Patriots Center Koppen Needs Surgery, To Miss 6-10 Weeks
BOSTON (CBS) – New England Patriots center Dan Koppen needs surgery on his broken left ankle, and will likely miss 6-10 weeks according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network.
Koppen was injured in the Patriots 38-24 season opening victory over the Dolphins on Monday night when Dolphins linebacker Karlos Dansby fell on his leg in the first half. The nine-year veteran was carted off, and later seen on the sideline with crutches.
"That's tough man; he's the best," quarterback Tom Brady said after the game. "He and I have a great chemistry between the two of us, we always have. He's one of my great friends, and I hope he's back at some point."
Read: Levan Reid's Patriots Blog
Six-year veteran Dan Connolly took over for Koppen and will likely fill his shoes while he is out.
"Dan (Koppen)'s a guy that obviously has played a lot of football for us at a very important position. So, that's not something that's an easy thing to adjust to," Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien said Tuesday on a conference call. "I'm very confident in Dan (Connolly) and what he's going to be able to do for us."
Tune in to the Patriots-Chargers game Sunday at 4:15pm on 98.5 The Sports Hub and WBZ-TV. Tune in to Patriots Gameday at 11:30am on WBZ-TV and The Sports Hub's pregame coverage, beginning at 1pm. After the game tune in to the Postgame show on 98.5, and to Patriots Fifth Quarter on TV38.
