After going down 10-0 to the Dallas Cowboys at halftime, the San Diego Chargers needed a spark. They got that towards in the very first drive of the third quarter from two of the most likely suspects: Charlie Whitehurst and Vincent Brown.
Brown caught two passes for 31 yards on that drive, including an 18 yard TD reception. After landing in the end zone, Brown grabbed his ankle and threw off his helmet in disgust. He knew, from the amount of pain that he was in, how bad his ankle was. In the post-game press conference, Norv Turner confirmed that Vincent Brown broke his ankle and will have surgery on it tomorrow. He is expected to miss 8 weeks, but the team will at least consider putting him on Injured Reserve for the 2012 season (especially after what happened with Luis Castillo last year).
This is a huge blow to Brown, the Chargers and Philip Rivers. Brown and Rivers looked more in sync than any other pairing in the offense during practice and Brown continued to produce with Jarrett Lee as his QB last week. He was performing on a level that had many, myself included, wondering if he should be starting over free agent signee Robert Meachem.
That's football. It's a tough game and people get hurt. Still, the situation with Vincent Brown was one of great immediate potential. It's a damn shame to see this roadblock thrown in front of it.