Good article by Reiss.
He and Goodell aren't talking the exact same thing when they say injuries, and that is part of the disconnect.
One is talking about injuires forcing a player to miss a game, and the other is referring to the wear-and-tear cummulative toll on players.
Goodell is saying that there is no evidence that players suffer more season-ending injuries at the end of the season than the beginning, and Reiss says the trainers room is full of players getting treatment.
In fact, both are right.
That is the disconnect.
Players give it all and end up completelly drained at the end of the season. Those who go to the playoffs do so on mental toughness more than physical.
Compounding the issue are the owners not upfront about their reason: money, and the players diluting their real concerns by spouting off on how two more games will hurt the product.
According the Chad Brown, the way it is now, every game is important. With two more games, the players will be tired and this will
While he correctly hits on his real objection: "If you add two more regular-season, full-speed games, it's going to take a toll on guys," he wanders off when he says, "In football, every week counts, and if you start adding weeks on it, you don't have the same live-and-die-for-this-week from a fan or team perspective. I think you're diluting the product. It doesn't have the same strength."
News flash, Chad: Every week will count, whether you are tired or not. Stick to your concerns (your health) and don't try to say your being tired and beat-up will make the games less important.
In fact, most of the players concerns relate to THEIR careers, not to the quality of the game. Chad brown said the human body only has so many football games or plays in it. If you add two more regular-season, full-speed games, it's going to take a toll on guys."
And Kyle Brady said he doesn't believe he would have lasted 13 seasons had they been 18-game campaigns. He played in 197 regular-season games, often feeling his worst at the end of each season.
Yes, he felt worse. Whether that is being injured depends on whether you are talking to the NFL or the players.
Players are rightly concerned about their own health. They are mistaken if they think that their playing fewer years will have a negative impact on the game unless they are Tom Brady or Peyton Manning or a similar media magnet.
There is a simple compromise that will immediately satisfy the owners and the players, but I will post it in a thread of its own, so as not to highjack discussion of Reiss's column.
readiness Chad Brown is off the mark, though,