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On August 18, Buffalo Bills quarterback EJ Manuel underwent what head coach Doug Marrone has described as a "procedure" on an injured left knee that kept Manuel out of the team's final two preseason games - and perhaps longer. Thanks to a report from Adam Caplan, we now know that the injury was to Manuel's meniscus.
E.J. Manuel's "minor" left knee surgery was to remove some floating or loose meniscus, source said.
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) August 31, 2013
Pass rusher Mark Anderson, released this July, dealt with a meniscus injury in 2012. That was a lateral meniscus tear, which doctors repaired with arthroscopic surgery. Anderson may have only missed roughly a month of action, but the first procedure did not heal as planned, and he required a second scope.
"This particular injury, you've just got to wait until they heal," Anderson told The Buffalo News in December. He briefly returned to the lineup that month, but was later placed on IR.
Manuel's injury does not appear to be as severe as Anderson's, and his first procedure - which removed a portion of the structure, per Caplan - went as planned. The rookie quarterback still has not been ruled out for the Bills' Week 1 showdown against the New England Patriots, which kicks off one week from today. Marrone has said he'll need to practice by Wednesday to have a chance at starting.