Lions WR Nate Burleson suffers broken arm in crash

• Police say Nate Burleson was returning home after watching %22Monday Night Football%22 with teammates
• He became distracted by a slice of pizza that fell off his seat as he drove
• Burleson was wearing his seat belt when his vehicle hit the median

ALLEN PARK, Mich. — For the second season in a row, the Detroit Lions' receiving corps is in turmoil. This time, pizza is to blame.

Receiver Nate Burleson broke both bones in his forearm in a single-car accident on westbound I-696 in Farmington Hills, Mich., about 2:25 a.m. Tuesday.

Burleson, who leads the Lions with 19 catches through three games, crashed his 2009 GMC Yukon SUV into a center median while he was distracted by pizza falling off his front seat, according to Michigan State Police Lt. Michael Shaw.

Burleson, who was at Happy's Pizza & Pub in West Bloomfield for an appearance with teammate Stephen Tulloch on Monday, was wearing a seat belt, police said. He was taken by emergency medical responders to a local hospital, a police statement said, and police said alcohol was not a factor.

He is scheduled to have surgery Wednesday, though Lions coach Jim Schwartz said there are no immediate plans to place him on season-ending injured reserve.

"Not at this point," Schwartz said Tuesday. "It's still way too early. He hasn't even had surgery yet. I'm sure everybody will Google and look at how long it takes to come back from a fractured ulna and radius, but it's just way too soon.

"Everybody reacts differently."

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If the Lions decide not to end Burleson's season, they will have to keep him on their 53-man roster until he's healthy. They used their short-term IR designation on running back Montell Owens before the season and played shorthanded at receiver last weekend with Patrick Edwards out with a sprained ankle.

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski suffered a broken forearm in a Nov. 18 game against the Indianapolis Colts last year. He missed the next five games, returned for the season finale and one playoff game, but broke his arm again in the playoffs and missed the rest of the year.

Gronkowski had four surgeries on his arm altogether, including one to clean out an infection. He hasn't played this year because of a back injury.

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Schwartz said Burleson's spirits were "understandably low" when the two spoke Tuesday morning.

Burleson, 32, finished last season on injured reserve after he broke his leg in an October loss to the Chicago Bears, and the Lions' offense and locker room suffered without him.

Wide receiver Ryan Broyles tore the ACL in his right knee last December, Titus Young was kicked off the team for disciplinary reasons, and defenses had only to focus on Calvin Johnson.

Schwartz said Burleson, who'll visit the same doctor for Wednesday's surgery as last year's leg procedure, will remain around the team during his recovery.

"He'll be back quickly in our locker room and he'll be around the team and he'll travel with the team, so we'll be fine there," Schwartz said. "We won't miss that presence. We'll miss his presence on the field, but it's up to the other 52 guys to pick that up. And we can do it."

Burleson, who was named the team's Ed Block Courage Award winner this month for his recovery from the broken leg, had his best game as a Lion in Sunday's 27-20 win at Washington.

He caught six passes for 116 yards, his most since Dec. 30, 2007, and helped set up the go-ahead field goal with a 47-yard catch early in the fourth quarter.

With Burleson out, the Lions will turn to Ryan Broyles as their No. 1 slot receiver, though they could add to the position via free agency or a trade.

A second-round pick last year, Broyles made his season debut with three catches for 34 yards in limited snaps Sunday.

Schwartz said Broyles "came through (the game) pretty good," but the Lions will need bigger contributions from Edwards and others.

"It's fortunate anytime you're in a highway accident, there's potential for worse than broken bones," Schwartz said. "I think he was fortunate in this case, and we were fortunate in this case, that it wasn't more than that.

"I think we've all dealt with some sort of distraction driving before. I've cured myself of texting and driving. I did it for about two months. Now I got that SYNC thing with the Fords. I never even touch my cell phone in the car, but the thing I probably need to cure myself of is eating and driving.

"There's too many times I leave the office real late at night, and you grab something and I've had it happen, drop it on your lap or do something else. That's stuff we all need to learn from. So yeah, we were lucky in that case.

"We'll miss him for the time he's out," Schwartz added. "We'll see how long that'll be, but we know it's not a career-ender, it's not a season-ender, at least at this point."

Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press, a Gannett property. Follow him on Twitter @DaveBirkett.

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