Ryan Mathews likely out at least 6 weeks

An independent doctor tells the San Diego Union-Tribune that RB Ryan Mathews (clavicle) is likely to be out at least 6 weeks.  The team is sticking by its 4-6 week timetable, but the short end of that spectrum seems overly optimistic.  "Frankly, I don't think most people would release him before six weeks," Dr. Daniel Kharrazi said. "The healing time is four to six weeks. So, especially in a professional athlete, I think you're going to take the extra step to make sure it's 100 percent healed because you don't want it to get hit on, and if it's not properly healed, he can reinjure the shoulder... Obviously, athletes are really good at rehab, but I've never seen someone come back on the field following surgery from a clavicular fracture in four weeks. I think the earliest, earliest by far would be six weeks, if not a little bit longer than that."  We'll continue to track Mathews' recovery, but we're tentatively expecting him to miss the first 2 games of the season.  After that, though, he should soon vault back into RB1 territory.