Injured knee puts Falcons’ Mughelli out for season
The Falcons will place Ovie Mughelli on injured reserve, ending the fullback’s season.
Mughelli injured his right knee during Sunday’s victory in Detroit. Lions safety Louis Delmas hit Mughelli’s knee during a tackle in the fourth quarter following a 4-yard reception.
Mughelli did not return after the injury and was on crutches following the game.
The Falcons signed Mike Cox on Tuesday to replace Mughelli. Cox, who played at Georgia Tech, signed as an undrafted free agent with the Chiefs in 2008. A 6-foot-2, 252-pounder, he played in Kansas City for three seasons. He is the brother of Lucas Cox, also of Georgia Tech, who was in training camp with the Falcons this year.
Mughelli, who made the Pro Bowl last season, had four receptions for 25 yards and two touchdowns this season. He had two carries for one yard. He has cleared the way for much of running back Michael Turner’s 621 yards this season. Mughelli injured his right knee in the season opener against the Bears, missing only practice time.
The Falcons also worked out Mike Karney, Jason McKiee, Lousaka Polite, former Georgia fullback Verron Haynes and Demitri Nance on Tuesday.
- Chris Vivlamore
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160 comments Add your comment
Richard
October 25th, 2011
4:17 pm
That blows
Twilb Dawg
October 25th, 2011
4:24 pm
Well, crap…better hold on Matt Ryan and hope that O-line steps up…
RMT
October 25th, 2011
4:24 pm
Makes cutting Cox look like a dumb move ..
Hummon
October 25th, 2011
4:24 pm
I am surprised that there has been so much talk about taunting Ryan when Delmas’ tackle seemed far nastier (and far more consequential) in the overall scheme of things.
Van Brocklin
October 25th, 2011
4:24 pm
That hurts.
native atlantan
October 25th, 2011
4:26 pm
Freak accident, and your out for the year. Good thing that big money contract keeps rolling in, just like all of our incomes…gaurenteed ???
Uncork Atlanta
October 25th, 2011
4:26 pm
he will be missed…bummer
Falclone
October 25th, 2011
4:27 pm
Oooooouch!!!! Now I cringe every time Turner gets ths ball….
Astro Joe
October 25th, 2011
4:28 pm
Good luck with the rehab, Ovie. You will be missed on the field (although I suspect the loqacious one will be available for many interviews). Let’s sign Robert Newhouse to a contract, he was always a great blocker.
coachx
October 25th, 2011
4:33 pm
This makes Snelling even more valueable.
Too bad it happened 1 week after the trade deadline.
Falcons 4 Real
October 25th, 2011
4:34 pm
After his tweet Sunday I didn’t expect this. The re-signing of Snells just became that much more of a great move by TD.
Brownie
October 25th, 2011
4:34 pm
I gotta think Robert Newhouse is about 105 years old, isn’t he?? Might as well sign Bob NewHART…
PMC
October 25th, 2011
4:35 pm
Get well soon Ovie! Everyone misses you.
absolutely horrid form from Delmas. Imagine that a helmet indirect contact with a knee would cause serious injury.
I believe at one time that was called spearing. Todays NFL players call it a tackle.
TJ DUckett
October 25th, 2011
4:35 pm
HEY!!!! im available I can block
mountain_jim
October 25th, 2011
4:36 pm
Thank goodness we resigned Snelling this off-season. He at least knows the position while we work in some one else.
FalconsFan
October 25th, 2011
4:36 pm
We could move Jason Snelling to teh FB spot or call up Lucas Cox.
PMC
October 25th, 2011
4:36 pm
in (space) direct.
Seriously though, TERRIBLE play from Delmas.
Tman
October 25th, 2011
4:37 pm
Given the pass protection problems the O line has had this year, this is especially bad. Ovie is the best blocking fullback in football . Hopefully we can sign someone halfway decent, but we can’t really replace him.
Bad Habit
October 25th, 2011
4:39 pm
Hummon is exactly right. That shot to the knee was awful. Delmas’ reaction made me think he did not do it intentionally, but I came out of my seat when I saw it. Knew he was gone.
PMC
October 25th, 2011
4:40 pm
Maybe the Lions aren’t dirty, maybe they just aren’t very good when it comes to understanding how to play?
ATL Fan
October 25th, 2011
4:40 pm
Dang!
Najeh Davenpoop
October 25th, 2011
4:45 pm
Bob Christian is a free agent.
Dennis
October 25th, 2011
4:50 pm
The way Matt Ryan’s ankle opened up during his injury still makes me cringe. He was VERY lucky to have escaped major injury on that one.
Bro
October 25th, 2011
4:51 pm
Just need a big body that is not afraid to hit. How about a big O-lineman. Sorry they don’t hit now. A Dent would make a great fullback, or how about that Bear linebacker we keep cutting.
PMC
October 25th, 2011
4:51 pm
ha ha, first name that came to mind was Bob Christian too. He’s only what 50?
Maybe Peria Jerry can play fullback. Got to get some kind of return on that investment.
laugh
October 25th, 2011
4:53 pm
It’s only the Falcons.
Why make a fuss over a team that’s never actually won anything?
Bro
October 25th, 2011
4:54 pm
Roddy White needs to shut-up and put up some better numbers. Needs to get away from the defense and get open. Stop the crybaby talk, collect your money and play football. Talk after the game just means he was not man enough to handle it on the field. The lions just need to remember who won………………..
Mave2124
October 25th, 2011
4:55 pm
Hope Ovie has a great recovery, Snelling will be able to step up, but who will be his back-up…Thor or Cox? Time will tell. Hope there isn’t too much of a slip in the running game for Mike T.
Old Falcon
October 25th, 2011
4:55 pm
Bob Christian!!! He’s got to be over 40 years old. Why not bring back Jamal Anderson?
Larry
October 25th, 2011
4:58 pm
Babineaux goes down…Perry comes in
McClure goes down…Hawley comes in
Weatherspoon goes down…Peterson comes in
Moore goes down…Sanders comes in
Jones goes down…Douglass comes in
Abraham goes down…Sidbury and Bierman come in
Baker goes down…Svitek comes in
Ovie goes down…now Snelling takes over.
You have to have good depth to make it through 20 games (4 preseason and 16 regular season) plus the playoffs. The Packers overcame this last season.
This team has better depth than ever…a estimate to Mr’ Dimitroff.
Now, Thank the Good Lord Ryan got up!
Brian F.
October 25th, 2011
4:59 pm
No more WHAM Blocks !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
el gato malo
October 25th, 2011
4:59 pm
Players used to wear pants long enough to have knee pads on the inside. Now they wear what looks like lycra shorts mostly without knee pads. Even is they have them, the pants are not long enough for the pads to offer any protection Some of the players do not even wear thigh pads anymore. They look like they are playing touch football..
Paddy
October 25th, 2011
5:00 pm
Brownie…….Robert Newhouse is not 105 yrs old. He is 90. They say he is in great shape. Playing boccie ball every Wed & Sat. Now Jim Taylor wants to come back but he is really 105 yrs old. But he works out in his hover-round almost weekly! You never know.
dean
October 25th, 2011
5:04 pm
I guess that means “I’ll be back real soon.” is a relative term. Damm hate to lose Ovie.
Some get on. Some get off. But the train keeps rolling along.
PMC
October 25th, 2011
5:05 pm
Bob Christian is only 42!
joe white
October 25th, 2011
5:05 pm
RMT cox is on the practice squad plus we have our backup who can do double duty, so we okay, i loved ovie gave us so much and blocked very well was headed back to the pro bowl.
robert
October 25th, 2011
5:06 pm
this makes me sad
Cliff
October 25th, 2011
5:09 pm
Sign Vernon Haynes he already knows the offense
epic quibble
October 25th, 2011
5:09 pm
Snap back with (haskell) Stanback.
That’s all I have to say about that.
SeenThisB4
October 25th, 2011
5:13 pm
GOOD !!! So What
bigcrimson75
October 25th, 2011
5:17 pm
I like Ovie, but we are better off with Snelling anyway. He can catch and run much better. A better check down option for matty ice.
phil
October 25th, 2011
5:19 pm
Laugh DOES make a good point…
We ARE the Falcons and haven’t won squat in all these years….
Losing Ovie is just another step along the way in yet another ultimately futile season….
That said, I hate that he got hurt. Another split second and it never happens.
Head-Mo-Fo
October 25th, 2011
5:22 pm
Get well Ovie!
You will surely be missed.
Eric
October 25th, 2011
5:22 pm
He tore his MCL
Robertatl
October 25th, 2011
5:22 pm
In high school football, I have seen a tackle like Ovie’s called a personal foul. What is the rule in college and the NFL. It sure looked like an intentional hit. Please someone tell me the difference.
BOB
October 25th, 2011
5:23 pm
Snelling has already been sidelined with concussion like symptoms, becoming the lead blocker for Michael Turner is not a good long term career move.
Jamaica Dawg
October 25th, 2011
5:25 pm
That was a vicious, direct hit to the knee whether “legal” or not, it was certainly questionable judgement on Delmas’s part.
Good luck in rehab Ovie, we will really miss you for the rest of the season, you are a workhorse and damn good falcon!!
Jay
October 25th, 2011
5:27 pm
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
DanJ
October 25th, 2011
5:31 pm
They should sign former Saints FB Heath Evans. Maybe he could tip them off how to slow down the New Orleans offense as well!
eddie
October 25th, 2011
5:31 pm
Sorry that happened to you Ovie, as soon as I saw the hit, I cringed…..we will MISS you!