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49ers' Lawson Tears ACL, Out For Season

Danny Dabiri |Sep 20,2007

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49ers' Lawson Tears ACL, Out For Season

The San Francisco 49ers have started the season 2-0 for the first time this century. The team pulled out tight victories against division rivals the Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams. As the team was preparing for their upcoming showdown with the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday at Heinz Field, rising defensive star Manny Lawson suffered a devastating knee injury in Wednesday’s practice.

“I heard a pop…so I was nervous. I tried to test it out, but really I just had to wait for the MRI,” said Lawson.

The results of the MRI confirmed that Lawson tore his ACL and would have to undergo season-ending surgery. The loss of Lawson is a big blow to the Niners’ defense. He was expected to have a breakout season. In his rookie campaign, Lawson compiled 57 tackles, 2.5 sacks and one interception. The former first round pick out of North Carolina State will likely be replaced in the lineup by veteran linebacker Hannibal Navies.

With Lawson done for the year, the onus will fall on rookie linebacker Patrick Willis to lead the linebacking corps. The Niners’ selected Willis in the first round of this year’s draft. The former standout at the University of Mississippi has already shown flashes of greatness in his young pro career. In two games, Willis has compiled 19 tackles and forced one fumble.

While the loss of Lawson is a big blow, the team has enough depth at linebacker to overcome it. Brandon Moore, who lost his job to Willis in training camp, should push Navies for playing time. Moore led the team with 114 tackles and 6.5 sacks last season.

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