In order to figure out exactly why so many NFL players are getting injured this season, we must look at some of the changes that happened to the NFL because of the lockout. The 2011 NFL lockout officially ended August 4th. Due to the lockout, the players missed two and a half weeks of Training Camp as well as not being able to work out in the team’s facilities. Drew Brees led as many as 40 New Orleans Saints players through six straight weeks of practice. The Saints are one of the healthiest teams currently in the NFL. The Green Bay Packers also had practiced led by Aaron Rodgers. The San Francisco 49’ers also participated in teams practiced during the lockout. Alex Smith led the 49’ers through practices, even though he was a Free-Agent. Second round draft pick Colin Kaepernick participated in practices too. Smith was with him every step of the way, preparing Kaepernick to be the starter for week one. Alex Smith was resigned and is now leading the 49’ers to an unexpected 5-1 record.
It is obvious that the teams who practiced during the off season were the most prepared for the season. The Packers look just like they did in the Super bowl, while the 49’ers are leading their division. Could the reason these teams have not suffered serious injuries to their core players is because of their off season practice? I believe so. The Kansas City Chiefs held practices during the off season, but not close to the extent of the Saints and 49’ers. In the first three weeks the Chiefs lost for the season, Pro Bowl safety Eric Berry, Pro Bowl Running Back Jamal Charles and sophomore Tight End Tony Moeaki. All three injuries were Knee related. This could be due to the fact the teams have to been practicing enough previous to training camp and the Season. Detroit’s second round draft pick, running back Mikel Leshoure to a torn Achilles during training camp and was placed on injured reserve. Possibly the most impactful season ending injury was to Kenny Britt. Britt tore his ACL and MCL, that’s an injury that could make it hard for him to ever come back to the NFL. I don’t want to forget that Nate Kaeding tore his ACL on the season opening kickoff, the kick was taken back 103 yards for a TD by Percy Harvin. These are only a couple of season ending injuries to prominent players, look at (Figure1) to see the others.
(Figure 1)
Bills
Merriman, Shawne LB IR Achilles, Injured reserve (IR)
Parrish, Roscoe WR IR Ankle injury, Injured reserve (IR)
Panthers
Otah, Jeff OT IR Left knee injury, Injured reserve (IR)
Beason, Jon LB IR Achilles, Injured reserve (IR)
Detroit
Best, Jahvid RB Concussion, Told to shut down season due to his 2nd concussion this year
LeShoure, Mikel RB IR Achilles, Injured reserve (IR)
Houston
Williams, Mario DE IR Torn pectoral muscle, Injured reserve (IR)
Chiefs
Berry, Eric SS IR Left knee injury, Injured reserve (IR)
Charles, Jamaal RB IR Torn ACL, Injured reserve (IR)
Moeaki, Tony TE IR Knee injury, Injured reserve (IR)
Colts
Manning, Peyton QB Out Neck
Bullitt, Melvin S IR Right shoulder injury, Injured reserve (IR)
Collins, Kerry QB IR Concussion, Injured reserve (IR)
Miami
Henne, Chad QB IR Separated left shoulder, Injured reserve (IR)
San Diego
Kaeding, Nate PK IR Torn ACL, Injured reserve (IR)
Tampa
Graham, Earnest RB IR Achilles, Injured reserve (IR)
Tennessee
Britt, Kenny WR IR Torn ACL and MCL, Injured reserve (IR)
Washington
Hightower, Tim RB IR Torn left ACL, Injured reserve (IR)
So because of the lockout, players haven’t been conditioned enough to start the season. This has caused an alarming rate of players getting injured and shut down for the season. To be honest, I’m not too surprised. With the lockout ending and training camps starting that week, players that did not practice with the team or train individually would have been out of shape. We should also consider that because these high level athletes were not using their crucial muscles during the off season. Their muscles were not warmed up for the intense workload. Just like stretching before a game, training before the season conditions the muscles to work harder. Now, obviously I understand that tearing an ACL could happen to anybody, but the amount of season ending knee injuries this season has to be tied to the lockout.
Another aspect to consider is the changes made to practice regulations during the season. While negotiating during the lockout, the NFLPA pushed to shorten the amount of practice time during the regular season. The players believed that too many padded practices caused unexpected injuries. Therefore the owners agreed to practice terms which no longer allow two padded practices a day. There is now a limit on the amount of padded practices throughout the entire season. It is now mandatory to have only one padded practice a week for the first eleven weeks of the season, with a a maximum of fourteen. That leaves only three padded practices available in the last six weeks. Let’s infer that teams won’t have padded practices during week seventeen. I’m guessing it will depend if they are in a playoff race or not. Teams with guaranteed positions will probably hold padded practices every other week. But teams that need to win to get in, will most likely use their remaining practices in the 13th, 14th and 16th. This new rule could also affect the way teams are prepared for the playoffs. Teams that don’t play on wild card weekend are going to want to practice at least once during the 16th or 17th week. That way they are not cold for their first playoff game.
We will have to wait and see, but I believe that it could have a negative impact on the better teams and favor the hottest teams going into the playoffs. Altogether the lockout has had an unexpected impact on the players’ health this season. There has been an unusually high amount of players going down with season ending injuries and is directly a result of the lockout this off season.
By BigRichMoore
Twitter @bigrich11
http://www.nfl.com/trainingcamp/story/09000d5d8215c8ab/article/how-practice-changes-could-negatively-impact-nfl-games