Practice/injury report 12/24: 15 "limited"

[Mack Herron]

Geeze, now the Jones Gray kid blows off another entire practice
Dog Faker!!!

Just walked through with no boot or limp so, yeah. Alarm still set to "PM".

https://twitter.com/RyanHannable/status/548550579900145665

 

[Mack Herron]

Dennard and Gray have been downgraded to "out". Vollmer added to injury report.

Out:

CB Alfonzo Dennard (hamstring)

RB Jonas Gray (ankle)

Questionable:

LS Danny Aiken (finger)

CB Kyle Arrington (hamstring)

RB LeGarrette Blount (shoulder)

CB Brandon Browner (groin)

LB Jamie Collins (hip)

OL Dan Connolly (knee)

WR Julian Edelman (concussion, thigh)

OL Cameron Fleming (ankle)

LB Dont'a Hightower (shoulder)

DE Chandler Jones (hip)

WR Brandon LaFell (shoulder)

DE Rob Ninkovich (heel)

RB Shane Vereen (ankle)

RT Sebastian Vollmer (back)

LB Chris White (ankle)

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/...ray_alfonzo_dennard_ruled_out_of_sundays_game

 

[pdangle]

No, it doesn't suggest that they aren't playing at all--only that these are the players who took part in a limited participation in practice during Christmas Eve's first padded practice in 6 weeks. Many here feel as though Belichick will play some stars for a quarter or half on Sunday, just so they don't appear rusty when they return from the bye in 2.5 weeks for the divisional round playoff game. They also would like to work on some of the offensive issues that plagued them in the past game or two, so they may treat Sunday's game like a glorified scrimmage.

As for your second question--the team would not face any sanctions for who they chose to rest on Sunday. As long as they could manage to trot out 11 players on each side of the ball, they could treat it the same as a bye week if they wanted to. Actually, if you remember, the Colts had a chance to reach the 16-0 mark in 2009 only 2 yrs after we had done it, and they chose to rest the majority of their star/role players in weeks 16 AND 17. They could realistically choose the least important 22 players (+ another 10-12 subs) and rest the best 20 players at the top of the roster. History suggests that they probably won't, however.

If they rest the, i.e. suit them up, and not play them, agreed. But if they end up not suiting up at all, I'm sure the NFL tracks injury reports (probable, doubtful, limited) and if personnel end up or playing or not. Then if over the course of a season or a single game for that matter, the numbers don't meet league some type of expected league standards (of which I don't think anyone knows what they are for sure exactly), NE and BB get a nasty phone call asking for an explanation.

Or in other words, consider hypothetically if BB out of the blue just didn't play 7 ,8, 10 or 15 guys on any one given Sunday, and none of the players were at least listed once on that week's injury report. The NFL and the opposing team, to say nothing of the lemming media to follow, would be pretty upset, citing all sorts of possible injury report shenanigans. So, by first listing these players on the injury report, BB, or any coach, have covered their asses, and now have the option (NFL abiding regulation wise) to not suit them up out of the blue without dealing with such red tape variety malarky heaped upon them after the game(s).

 

[supafly]

If they rest the, i.e. suit them up, and not play them, agreed. But if they end up not suiting up at all, I'm sure the NFL tracks injury reports (probable, doubtful, limited) and if personnel end up or playing or not. Then if over the course of a season or a single game for that matter, the numbers don't meet league some type of expected league standards (of which I don't think anyone knows what they are for sure exactly), NE and BB get a nasty phone call asking for an explanation.

Or in other words, consider hypothetically if BB out of the blue just didn't play 7 ,8, 10 or 15 guys on any one given Sunday, and none of the players were at least listed once on that week's injury report. The NFL and the opposing team, to say nothing of the lemming media to follow, would be pretty upset, citing all sorts of possible injury report shenanigans. So, by first listing these players on the injury report, BB, or any coach, have covered their asses, and now have the option (NFL abiding regulation wise) to not suit them up out of the blue without dealing with such red tape variety malarky heaped upon them after the game(s).

I agree with you. I was just pointing out that placing them on Wednesday's injury report as "questionable" certainly didn't rule them out for Sunday's game--that's all.