Practice Field Assessment

[Flugel]

Unfortunately, in recent years - we've seen the following players landing on IR before they've had their first practice with contact: LeCharles Bentley, Davon Holley, Sean Jones. I don't know where and when our first 2 draft picks of 2008 got hurt but it seemed like it was before I ever saw them once. Rucker made it back but I don't recall seeing Bell answer the bell. We've also had the highest volume of staph infections or at least the highest volume reported in the media.

 

When you pay for a Bentley and you can't even get it out of the garage - that's some serious lost cake. Even worse, when you pay THAT much there's some serious expectations that aren't ever going fulfilled so you settle on a Hank Fraley that Philly deemed too old. While I LIKE Fraley's scrappy attitude and always see him hustling - let's face it, he was a frantic problem solve to the Bentley after 5 or 6 unsuccessful auditions before him. If someone else deemed him a backup 3 years ago - I gotta wonder how long we're looking to him as good enough.

 

The reason I post this topic is that I REALLY hope someone in the organization takes a look at how many players we've lost PRE-contact (OTAs or 1st day of Training Camp in shorts). I just don't see this happening to other teams nearly to the extent or frequency it does to our team. Maybe I'm just being a homer here but this team can't afford to lose people before it's time to play ball for real. I've observed some training camp practices over the years and the fields always look like they're in good shape; BUT I'm not close enough to see if there's alot of hidden crevices or bumpy ground that could disrupt footing and lead to the unfortunate incidences we've read about via Jones, Holly and Bentley. Is that enough history to make this a need? I would hope so but you never know...

 

Thanks for reading!

- Tom F.

 

 

[sisky fringo]

Bell caused that special teams fumble vs. Jacksonville. that might have been his first active game.

 

i'll accept the staph but pulled hammies are no excuse, especially that many (i remember i stopped counting @ 11).

 

i was disappointed when i saw they rehired the S & C guy.....

[mario]

You can't blame the S & C guy, some of these guys are too bound up to be efficent athletes. If the players come in, and bullshit around while stretching, it is going to get them on the field. When you are putting your bodies at the physical demand any professional sport requires, you are going to have injuries without the PLAYERS proper preparation.

 

The S & C guys can only tell them what to do, the athlete needs to execute the directions in order for them to be effective. These guys have been lifting and playing long enough they should know how to properly stretch out their legs.

 

The NFL is too lax on these guys. How about this, if you are fooking around during stretches, you don't get paid for the game? Wait we can't, the pussy ass players will go bitching about a CBA.

[CLEVELandMILIDH]

Mangini is known for some of the hardest camps in the NFL yet New York was the least injured team last year. Some of that is luck but alot of it has to do with getting your body ready in camp for a NFL season and Mangini does that for his players.

Coaches always say your most likely to get injured when your not going full go, because you let your guard down and your not as alert, and in minicamps theres always guys trying to make teams that are going full go, so if everybodys not going all out your chances of injurys go way up. So with that said Im glad the country club is gone and the military way is in.

[ballpeen]

You can't blame the S & C guy, some of these guys are too bound up to be efficent athletes.

 

 

I agree.

 

When your muscles are as taut a piano wire, there isn't much give until things start to rip.

 

These guys are to pumped up.

 

[JewDago]

you have to wonder where the line is, though, between building more muscle than your body can handle and not having enough to play in the league and if some of these guys just don't have bodies that can last in the NFL.

 

and there's no way that the NFL doesn't have a steroid problem. these guys are all too huge.

[mario]

 

A lot of these guys might have good genes.. but nature can only take you so far when it comes to how built you can get.

 

When you are 22, 23, 24 years old with some of the strength these players have, steriods are being taken.

 

When you take testosterone, hgh, what ever your weapon of choice is, generally your muscles grow rapidly, but the tendons and ligaments do not grow, and are forced to stretch, and eventually snap. After they stretch, tear, break etc... they will heal, but never be the same, and reoccuring injuries are common.

 

Professional athletes in all sports are users and abusers. If you dno't use, you won't be competitve, if you aren't competitve, you won't have a job.

[JewDago]

the funny thing is that even our mere participation on this board, let alone actually financially supporting the league through attending games or buying merchandise, is a tacit endorsement of the league's blind-eye policy toward PED abuse.

 

would leveling the playing field make the game less fun? would we still watch if players weren't juicing? there isn't a clear answer, but league execs don't care to find out. they've got a good thing going and aren't in a hurry to screw it up to protect the bodies of people they ultimately view as disposable capital.

[sisky fringo]

You can't blame the S & C guy, some of these guys are too bound up to be efficent athletes. If the players come in, and bullshit around while stretching, it is going to get them on the field. When you are putting your bodies at the physical demand any professional sport requires, you are going to have injuries without the PLAYERS proper preparation.

 

The S & C guys can only tell them what to do, the athlete needs to execute the directions in order for them to be effective. These guys have been lifting and playing long enough they should know how to properly stretch out their legs.

 

The NFL is too lax on these guys. How about this, if you are fooking around during stretches, you don't get paid for the game? Wait we can't, the pussy ass players will go bitching about a CBA.

so you want to place total responsibility w/ the player, who probably feels it's not that important since the league doesn't enforce a penalty for lack of stretching? i'll agree that's some of it. if you trace it back to the beginning that's pretty much where you end up.

 

but that doesn't mean a different regime can't hire a hard-ass drill sergeant type who won't put up w/ fooking off, does it?

we're talking about 11+ hammy pulls, not a couple. things happen but 11 plus? sorry but that's totally unacceptable to me.

 

as a head coach you are to micromanage the NFL policies on your team. i wouldn't rely on the NFL to carry the message throughout my team. injuries can derail the season and they are preventable.....and shit runs downhill.

 

if you can't hold the S & C coach accountable then who? of course the players are partially responsible and the coaches are just following policy but grown men or not you need to lay down the law. the coaches are just too lax on these guys is the bottom line to me. if people need their hands held you hold their hands. if they need motivated you motivate them. if they need shown the correct way to do something you show them. it's managing people and it applies to all walks of life. whether you were a kid and it was the substitute teacher you walked all over, or the strict one you absolutely hated. etc etc. there are a million examples.

Professional athletes in all sports are users and abusers. If you dno't use, you won't be competitve, if you aren't competitve, you won't have a job.

this isn't necessarily true. the MMA elite are the highest conditioned athletes on the planet and they don't use the juice. on occasion you'll run into one but they get tested for stuff all the time. sean sherk is the only one that comes to mind in the last 5 years. no one can get away w/ using it if they do, that's for certain. additionally they somehow magically avoid these pulls. they obviously get it, and because it's not a team sport if they can't compete they don't get paid. therefore it's risk/reward. they hire people because they themselves aren't S & C experts, they're athletes. and if they incur injuries due to their coach/trainer's advisement they get fired. it's that simple.

 

this further cements the idea that it lies w/ the individual, and they have to care.

 

a player's lack of concern is a byproduct of the policy. yada yada....

 

so i should blame RAC for allowing this to happen last year then? for not having a stricter policy for stretching? and now mangini for rehiring the same dude who didn't make a difference last year?

 

maybe JD is right and we're all enablers.

 

still, in between the NFL and the player i see quite a few middle men that could make a difference.

 

it's apparent the S & C coach was not firm enough w/ them last year and i was disappointed he returned this year because it appears the writing is on the wall. i see no problem w/ this line of thinking. he is supposed to be good but not what i've seen so far. if he doesn't have control of them or their respect get someone who does. coaches and trainers make a difference.