JoeSixPat
Pro Bowl Player
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2004
- Messages
- 10,671
- Reaction score
- 1,043
With a CBA hopefully near, we're hopefully soon going to witness a frenetic free agency followed quickly by pre-season games, followed quickly by games that count. Basically thanks to the impasse we're looking squeezing offseason workouts, OTAs, minicamps, training camps, and pre-season games into about 40 days.
One of my ongoing rants during the lockout is the concern I have for the impact all of this will have on the quality of play in the NFL (though ironically, compared to other teams, I'd give the Patriots an advantage having most of their core players already in place).
The higher potential for injuries due to the lack of conditioning has been one of my concerns, and one I've heard noted in the media in the last few days:
A stretch? Players fear layoff could put strain on bodies - NFL - CBSSports.com Football
While many players have been involved in "conditioning" on their own or with other players, my feeling is that this is a poor substitute for working with team trainers. Even professional non-NFL trainers can't pretend to know how to prepare a player for an arduous NFL season.
Hopefully the injury bug won't hit the Patriots as badly as it may with other teams... and hopefully expanded rosters in the pre-season and maybe even regular season (at the very least with practice squads) will fill a buffer.
Do other Patsfans share this concern? Some think that in addition to players like DBs, prone to hamstring injuries, larger players like DLs will feel the impact of a lack of conditioning more.
Any Patriots players in particular you're concerned about being prone to injury?
One of my ongoing rants during the lockout is the concern I have for the impact all of this will have on the quality of play in the NFL (though ironically, compared to other teams, I'd give the Patriots an advantage having most of their core players already in place).
The higher potential for injuries due to the lack of conditioning has been one of my concerns, and one I've heard noted in the media in the last few days:
A stretch? Players fear layoff could put strain on bodies - NFL - CBSSports.com Football
The example given repeatedly in interviews with players and coaches over the past few days is New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis. He held out in a contract dispute last summer that lasted just under 40 days. It didn't take long once he returned to football to injure his hamstring, not once but twice. It hampered him for a significant chunk of the early portion of the regular season.
Now, instead of just one player trying to find his legs, there will be 1,900 of them doing so. There might be a hamstring revolution.
While many players have been involved in "conditioning" on their own or with other players, my feeling is that this is a poor substitute for working with team trainers. Even professional non-NFL trainers can't pretend to know how to prepare a player for an arduous NFL season.
Hopefully the injury bug won't hit the Patriots as badly as it may with other teams... and hopefully expanded rosters in the pre-season and maybe even regular season (at the very least with practice squads) will fill a buffer.
Do other Patsfans share this concern? Some think that in addition to players like DBs, prone to hamstring injuries, larger players like DLs will feel the impact of a lack of conditioning more.
Any Patriots players in particular you're concerned about being prone to injury?