Report: Vick Ballard has a Torn Achilles

Terrible news coming just minutes ago regarding Colts running back Vick Ballard: reports say he tore his achilles in practice today.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Colts RB Vick Ballard tore his Achilles, sources say. He was carted off the field earlier.</p>&mdash; Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) <a href="https://twitter.com/mortreport/statuses/492793551248314368">July 25, 2014</a></blockquote>

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Colts RB Vick Ballard has torn his Achilles, source says. Brutal. Looking at another lost season</p>&mdash; Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapSheet/statuses/492794364117020673">July 25, 2014</a></blockquote>

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Regarding Vick Ballard, still hasn&#39;t undergone MRI, but initial diagnosis is indeed Achilles, as <a href="https://twitter.com/mortreport">@mortreport</a> stated. The scan will confirm</p>&mdash; Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) <a href="https://twitter.com/HolderStephen/statuses/492795436907114496">July 25, 2014</a></blockquote>

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Here's what I wrote earlier today about how it happened:

"Running back Vick Ballard, coming off of a torn ACL a year ago, was running a simple route early in practice while everyone was doing position drills.  He limped off the field to the sidelines, where the team's trainers then looked at what appeared to be his ankle while Ballard was sitting on a gatorade cooler.  He then got into a golf cart and was taken to the locker room.  It was impossible to notice how Ballard had his head hung and even at one point his head in his hands as the cart drove off.  After practice, the word was that Ballard will undergo an MRI on his left leg for a "lower leg" injury."

Obviously, this is just brutal news for Ballard and for the Colts.  Last year Ballard missed all but one game due to a torn ACL in practice on a non-contact injury, and today it was also a non-contact injury in practice.  It's just terrible news for Ballard.  It's also terrible news for the Colts.  We'll have much more coverage going forward about the Colts having to play without Ballard if the reports are indeed true (and I'm inclined to believe they are), but now the pressure is on Trent Richardson.  It's time for him to step up.

Awful news here, and again, while it's not official, there are multiple people reporting it who aren't wrong often, and it seems as if Vick Ballard's season is over before it really began.