Micah to IR (out for the year per his agent)

[BIGFOOTspaceman]

While this sucks, it doesn’t derail the season. I think Johnson or Hamlin will be more than serviceable. 
 

I actually believe Poyer would be a bigger loss than Hyde. 

[Warcodered]

 

[Warcodered]

 

[Boatdrinks]

10 minutes ago, Warcodered said:

 

Just donated $23.01. Get well soon Micah! Go BILLS!! 

[ColoradoBills]

3 hours ago, Ralonzo said:

 

The Bills don't really define their safety roles like that, it's not going to be a Leonard Smith in the box and a Bill Simpson roaming deep. Part of that quarters defense, and the thing that makes it tough, is each safety has their side of the field to patrol and handle both pass and run defense on their side. As long as Jaquan or Hamlin can execute the role, it shouldn't be beyond their physical limitations. The lack of experience is the biggest thing.

 

Yes, but when they go single high, Hyde is the guy.

[skibum]

I feel very bad for the man. Wishing him a full recovery.

[RunTheBall]

2 hours ago, DrPJax said:

While disc herniation is possibly  involved , by way of chronic degeneration , the history and this incident doesn’t  fit with that as the main issue.  Usually an acute herniated disc is very painful and would have probably been causing issues even before the last game.  There are no reports of this type of symptoms.  Plus with an acute herniation , there are things you can do to help alleviate symptoms such as time , steroids , blocks , that could have perhaps not ended his whole season. 
 

The most likely situation ( and I am speaking about this both as a doc having seen patients with this and unfortunately  experienced it myself which failed to improve after surgery and subsequently forced my retirement as I am left with no feeling in either arm or hands) is SPINAL STENOSIS in his neck ( cervical cord impingement).  This is why an otherwise common or minor hit caused unusual NEURO symptoms for him prompting his hospital visit after the game.  The cord sits in a Canal , surrounded by vertebral bodies with discs in between those vertebrae.   With time ( and also things like chronic trauma such as football impacts , and genetic predisposition) the discs deteriorate and this triggers the body to lay down bone spurs around the area.  Eventually the canal the cord sits in gets so narrow that the cord is impinged on and certain positions or movements ( Like hyperextending the neck on a tackle ) press on the cord and it places you in danger of permanent cord damage or even severing the cord.   Depending on the level or how high the entrapment is , you become at increasing risk of motor loss , sensory loss, and of course , even paralysis like para or quadriplegia.  The big key is YOU GET NO WARNING MOST OF THE TIME , AND THE NARROWING FINALLY REACHES A CRITICAL LEVEL  , you start getting ongoing symptoms and you can experience neuro deficits with even mild movements  that further pinch the cervical cord.  Any hit could put  him at risk of permanent paralysis or worse. It is diagnosed on MRI , and I would bet he was told the stenosis was severe enough that they told him he was at risk  of paralysis if he was hit and his cord could be permanently damaged. So , it suddenly becomes a life and death , life quality issue , without much if any history of prior warning symptoms.  Eric Wood retired because of this risk. 
 

The only solution is surgery , most commonly called an ACDF ( anterior cervical decompression and fixation), as the stenosis only worsens with time ( as opposed to a herniated disc which improves over time as swelling goes down ).  The surgery involves going in from the front of the neck , removing bone spurs and deteriorated discs , placing cages to replace the discs which are usually filled with cadaver bone that  grows and fuses in place over months to stabilize the space around the cord and limit neck movement , and they also place some stabilizing plates with screws as well.    ( I had 4 levels done with 5 herniated discs , had no warning except two weeks before being diagnosed my arms went numb and I was in denial thinking I might be having carpal tunnel  , no trauma , just chronic disc deterioration).  It is a fairly uncomfortable surgery , requires quite a bit of time to heal as the bone grafts have to fuse, and there is no way you could play any contact sports until the neurosurgeon approves and they are certain there is adequate space around the cervical spinal cord.  Even with surgery , there is no promise you could return to sports ( depends on how severe the condition, narrowing is and surgery result ) as it’s mostly about being sure you don’t become a quad or paraplegic in the future as you continue to age. If he’s lucky and it’s just 1 or 2 levels , he might have a chance to play next year, but that’s if things go perfectly.  Time will tell of course. 
 

This is just for educational purposes about this condition as I have not seen his mri or heard results posted yet.  But his sudden symptoms, what I saw during the game, his need  for the hospital visit , desire  to get second opinions, all probably stems from being told he has stenosis on mri placing his cord at risk,  and he shouldn’t play without surgery and indeed, it could be life or career threatening if he doesn’t undergo corrective procedures.  I suspected this would happen when he was a dnp at practice and he was seeking second opinions.  It just fits with all we have seen , and the history and prognosis involving spinal stenosis.   I really feel for him , as he was playing at a high level , but if the canal is so narrowed that a light hit caused symptoms, he was at risk of paralysis with a bad hit or even just worsening over time.  It is a mechanical problem.  It’s like pinching a garden hose cutting the flow of water, except here if the cord is pinched it can’t send signals below the level of stenosis and results in weakness, numbness or paralysis.  
 

I wish him nothing but the best as he is one of my favorite Bills on this team.   I suspect he will undergo surgery sometime soon and we will probably hear about that.  It’s not emergent surgery unless he suddenly deteriorated, but it’s the only mechanical fix ( there are a few procedures to chose from however).  Please don’t attack me for just posting my OPINION  based on observing his situation and also in knowing the history of this condition.  It’s an educated guess without the mri , but it fits , and it explains why he needs to be on IR ( as opposed to a simple acute herniated disc).  It’s a big blow for the team but his future is at risk.  I hope he returns, but it also wouldn’t surprise me if he ends up retiring ( hard to accept that being thrown at you out of nowhere ).  He is a class act and will be missed this year.   You can’t replace his experience! 😊

 

While this is a nice summary of spinal stenosis, multiple sites including sports illustrated, ESPN, and CBS sports have reported the injury is a herniated disk. As such, the prognosis is much better than severe spinal stenosis with multiple levels involved. If he only needs a 1 level ACDF he could absolutely return to play, although at 32 he may decide it’s not worth the increased risk.

 

[loveorhatembillsfan4life]

Hopefully later this season in retrospect the situation will have unfolded as a pleasant surprise.. the following is from Billswire.. 
 

When Poyer sat out offseason practices, Johnson got a chance to step up and he in August he felt right at home

 

I have been taking that challenge for the force with my head high,” said Johnson. “I think the guys are responding well to me being back there and I don’t feel like we’re missing a beat. I feel like when it’s my turn I’ll be ready.”

 

 

[Buddo]

Just want to wish Hyde all the best.

 

He will be missed - he's simply too good not to be.

 

Doesn't mean we don't have good enough backups however.

 

Frasier and McDermott know how to set up a secondary, to get the best out of their available players.

 

I'd rather Hyde was available, but I think we can get by okay.

 

 

[Mat68]

Terrible new.  Hyde is a great player.  Appears to be a good dude.  Neck injuries are weird.  I think Jaquan Johnson steps up.  He isnt Hyde but wont be a guy who will make mistakes.  

[julian]

The really sad part of this news us Hyde missing out on being part of a truly historical super bowl team.

 

 Not trying to be funny or make light of his injury, I honestly believe this team wins a ring this year and although he’ll receive one the fact he’s missing the ride is disappointing.

[Bills2022]

2 minutes ago, Gene1973 said:

I hate to say it but I bet he ultimately decides to retire.

 

He will be back to defend our world championship.  Then he can retire.

[Bills2022]

2 minutes ago, Gene1973 said:

If it's true that he needs some kind of fusion surgery, dunno...

 

He has a ton of guaranteed money.  He probably will hang it up if that is the case.

[klos63]

6 hours ago, The Jokeman said:

The season is a marathon not a sprint.

It's neither, you're just using a cliche. It's actually a game a week, and you need to win most of them to get in the playoffs. This game is very important. Divisional game for first place.

Edited September 24, 2022 by klos63

[Saxum]

6 hours ago, Doc said:

Hamlin's listed as Hyde's backup.  Will that hold true or will Johnson get the start?

 

It will probably vary per opponent.  Take depth charts with grain of salt.

[SCBills]

1 hour ago, NoSaint said:

the saints signed retired mike mckenzie and Chris McAllister mid season to play corner their Super Bowl year. To expect to be fully healthy is not realistic. 
 

getting tre back will really help bolster the secondary 

Bills losing Hyde, in conjunction with their starting corner and two top end defensive tackles not playing, brought the line down from Bills -6 to Bills -4.5.   
 

That’s it.  I know Vegas isn’t the end all, be all, but that should give people an idea of how the betting world feels about us losing a Safety (as well as a corner and two DL) against the most explosive WR duo in the NFL. 

 

 

Edited September 24, 2022 by SCBills

[HereComesTheReignAgain]

12 minutes ago, Gene1973 said:

I hate to say it but I bet he ultimately decides to retire.

 

He's probably only a starter in the NFL for one more season. Not worth the risk.

I doubt that. You seem to revel in anything negative when it comes to the Bills. 

[Locomark]

Let’s face it, every year a top flight guy is going to miss a chunk of the year when you have 10 top flight guys. Last year it was Tre and now it’s Micah. Good luck to him in his recovery. The keys are still Josh and Diggs. 

As far as the impact on the Miami game. This will make them even more 1 dimensional because they won’t even try to run it now. Play pure pass and ignore play action. 

Edited September 24, 2022 by Locomark

[MarkyMannn]

3 hours ago, Matt_In_NH said:

First hope he fully recovers.  
The statement by the agent gives me a bad feeling he could be done in the NFL….like an Eric Wood situation where he wanted to maximize his NFL dollars.  

Unfortunately this is how I'm seeing it too.  May not play again 

[ShakAttack]

3 minutes ago, Locomark said:

Let’s face it, every year a top flight guy is going to miss a chunk of the year when you have 10 top flight guys. Last year it was Tre and now it’s Micah. Good luck to him in his recovery. The keys are still Josh and Diggs. 

As far as the impact on the Miami game. This will make them even more 1 dimensional because they won’t even try to run it now. Play pure pass and ignore play action. 

it’s only week 2 though. That’s the scary part. Tre happened last year on Thanksgiving. I am actually confident in JJ filling in well as the “next man up” especially in this DB-friendly scheme where every DB we have plugged in has had some degree of success so far BUT… There’s only so many injuries you can take until your top defense stops being a top defense and the advantage is lost.