Mugsy 225 Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 Chiefs' Eric Berry coming back for 2015? by Matt Verderame 5d ago Kansas City Chiefs strong safety Eric Berry was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in November of last year. It was a gut-wrenching blow and surely a scary bit of news for Berry, a 26-year-old young man who happens to be a three-time Pro Bowler and a first-team All-Pro. Since the diagnosis, little has come out about Berry other than team officials saying that his treatments are ongoing and progressing well. However, I was coming through Chiefs news and found an interesting article by Hayes Rule of the Ledger-Enquirer in Georgia, who has some solid quotes from outside linebacker Justin Houston on the subject. “It was tough, because he was a close friend for me; he’s like family to me,” Houston said of Berry, who grew up in Fairburn. “It was tough not having him on the field, but God willing, he pulled through the situation, so hopefully he’ll be ready to go for this season.” Then, Houston said what I found to be more interesting about Berry’ health and status. “I think it’ll be really big,” Houston said of Berry’s return. “I think he’s one of the best safeties in the game. Any time you get one of the key pieces to your defense back, it’ll help a lot.” That quote reads to me like Houston is fully expecting Berry to be back. Also, this quote was from June, so Berry’s health could have improved even more from that point. The Chiefs are yet to place Berry on the Non-Football Injury list, so he’s eligible to start training camp with the team. Whether or not that is possible remains to be seen, and I want to make clear that all of this is pure speculation. Still, Houston’s comments seem to hint that Berry might be able to play in 2015, something that seemed almost impossible when the former University of Tennessee star was given the news back in November. This wouldn’t be the first time a professional athlete returned from cancer in a short period of time. In Jan. 1993, Pittsburgh penguins star Mario Lemieux was diagnosed with the exact same cancer as Berry and came back after treatments to play two months later. For now, all we can do is hope and pray that Berry recovers from cancer. If that includes him playing football again, awesome. The Chiefs would certainly welcome him back with open arms, considering he is one of the best players the game has seen in recent years. http://arrowheadaddict.com/2015/07/12/eric-berry-cancer-return-2015-kansas-city-chiefs/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FANATIC 852 Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 Would that not be remarkable and make this defense perhaps #1? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mugsy 225 Posted July 17, 2015 Author Share Posted July 17, 2015 Would that not be remarkable and make this defense perhaps #1? It would man. We missed the run defense so bad last year when he and DJ left... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West 6,713 Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 I do not see him playing this year..... and it will be a big surprise if he does.... Bil explained this from a medical perspective quite awhile back and I just hope he can come back next year. w Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiefsfan1963 1,101 Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 I don't care if he ever plays again. I just hope he takes care of himself and beats this beast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mugsy 225 Posted July 18, 2015 Author Share Posted July 18, 2015 I'm gonna be honest... Everyone keeps saying all the right shit about Berry. Fuck it, I say I hope he comes back. We need him. He is is the difference between our defense being good and elite. He is not an average Man. He is a bad ass, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilkie 1,518 Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 Next year maybe....I really hope so. Cancer kicks your ass more than any football player. Its the worst of the w orst that can happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West 6,713 Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 Agree Wilkie and it tends to come back... w Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieHard 2,061 Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 If the doctors give the blessing, why not. I don't think it happens, but if he could spend the first half of the season getting in shape, comes out in the second half getting significant reps, he would be a huge asset in the playoffs neutralizing stud TEs. We will face some good ones. Not worthy sacrificing your health for though. If there is any draw backs, next year is not that far off and he is young. Don't be stupid and listen to your doctor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KCSLC2008 606 Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 I heard Kenny Cook fought the same thing in high school or college and got strong enough to get to the NFL? Making it to where Berry has and making it in college are different things and so are the positional physical needs but I'm always hopeful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilyous2 884 Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 I do not see him playing this year..... and it will be a big surprise if he does.... Bil explained this from a medical perspective quite awhile back and I just hope he can come back next year. w That's right, West. For those who never read that, I'll try to explain it again. That article talks about a player who had "the exact same type of cancer" and came back to play two months later. But whoever wrote that has no understanding. The writer is understanding Hodgkins lymphoma to be a single "exact" disease. But there are four subtypes of Hodgkins that have different grades (how aggressive they are) based on the microscopic features. There are also four separate STAGES of the disease that are based on whether it is confined to a single lymph node, a regional group of lymph nodes, lymph nodes in other groups in the body, or involving other organs, such as spleen and liver. The actual prognosis depends on the grade and the stage, not whether it is Hodgkins disease or not. The fact is that the press has never been told the grade or the stage, and we have not either. So not a single one of us outside of Berry and his doctors and family has even the slightest idea of the severity of his disease or its prognosis. It might be great, or it might be terrible. The fact that he has had so many courses of chemotherapy over a period of time implies that it is most likely at least intermediate grade and/or stage. The chemo given for Hodgkins is very rough and leaves a normal person depleted and with decreased stamina, often for the rest of their lives, even when they get a complete cure. For a person who sells cars for a living, they may have a completely normal life. For someone who must have peak stamina, strength, etc. like an NFL player, this might never happen. So the fact is that we have no idea. I just hope the guy gets a cure and a long, full life. But nobody can know. In fact, I think the withholding of information to the public about grade and stage of the disease implies that it ain't so great, as far as him playing again. The player who was back playing in two months probably had low grade (lymphocyte-predominant) type involving only one node or node group (stage I), and it was removed and had some prophylactic radiation to the area and one course of chemo just to be safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.