SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The long recovery process is already under way for Bryant Young and the San Francisco 49ers.
Young, one of the NFL's top defensive linemen, was resting at Stanford Hospital following a 3 1/2-hour operation Tuesday in which doctors inserted a metal rod to stabilize his fractured tibia, the main weight-bearing bone between the knee and ankle. A break in the fibula, the smaller adjacent bone, was set and will be allowed to heal without further intervention.Young broke two bones in his lower right leg in a frightening collision on the field Monday night. The 49ers (9-3) will have to finish the season without their star defensive tackle.
"It's a violent game and when you get something like this, it's a real reminder," Mariucci said. "I think it weighs on you and it's a concern and it's hard, but you go on, not just me, but everyone in this building.
"I know we have the type of players and the type of team chemistry that will enable us to do that. We all feel bad and suffer a little bit because of this, but somewhere in here, we have snap out of it, get to work and go win another football game."
Team physician Dr. Michael Dillingham told Mariucci the surgery went well and that Young would need 8-9 months of rehabilitation before trying to play again.
"In speaking with Dr. Dillingham about the prognosis, he shared with me that there's a good possibility that B.Y. will play next season," Mariucci said. "Obviously, there are no guarantees, because a lot of healing has to take place and things have to go right."
Mariucci noted that former 49ers center Jesse Sapolu suffered a similar injury and was able to come back and resume a productive career.
"And if somebody can recover from something like this, B.Y. is in that category, so we have to remain optimistic," Mariucci said.
Mariucci said for now, Young would be replaced with a three-tackle rotation using Brentson Buckner, Shane Bonham and Gabe Wilkins.
Fellow defensive tackle Junior Bryant said it will take more than that to make up for Young's loss.
"There is not one person that is going to compensate for him," Bryant said. "It is going to have to be all of us."
Young, San Francisco's first-round pick out of Notre Dame in 1994, had 9 1/2 sacks and was on his way to another Pro Bowl season when he went down in a fast, frightening sequence during the fourth quarter of Monday night's 31-7 win over the New York Giants.
New York quarterback Kent Graham scrambled out of the pocket and Young and linebacker Ken Norton Jr. closed in from opposite directions to make the tackle. Young grabbed Graham's jersey when Norton plowed into the pile and his helmet struck Young squarely on the leg.
With Young's cleat firmly planted in the soggy turf, his leg buckled, bending at a grotesque angle. Young fell to the ground, his anguish evident to anyone who saw his face or heard his screams.
"I could tell Bryant was hurting pretty bad," Graham said.