Injuries in the secondary?

Will it take ten seasons for us to analyze this situation, and not call it bad luck? Do we need better training and conditioning? better warmups? different schemes? bigger, stronger players? What are the variables? What can be improved? Or do just need better karma? better luck?

I understand that we will always have injuries. But the patriots seem to always have injuries in the secondary.

We also always have running abck injuries, but so does everyone else.

THIS YEAR

HURT
Jones to IR
Mitchell to IR
Gay to IR
Hawkins out for weeks
Wilson hurt and questionable
Hobbs hurt and questionable

STILL RECOVERING
Harrison

HEALTHY
Samuel
Sanders
Scott
Poteat
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Yes, I know we've recovered from worse. Yes, I know we've won Super Bowls with less.

I don't see how MOST of the injuries that we've suffered at the position have anything to do with conditioning or the training staff. I lean toward us needing better karma/luck.

Ya know, I was asking the very same questions last year. I believe that the Pats' DB's are smaller than what is now needed in the league, and I too question the strength and conditioning program. Far too many injuries each year on this team as compared to others.

It really is weird. I don't know how it can be coincidence as it happens every year. But there's no logical explanation.

Then again, maybe it is something about conditioning or just BB unwilling to give injuries time to heal for DB's. I read today that Gay was seen walking around the locker room without a limp. Doesn't sound to me like he has an injury so serious that his season had to end.

Most regard the Pats as one of the best conditoned teams in the league.

zippo59 said:

Most regard the Pats as one of the best conditoned teams in the league.

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Understood. Yet this is the fourth year that the secondary has had the injury bug. Look back, and you will see the injuries going all the way back to 03.
04 was worse, and last year was just horrific. This year does not promise to be much better. These guys might just be too small to keep up the beating the larger receivers are giving them. They cant bump and run as well, they cant go up for the ball as well, they cant tackle as well, and they get hurt...a lot. If the team insists on using smaller guys, then there should be some adjustment to the training and nutrition regimens to get these guys stronger, tougher, and more durable. This problem, at least on the surface, is beginning to look systemic.

Well, the first question we can ask is: what sort of injuries are we talking about? An injury like Rodney's is catastrophic, unpredictable and just as likely to happen to a linebacker or a lineman as far as I can see.

For other injuries, there may be more of a pattern. Quite a few are shoulder or hamstring. Could they be avoided with better training, conditioning, stretching, warm-ups? I don't know, but I think it's a question worth asking, MGT.

(By the way, the "small guys getting injured" theory doesn't apply to Tebucky, does it, Shirtsleeve?)

What else is new?

In my own personal opinion, I'd be really surprised to see Hobbs and Wilson miss the game this week - I think both of those guys are serious competitors, and I doubt they will want to miss such an important game (i think the team badly needs to win this one to regain a little swagger.)

No, Mike.

But there has been a pattern here that cannot be ignored. BTW..OT...did you try the Boston Ale? Look also for smuttynose pale ale. Very good.

These guys take a tremendous beating, and this is no surprise...however we seem to get more than our share. I read somewhere that our training staff is among the best in the NFL, remember Josh Miller credited the staff at Gillette with giving him 5 more good years in the NFL because of the regiment they developed for him. Have read similar comments before, I do wonder if our tendency towards "smaller dbacks" are a factor.

GJAJ15 said:

I do wonder if our tendency towards "smaller dbacks" are a factor.

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I hear this a lot. Most DB's in the NFL are small, especially CB's. Are the Patriots DB's really that much smaller than the league average?

TNPatsFan said:

I hear this a lot. Most DB's in the NFL are small, especially CB's. Are the Patriots DB's really that much smaller than the league average?

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I dont dare make a definitive comment here, because I cant remember the source, but I will say I believe that the Pats are both shorter and lighter than the league average at corner. Gonna try to find that source to give definite numbers.

Ot

shirtsleeve said:

...did you try the Boston Ale? Look also for smuttynose pale ale. Very good.

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No, I didn't see it where I shopped. I had a Brooklyn Pilsner and then drank (rather, ingested at high speed in order to maintain a small amount of psychological self-control) a couple of Heinekens. I've got some more of the Pilsner in the refrigerator as well as a Harpoon IPA and a couple of Sam Adams Hefeweizen. What should I drink to seal the win in Cinci?

Re: Ot

Mike the Brit said:

No, I didn't see it where I shopped. I had a Brooklyn Pilsner and then drank (rather, ingested at high speed in order to maintain a small amount of psychological self-control) a couple of Heinekens. I've got some more of the Pilsner in the refrigerator as well as a Harpoon IPA and a couple of Sam Adams Hefeweizen. What should I drink to seal the win in Cinci?

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Wachusett Green Monsters! Amost 10% alcohol, from what I have been told. That will seal something anyway!

Try the Smuttynose or the Sams Boston Ale. Others might be Steelrail Pale Ale by the Berkshire Brewing Co. or experiment with your local micro-brewer. Those three are very good ales. The Sam's is an amber and thus heavier than the others. Good luck!

shirtsleeve said:

No, Mike.

But there has been a pattern here that cannot be ignored. BTW..OT...did you try the Boston Ale? Look also for smuttynose pale ale. Very good.

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What is the pattern?

Mitchell - Catastrophic injury
Jones - Catastrophic injury
Harrison - Catastrophic Injury

Maybe they play their DB's more physical than other teams. That way the DB's give/receive more contact.

shirtsleeve said:

Ya know, I was asking the very same questions last year. I believe that the Pats' DB's are smaller than what is now needed in the league, and I too question the strength and conditioning program. Far too many injuries each year on this team as compared to others.

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Bingo...and bingo.

But many of the guys who go down are the bigger ones....Law, Harrison, Gus Scott, Chad Scott, Mitchell, Jones, Gay.

Poole is really the only teensy one who always ended up on IR.

There are other guys who are at times nicked...which is to be somewhat expected in football. The ones that really hurt are when guys end up on IR.

shirtsleeve said:

I dont dare make a definitive comment here, because I cant remember the source, but I will say I believe that the Pats are both shorter and lighter than the league average at corner. Gonna try to find that source to give definite numbers.

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The best way to do that is to post something intentionally inaccurate. All of us know-it-alls will leap to post the accurate stats to prove you wrong. Works every time.