Faulk to Have Surgery, Will Miss 2006 Season

St. Louis Rams tailback Marshall Faulk, the ninth-leading rusher in NFL history and a future Hall of Fame member, will undergo knee surgery next week that will sideline him for the 2006 season and possibly end his career.

The surgery, confirmed Friday by Rams coach Scott Linehan, will be an extensive reconstructive procedure and will probably require eight to 12 months of rehabilitation.

The most likely scenario is that St. Louis will place Faulk on injured reserve, which would end his 2006 season. Such a move would cost the Rams $2 million and would prompt speculation that he will not return to the playing field.

St. Louis also has the option of waiving Faulk, but the Rams don't seem inclined to do so, just for the purpose of potentially saving some money on his contract. And for the fact of what he has meant to the franchise the last seven seasons.

The Rams signed former Green Bay running back Tony Fisher in the offseason, but he's more of a third-down back who comes in on passing downs. Steven Jackson, who rushed for 1,046 yards last season, is the starter. The rumor mill is swirling about the possibility of St. Louis making a trade with New Orleans for Michael Bennett.

Faulk is coming off a 2005 season in which he carried only 65 times for 292 yards and caught 44 passes for 291 yards. His rushing yards, receiving yards and all-purpose yards were the lowest of his career. Faulk has not posted a 1,000-yard rushing season since 2001.

He has rushed for 12,279 yards and scored 158 touchdowns, to go along with 19,190 all-purpose yards, in a stellar career that began as the number one pick of the Indianapolis Colts in 1994. He was traded to the Rams in 1999 and was voted Offensive Player of the Year in 1999 and 2001. He was named NFL MVP in 2000.

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