FOXBORO -- Twice on Tuesday the Patriots were winged by injury bullets.
We already told you that Julian Edelman's surgically-repaired left foot - while the cause of his practice departure - is not a serious aggravation of the affected area.
Now, after confirming Mike Reiss' report of a torn triceps that isn't expected to need surgery for Rob Ninkovich we have more semi-good news.
According to a medical source, a non-operative triceps tear will take "a couple of weeks" of downtime to heal and then training can resume.
Ninkovich had an MRI on Tuesday that revealed no tendon damage according to Reiss. That basically makes surgery unnecessary.
While Ninkovich -- based on the timetable provided -- could be back for the start of the season, the pressing and pulling a defensive end has to do puts unique stress on the triceps. So making sure the arm is prepared for the unusual act of trying to discard 300-pound men or tearing 230-pound men to the ground is pretty important.