Injuries Piling Up On NFL Teams
Published: Oct 10, 2007
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TAMPA - Any blueprints for NFL franchises considering a new facility had better include an expanded trainer's room.
From Seattle to Miami, and rehab centers in between, players are falling faster than Trent Dilfer's passer rating.
Injuries have always been a part of professional football, but the early stage of the 2007 season has forced many clubs to scramble following the loss of key performers.
"It's a weird year," said Tampa Bay's Earnest Graham, suddenly elevated to featured-back status following injuries to Cadillac Williams and Michael Pittman in the past two weeks. "It's the speed of the game, especially the way defenses like ours fly around, with four or five guys in on every tackle."
Several starting quarterbacks have suffered significant injuries through Week 5 and the Cardinals placed Matt Leinart on injured reserve Tuesday, shelving him for the season after the second-year pro broke his collarbone at St. Louis.
The Rams have little sympathy for Arizona because they haven't been the same since perennial Pro Bowl left tackle Orlando Pace tore his labrum in the season opener.
A week later, quarterback Marc Bulger suffered two broken ribs.
Bulger played in Week 3 against the Bucs but was ineffective and Coach Scott Linehan shut him down the next two games. He may give it a go Sunday at Baltimore, but the damage already has been done as the 0-5 Rams are now playing out the string.
"You hope that injuries are minimal, but you don't know where they're going to occur," said Saints coach Sean Payton. "When they do, you hope you have guys that are ready to go and fill in."
In defending their NFC South title, the winless Saints have taken some big hits, none more devastating than Deuce McAllister's torn knee ligaments. Without the threat of McAllister's powerful inside runs, the NFL's No. 1 offense has plunged to No. 22.
It's long been a truism in the league that only the strong survive.
Not anymore.
After 15 punishing seasons, Seahawks fullback Mack Strong called it quits this week because of a herniated disc in his cervical spine. Because there's life after football, Strong chose to walk away from the game he loves.
"The decision has been made for me," he said. "I think you're always kind of in flux about when should I hang 'em up? When should I call it quits? It's a no-brainer."
Mike Alstott of the Bucs faces a similar decision after sitting out the 2007 season with a neck injury suffered in training camp.
Already, 53 quarterbacks have played in NFL games as fantasy league owners pore over rosters in quest of that sleeper seventh-round pick out of Coastal Carolina.
Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme is done for the year with a strained elbow that will require surgery. Backup David Carr was battered at New Orleans on Monday and teams with more than two quarterbacks - like the Bucs and Raiders - are now working the trade phones from a position of strength.
The league's injury scourge has afflicted the rich and the poor in equal measure.
Last weekend, 137 players were listed on the injury report as either out, doubtful or questionable. That's an average of almost five players for each of the 28 clubs that were in action.
The 1-4 Bills almost ambushed the Cowboys on Monday night, despite already placing eight players on injured reserve - the NFL equivalent of a practice squad full of players who can't practice.
Despite efforts by the league to improve player safety, the increasing size and speed of the participants has inevitably led to more violent collisions. Head injuries, in particular, are a major concern for a $7 billion industry built on competitive balance and marquee quarterbacks the league can market.
Commissioner Roger Goodell said the NFL is constantly looking at new designs for helmets, chin straps and mouth guards in an effort to minimize head injuries.
The Raiders and Colts have decided to make some new technology available at their home games with the use of CereTom, a portable CT scanner designed to detect head trauma.
Within 30 seconds, a three-dimensional picture can be generated, helping medical personnel diagnose injured players.
With depth charts being tested like never before, teams that draft and develop well tend to cope with injuries successfully. The Colts manhandled the Bucs on Sunday, despite the absence of five starters.
"The game is so much mental," said Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy. "If you approach it at the beginning of the week, 'Gee, we hope this guy can play and if they don't play, we're going to have to do this, this and this' - I just never really believed in that," Dungy said. "I always figured you take the approach, 'OK, these guys probably won't play. Who's going to play and here's how we're going to win the game.' So often, it's belief. When your guys believe they can get the job done, that's three-quarters of the battle."
