INDIANAPOLIS -- Linebacker Cornelius Bennett, the leading
tackler for the Indianapolis Colts this season, was optimistic
Thursday that he could overcome a torn ligament in his left knee
and return for the playoffs.
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Bennett, who started all 16 games, tore his medial collateral
ligament and also injured his posterior cruciate ligament when he
was blocked by Buffalo's Antowain Smith on the Bills' opening
offensive play of Sunday's game.
He watched the Colts practice Thursday and then said reports he
might miss the playoffs were premature.
"I'm optimistic. I normally heal fast. The way I'm healing
right now is pretty good. We'll re-evaluate on Monday," Bennett
said.
The Colts have a first-round bye in the playoffs and will play
either Seattle, Buffalo or Tennessee in the RCA Dome on Jan. 16.
"If not next week, hopefully we can win and I'll get a chance to
play the following week," Bennett said.
Bennett said his MCL was torn and that the PCL was only
stretched. It had been feared that both ligaments were torn.
"I'm walking around pretty decent. It's not as loose as one
would think with an MCL injury, and that's why I'm optimistic,"
Bennett said. "I'm hoping that I can put a brace on and be some
help to these guys."
Bennett is the only player in league history to be on the losing
side in five Super Bowl games -- four with Buffalo and last January
with Atlanta.
If he can't play, Bennett is confident Bertrand Berry or
Ratcliff Thomas can be a capable replacement.
"They're young guys. Bertrand, he's played some. He has started
in the past, so it's not a totally new thing to him," Bennett
said.
However, 12 of Berry's 13 starts were last year as a defensive
end and his only start at linebacker was as a rookie in 1997. Until
he replaced Bennett on Sunday, Berry had only five tackles on
defense this season. He had four more against Buffalo.
"I told him he's just got to step up and be the man. No one
expected me to come in and play the way I did this season, except
for myself," Bennett said. "I came in and made an impact, and he
can do the same thing."
Bennett, signed as an unrestricted free agent after being cut
last year by Atlanta, has been a vital member of an improved
defensive unit that helped the Colts produce the biggest turnaround
in NFL history. After finishing 3-13 in 1998, the Colts won the AFC
East championship.
Coach Jim Mora didn't think on Monday that Bennett could play
when he held his weekly news conference. Bennett explained that the
coach made that forecast before the linebacker had met with
doctors.
"I know my body and I've overcome a lot in my career on and off
the field," said Bennett, 34, who has more playoff experience than
any other member of the team and led the Colts with 114 tackles
this past season. "This is another obstacle and I can hurdle it,
even if one leg is not so good."