LENDALE WHITE PLAYED 2007 ON BUM KNEE
Posted by Michael David Smith on May 13, 2008, 5:44 p.m.
Titans running back LenDale White revealed today that he played the entire 2007 season on an injured knee — a knee that he says feels fine after he took part in today’s organized team activities.
“This happened last year in preseason. I tore my meniscus,” White said today, per Terry McCormick of the Nashville City Paper. “I played on it all season. Contrary to what people believe, I am a soldier. I played on it all year and I didn’t complain, not once. I waited until the season was over to get it fixed and now I’m feeling good.”
White started all 16 games in 2007 and played in the Titans’ first-round playoff loss before having arthroscopic surgery in January. He carried 304 times for 1,108 yards, and he now says he was doing it with a knee that hampered him.
“It affected me a lot, because it took me a long time to get warmed up. It was catching a lot and it hurt on certain days,” White said. “When we played San Diego, it was hurting bad. I came in and tried to put Ben Gay on it and Flexall 454, and I tried to get it warmed up as best I could. But now, I’m back and it’s 100 percent and it feels good.”
As he heads into his third NFL season, White is expected to be the Titans’ starter again this year. But the addition of first-round running back Chris Johnson means he’s likely to get fewer carries in 2008 than he had in 2007, which might help him stay healthy.
Staying healthy would also help White battle the weight problems he has had in the past. Coach Jeff Fisher said the knee injury appears to be affecting White’s conditioning, and the Titans’ coaches have said they would like White to play at around his listed weight of 235 pounds, a target weight he typically hasn’t been able to reach.