NFL Analysis: EJ Henderson Breaks Femur

Who: Viking linebacker EJ Henderson, an NFL veteran in his 7th year, drafted in 2003 by the Vikings in the 2nd round. He is a starter and above average NFL player according to my analysis.

What: EJ Henderson broke his femur and will need surgery immediately. After lying on the ground for several minutes he was carted off the field with his brother (who is also on the team) by his side. The injury was so severe that even while being carted off there were people following alongside him on foot, to hold his leg in place and make sure it was immobilized.

When: In the 4th Quarter of Sunday Night's NFL game between the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals.

How: While EJ Henderson pursued Cardinal running back Tim Hightower, his own teammate collided with Henderson's leg while his foot was stuck in the turf. The impact of his teammate running into his leg combined with the foot still engaged into the turf caused the ugly injury.

NFL Analysis: The Vikings will miss EJ Henderson on defense as he is obviously going to be out for the rest of the season. He came into the game with 63 solo tackles and 2 sacks. He was simply a play maker and a big part of a Viking defensive unit that ranked in the top 10. Not only will he be physically missed on the field, but it remains to be seen how this could mentally affect the entire Vikings team. Seeing an injury as gruesome as the one Henderson suffered first hand is enough to make anybody a little tentative to go back out onto the field.

Injury Analysis: Watching the replay of EJ Henderson's injury is not for the weak at heart. After initial impact, his leg is seen flailing like a rag doll. I tried to watch the replay on YouTube but couldn't even get through the entire clip. The injury of a broken femur is surprising and disturbing. For those who don't know, the femur is the biggest and by far, strongest bone in the entire human body. It is the thigh bone that ranges from the pelvis to the knee and is the main support for the rest of the body. As such, the femur is an extremely tough bone to break and usually when people do so, it is from a high impact car crash. This just highlights how big, strong and fast these NFL players are. We wish EJ Henderson the best in his road to recovery.