WitP: Pisa, Manuwai, Bess

Vaughn McClure of the Chicago Tribune writes about Pisa Tinoisamoa's ongoing knee issues.

The starting linebacker is questionable for Sunday's game against the Lions, a league source said, as he continues to deal with lingering right knee problems. He suffered two significant injuries to the knee last season.

Tinoisamoa's problems aren't related to a new injury. The Bears are 11 games into the season, and the 29-year-old veteran simply has a lot of wear and tear. He was limited at practice Thursday after sitting out Wednesday.

In better knee injury news, it seems Vince Manuwai has fully recovered from a torn ACL he suffered back in 2008.

Manuwai led the charge in December of ’07. He was the best run-blocking guard in the league then and he’s returned to that high level of play in recent weeks this season.

You may know his story. He suffered a torn ACL in the ’08 season-opener and struggled through his recovery year in ’09. In training camp this past summer, there was concern Manuwai wouldn’t even make the final roster. Fortunately for the Jaguars, they kept him.

“Vince is back to where he was prior to his ACL injury, in terms of showing dominant traits as an in-line run-blocker,” Jaguars General Manager Gene Smith said.

Tania Ganguli of the Florida Times-Union has more on Manuwai's resurgence.

Remember, this is a guy who was briefly moved to right guard because there was some thinking he wasn't athletic enough anymore to pull at left guard.

"Vinny's done a nice job of staying positive through a tough situation, continued to work, he has palyed he's called into duty," Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said. "He's played very well and has been strong, very strong in the run game in particular."

And Andy Cohen of MiamiDolphins.com has an ode to Davone Bess.

You watch him and he just grows on you, no pun intended. He plays the game with such a passion, such an undeniable hunger. The Dolphins went into the Oakland game clearly shorthanded with Marshall staying home. If you were concerned about where the passing game would go, those concerns were understandable. Marshall’s presence always made things easier for those around him. Without Marshall, you would have thought the Raiders could just key on a player like Bess.

But Bess had other plans. This was his home. He had bought 55 tickets for friends and family. He clearly knew the spotlight was shining bright and he refused to let it blind him. So he made one play. Then another. And another. And, by the end of this afternoon, it was clear that his performance was something special.