Injuries -- What is GB Doing Wrong?

[sharpe1027]

I don't know. Two teams can have the exact same number of players with the exact same injuries miss the exact same number of games and come out on completely different ends of that metric based on whether the player is a starter. It is a good way to judge the impact of injuries on a team, but not the frequency or cause of injuries.

Are there really big secrets and differences in preparation and training? Just doesn't pass the eyeball test to me. It seems more plausible that widespread use of PEDs wight have more effect on recovery times and different injuries. I still think there is a healthy dose of randomness involved.

[texaspackerbacker]

From 2010-2013, 2011 is the one season the Packers didn't have a ton of injuries. This was also the year where there was no offseason training program because of the lockout that followed the 2010 season. Makes me wonder if the offseason training program has been the problem.

1 out of 4 sounds about right. Lots of teams have injury problems - many worse than the Packers. 1 LUCKY season out of 4, and maybe 1 LUCKY team out of 4 in any given season around the league. I really don't think we are any worse off than others.

[pbmax]

There is one other factor, outside of a few stray comments this year that seemed to be directed at Nick Perry, McCarthy gives carte blanche to the medical staff and Dr. McKenzie to determine player fitness to participate. Most coaches are constantly in the team doc's ear pushing things along. This probably has the effect of increasing the stay on an injured list.

The offseason program is a very good candidate for blame. Remember the year of the shoulder injuries? After the fact it turned out the Packers had tweaked their program to include more work on shoulders and the results were catastrophic. They may be too far afield for their own good.

Maybe the Packers need more offseason malingerers.

[bobblehead]

If Sherrod did happen to improve enough to over take Bak for the LT spot, would Bak turn into Barcaly II? Is he able to play G and T?

Personally I think Bak is probably more G than T. I think he is VERY much like TJ Lang.

[bobblehead]

I may be way off here but I thought I remember hearing that the Seahags don't do much contact at all in practice? They are obviously a very physical team, so I wonder if it's just the lack of wear and tear that helps them be physical and avoid injuries.

Or drugs.

[bobblehead]

1 out of 4 sounds about right. Lots of teams have injury problems - many worse than the Packers. 1 LUCKY season out of 4, and maybe 1 LUCKY team out of 4 in any given season around the league. I really don't think we are any worse off than others.

Except that statistical evidence says we ARE worse of than almost every other.

[Willard]

I am not sure what training regimen prevents Cobb's leg from breaking or Rodgers' clavicle from snapping, or Matthews' thumb from fracturing last year. The hammy epidemic of years past seems worthy of scrutiny, but many of the Pack's recent injuries seem unrelated to training. Aaron Rodgers has more to do with Cobb's broken leg than do our trainers.

[Patler]

Of course there are injuries that just happen, like those you mentioned. You can throw Bulaga's knee and Finley's neck injuries into the "things happen" category, too. Many of the injuries last year were those types, so maybe they actually have gotten a handle on the problem, and it was difficult to see because there happened to be a high incidence of the unpreventable injuries last year.

Before that, however, one year player after player had shoulder injuries. Then it was core muscle injuries. Recently it has been hamstrings. The fact that there seem to have been bunches of players in a given year with the same types of injuries, and that the injury type varied from year to year would seem to suggest that they were doing somethings as a team that made them more susceptible to a certain injury in a given year. Maybe they have gotten past that. I sure hope so.

[3irty1]

Luck is certainly a part of it but I think the biggest reasons are Ted's drafting tendencies. We don't take an inordinate number of guys with terrible histories of injury, and even when we do I think there is some value in getting guys that have proven they know how to approach rehab because injuries do happen. The reason I think its Ted is because Ted secretly drafts like Al Davis. Ted has a thing for elite athletes and freaks and those are the guys who are pushing the structural integrity of the human body's construction materials. Its particularly bad on the defensive side of the ball. Its not a bad drafting strategy for a team that wants to draft and develop and obviously he's not wholesale trading off athletes over football players like Davis did. The philosophy seems somewhat incompatible with that of Capers though because he runs a scheme that prefers experience and high football IQ which requires regular availability to gain that experience.

[texaspackerbacker]

Luck is certainly a part of it but I think the biggest reasons are Ted's drafting tendencies. We don't take an inordinate number of guys with terrible histories of injury, and even when we do I think there is some value in getting guys that have proven they know how to approach rehab because injuries do happen. The reason I think its Ted is because Ted secretly drafts like Al Davis. Ted has a thing for elite athletes and freaks and those are the guys who are pushing the structural integrity of the human body's construction materials. Its particularly bad on the defensive side of the ball. Its not a bad drafting strategy for a team that wants to draft and develop and obviously he's not wholesale trading off athletes over football players like Davis did. The philosophy seems somewhat incompatible with that of Capers though because he runs a scheme that prefers experience and high football IQ which requires regular availability to gain that experience.

I'm trying to correlate your theory with recent fairly serious injuries, but I can't seem to think of any freaks and elite athletes we've had, but I can't seem to think of any. Who do you have in mind?

[bobblehead]

I am not sure what training regimen prevents Cobb's leg from breaking or Rodgers' clavicle from snapping, or Matthews' thumb from fracturing last year. The hammy epidemic of years past seems worthy of scrutiny, but many of the Pack's recent injuries seem unrelated to training. Aaron Rodgers has more to do with Cobb's broken leg than do our trainers.

Well, rodgers clavicle was a direct result of our OL getting run the fuck over.

[VegasPackFan]

I seriously think all the soft tissue injuries have to to with bad prep and too much stretching crap. My wife is in the fitness industry and they just don't do much stretching anymore, especially pre-workout. You warm up and then you go. Warming up consists of low impact activity to get the heart rate up. Stretching is recommended on off days to loosen up.

I don't know, I would think these trainers would be up on the latest science, right?

[Striker]

Well, rodgers clavicle was a direct result of our OL getting run the fuck over.

Rodgers moved outside of the pocket either to scramble or buy time. Not really the line getting run over...

[gbgary]

it's bad luck. it'll turn around. so far this preseason/camp it hasn't been too bad (knocking on wood).

[bobblehead]

I seriously think all the soft tissue injuries have to to with bad prep and too much stretching crap. My wife is in the fitness industry and they just don't do much stretching anymore, especially pre-workout. You warm up and then you go. Warming up consists of low impact activity to get the heart rate up. Stretching is recommended on off days to loosen up.

I don't know, I would think these trainers would be up on the latest science, right?

Stretching at the end (cool down) is also key. You are correct though, warm up...as in don't go hard on cold muscles is key in latest scientific studies.