from the sidelines despite being made active as an emergency-only option.
Spillane later was spotted with a walking boot on his left foot and was unable to participate in any of the three practices ahead of New England’s trip to Baltimore in Week 16. He was officially ruled out for that particular contest because of an ankle issue.
Earlier this week, the 30-year-old was caught in the locker room without his protective boot. While seemingly a positive development, his return timeline remains unclear at this point in time.
The Patriots will travel to New York this weekend to take on the Jets in an AFC East battle. Kickoff in the Meadowlands is set for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Category: General Sports
