Jimmy Graham had to turn down Pro Bowl after wrist surgery

JimmyGrahamSaints
New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham had surgery to repair his lingering wrist injury earlier this month, a league source confirmed. As a result, Graham had to turn down the opportunity to play in the Pro Bowl when starter Tony Gonzalez also pulled out of the game with an injury this week.

Graham was the first alternate for the NFC all-star squad. Instead, Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph went to Hawaii in place of Gonzalez and Graham.

The exact nature of Graham's surgery is unknown. But he will likely have plenty of time to recover before summer camps and training camp. The Saints revealed late in the 2012 season that Graham had been fighting through the nagging injury for the entire season - though he never missed a game or practice because of the wrist injury.

Graham still had a productive season, with 85 catches for 982 yards and nine touchdowns in 15 games played (he missed one game with an ankle injury).
However, he struggled with dropped passes throughout the year. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Graham led the NFL in 2012 with 14 drops.

The wrist surgery, combined with the return of Saints coach Sean Payton, should help inspire a "bounce-back" season for Graham. And if 982 yards and nine touchdowns is a "down" year, then Graham and the Saints should be in awfully good shape. 


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(nola.com)
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