What the hell is happening to our receivers?

[run pMc]

I'm sure they stretch and warmup..well most of them. Some people require a LOT of stretching, others can just stretch for 15 seconds and they're ready to go.
As a runner, I find that the older I get the more I have to stretch. I wonder if the youth of the roster has something to do with not stretching enough and getting muscle pulls. Certain positions (WR, CB) having more hamstring problems isn't surprising...all those sprints can be hell on your legs. With all the collisions they take, I'm amazed they're still able to run down the field and remember which play they're running.
My fear is that the hamstring pulls don't heal up and become a ongoing problem. Look at how many games Randy Moss has been hurt with hammy injuries. OK, so it may also be that he plays when he wants to, but still.

[The Leaper]

As athletes become bigger and stronger, these injuries will be more common. The human body is an amazing design...but it still has its limits. 220 pounds of human moving at 20mph brings a lot of force on muscles that weren't there 20-30 years ago when the athletes weren't as finely tuned.

It isn't because players don't stretch or because trainers are incompetant.

[Maxie the Taxi]

As athletes become bigger and stronger, these injuries will be more common. The human body is an amazing design...but it still has its limits. 220 pounds of human moving at 20mph brings a lot of force on muscles that weren't there 20-30 years ago when the athletes weren't as finely tuned.

It isn't because players don't stretch or because trainers are incompetant.

I agree here. I can guarantee you when I was in high school we didn't lift weights, at least not like they lift weights today. We didn't have a weight room. Even in college there was no emphasis on "bulking up." The thought then was weight-lifting makes you muscle-bound. We had guys 220 and up then, but it wasn't 220 lbs. of ripped muscle, not by a long shot. It was mostly pizza and beer.

Nowadays athletes are ripped with little body fat. Yes, these guys are strong and fast and they can do things we never dreamed of back in my day. But by the same token I believe the price we pay today for extra-human performances on the field is more injuries. All that muscle puts a tremendous strain on the human frame. And that's not even getting into the whole steroid thing.

All you have to do to get my point is look at wrestlers 40 years ago and look at them today. Guys today are lifting weights and bulking up on nuturition (and drugs). Dick the Bruiser was a pizza and beer guy.

I know you have to bulk up to play today's game, but players back in my day -- I think -- were more durable. Of course, that might have something to do with attitude as well, and ignorance of what playing with injuries can do to your body in later life.

[Tyrone Bigguns]

I agree Tyrone, how lame....like professional athletes don't warmup and stretch....This is a tough fast physical game!

Listen, punk, of course (good) athletes do warmups...but apparently you've never been to an NFL game. Look at pre-game warmups by any unit - it's (at times) a joke! Some aren't even stretching out - even Favre has been notoriously lazy in pre-game warmups; Favre is lucky he's made of titanium but in resent years even he's had to get serious. McCarthy is all about pumping iron and it's not out the question that warmups get too little emphasis from Pittsburgh macho McCarthy. God, I hate you Online buddies who think they can "google" their way through life.

First, idiot, do you not think that a team that has invested millions in players would allow them to do as they please. That is a joke.

Second, the cause of hamstring injuries is pretty unknown. But, with your extensive pee wee soccer coaching i'm sure you already knew that. Researchers have identified an array of risk factors, including muscle imbalance, lower back and hip problems, fatigue, insufficient warm-up, age and previous injury. The question is whether any — or a combination — of factors are to blame.

"It is complicated because there are so many factors. You roll your ankle and say, 'OK, that ankle is going in an abnormal position.' Hamstring injuries occur during normal activity," says Tanya Hagen, assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center/Center for Sports Medicine.

Says Thomas Best, co-medical director of the Ohio State University Sports Medicine Center: "There could be multiple things going on. It is challenging and perplexing."

Some stretching exercises once thought helpful in prevention now are considered taboo. Many researchers question the value of stretching at all.

Some hammy injuries happen early..inadequate warmup (and warmup doesn't equal stetching chump) and some happen late..FATIGUE.

It might begin with muscle tears. A lot of sprinters (and those guys stretch all the time) will tell you it felt tight for a long period of time before the pull. So, maybe they already had a previous injury.

Or it can be an inbalance tween the quads and the hammies.

And, lets not even address the fact that research shows once you've had one you are way more susceptible in the future.

"Jogging, trotting, doing an activity that sort of replicates what you're going to be doing," says McKeag, who says that increases the blood flow to and nourishment of the muscles. But, what does he know considering he is director of the Indiana University Center for Sports Medicine...he isn't a know it all pee wee soccer coach.

Wait for it...wait for it...."From a psychological standpoint, a lot of people feel much better after they stretch," McKeag says. "But generally, all the data and the evidence would suggest our long-held belief that stretching is beneficial in preventing injuries probably doesn't exist."

Shocking then that to keep warm, some NFL players pedal exercise bikes on the sideline. Many wear compression shorts, tight across the thighs..why would they do this...TO KEEP WARM you euro dope.

And, finally...a word from guys who might know something about it..since they live the life.

Santana Moss, "Man, you can stretch all day. When it comes, it comes."

David Patten, "I stretch all the time," he says. "That's why for it to happen, it really blew my mind."

GAME, SET, MATCH.


Google: I have no idea what you are referring to. But, in this case, i would think you might try it once in a while. You might learn something.

[Tyrone Bigguns]

These guys make millions on the conditioning of their bodies. You can rest assured they do plenty of stretching and conditioning. Muscle pulls and strains happen and not just to the Packers....It is amazing to me that some would assume teams don't take this seriously when they are paying this kind of money!

Oops, posted mine before reading this.

wow. common sense. You would think everyone would have it.