After hearing about ANOTHER player going down for the season, and looking at the long list of Pats players either not in WV or not practicing, I have to wonder if NOT practicing as much as they used to, really helping the players and protecting them from injuries. It seems like the Pats are practicing on a daily basis with about 20% of their squad not available.
Its not like its like the Pats are alone in this, there are teams out there with even more injuries and very few with less. This can't be a coincidence. Granted a lot of these injuries are nicks that take a week or so to get over, but I can't get over the feeling that there are many more injuries occurring in the NFL ever since the new CBA came into being.
I mean, supposedly these are professionally trained athletes who not only train for strength, but also explosion and flexibility. They are never get really out of shape. It's not like back in the early 70's when players didn't do much at all before TC, because they knew that TC was long enough and had plenty of practice time, for them to get in football shape, and even THEN the only time you heard about someone getting hurt a splint and cast were usually involve. (and yes I understand that 40 years ago players were smaller and slower...but still...)
The new CBS has been in force for 5 TC's now. I have to believe that they haven't begun to accumulate enough statistical evidence that lowering the amount of practice time and contact is ACTUALLY benefitting the players' bodies.......or is it harming them?