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Ben Roethlisberger broke his jaw and nose in a motorcycle crash, but doctors said they had successfully treated his multiple facial fractures after seven hours of surgery. Roethlisberger, the youngest quarterback to lead a team to the Super Bowl championship, was in serious but stable condition late Monday night at Pittsburgh's Mercy Hospital.

In a Monday night press conference, Dr. Harry W. Sell, chairman of the hospital's surgery department, told reporters that four doctors operated on Roethlisberger for multiple facial fractures and that "all of the fractures were successfully repaired."

Doctors are unaware of any other serious injuries, but said Roethlisberger remained in serious but stable condition, according to Dr. Daniel Pituch, who led the team of doctors caring for the star player.

"His brain, spine, chest and abdomen appear to be without serious injury and there are no other confirmed injuries at this time," he said.

According to Associated Press writer Joe Mandak, Roethlisberger's condition was not expected to change through the night, and no updates were expected until later this afternoon. Doctors declined to release further information, at his family's request.

The hospital's chief of trauma, Dr. Larry Jones, said earlier that Roethlisberger "was talking to me before he left for the operating room."

"He [was] coherent," Jones said. "He's making sense. He knows what happened. He knows where he is. From that standpoint, he's very stable."

Steelers head coach Bill Cowher arrived Monday night at the hospital, where several of Roethlisberger's teammates, including back-up quarterback Charlie Batch and defensive end Brett Keisel, had also gathered.

Team president Art Rooney II said the team was "encouraged by the early reports from the medical team" at the hospital.

"I am sure Ben knows that we are praying for his complete recovery," he said.

As for that recovery. ... Pittsburgh Post-Gazette staffer Ed Bouchette, citing an unnamed team official, reported this morning that the Steelers are confident Roethlisberger should heal and be ready to play in the season opener Sept. 7 against the Miami Dolphins.

Bouchette's source said that the surgery on Roethlisberger's face took so long -- seven hours -- in order to assist in a faster recovery time. The source went on to indicate Roethlisberger also should be ready to participate in training camp, although he may not play in the first pre-season game Aug. 12 in Arizona.

I think it's worth noting the word "should" was used in both those paragraphs.

ESPN.com's John Clayton is also taking the optimistic approach along with NFL Network insider Adam Schefter, who is also convinced Roethlisberger will be good to go for the opener.

All of which sounds good.

But I'll remind you: Not a single media outlet -- including the Post-Gazette -- had a representative in the operating room. There aren't any NFL analysts out there with "Dr." in front of their names -- certainly none that were/are privy to discussions involving Roethlisberger's surgeons or attending physicians.

ESPN.com began advising readers yesterday that broken jaws normally take seven weeks to heal. But how the recovery might affect his ability to eat, maintain weight, workout or maintain conditioning has not been addresses and remains to be seen.

An excellent example of the reporting running ahead of the facts came yesterday morning, when the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review -- citing a police report -- advised readers that Roethlisberger had "severe" injuries to both knees.

Now, as time passes, it sounds like that initial report may have been exaggerated with the general consensus indicating the knee injuries are minor (with some reports characterizing them as road rash).

I would suggest it's also safe to assume that, with the passage of time, we'll learn more about the facial injuries and gain a better understanding of their true impact on immediate and long-term future.

As Profootballtalk.com editor Mike Florio put it this morning: "Based on everything we've seen and heard so far on Tuesday morning, the 'real' media generally seems to presume that Roethlisberger will be ready able to participate in training camp, the preseason, and the regular season.

"Though we're not reporting that he'll be out for the year, it's far too early to claim that he'll be ready to go in August or September."

Florio is right. It is too early.

That doesn't mean the optimistic reports won't actually come to pass. It just means you shouldn't take them as gospel or use them to draw conclusions that will alter your Fantasy strategies at this point in time.

I'll continue to follow this story (and post further details in the News & Views or Headline News sections of this site as developments warrant) and advise you to do the same. Those with Roethlisberger-centric plans may need to adjust on the fly.

That being the case, let's draw a quick baseline here, by stipulating that if -- if -- Roethlisberger were to miss any extended time, Batch would be the Steelers starting quarterback.

As Schefter pointed out last night, Pittsburgh's director of football operations Kevin Colbert knows Batch from their days together in Detroit; he believes that Batch is a capable replacement. But Batch also has not been immune to injuries, and that would raise questions as to the rest of Pittsburgh's quarterbacking depth chart.

Who is No. 3 would be the big question. The Steelers used their fifth-round pick on Bowling Green quarterback Omar Jacobs.

Also, representatives for Tommy Maddox called the Steelers to see if they would have any interest in re-signing their former quarterback. This offseason, Maddox has worked out for the Saints, Raiders, Dolphins and Texans.

According to Schefter, Maddox wants to play -- not at the expense of Roethlisberger -- but he would like work and this accident might help him get it. ...

A few final notes here. ... Roethlisberger was scheduled to film a Campbell's Chunky Soup commercial with his mother on June 13. The shoot, for now, has been cancelled.

A bigger financial question is the one in Roethlisberger's contract. According to Schefter, it contains a default provision that says the Steelers have the right to go after some of his bonus money if Roethlisberger cannot play due to a non-football injury.

If Roethlisberger were unable to report to training camp (unlikely), and if the team wanted to enforce the contract's language (also unlikely), and if Pittsburgh prevailed in the case, the Steelers could pursue $400,000 of Roethlisberger's signing bonus and another $5.79 million in bonus payments, according to a person who has reviewed the contract.

As Schefter summed up: "Chances are, the money will not become an issue; Roethlisberger carries too much weight for the Steelers to go after it. But it is just one more issue for Roethlisberger to weigh."

And finally. ... According to Pittsburgh CBS television affiliate KDKA, Roethlisberger had a license to operate a car, he apparently did not possess a Pennsylvania motorcycle license.

According to KDKA's source, Roethlisberger did have a learner's permit that allowed him to ride a motorcycle; but that permit expired on March 29th. The source goes on to explain that Roethlisberger never took the written and driving test required to get a motorcycle license -- and would have been driving illegally at the time of the accident.

All of which raises further questions regarding possible lack of insurance. For now, however, we'll maintain focus on the health issues.

So, stay tuned. There will be more.