NFL Injury Problem

[Mango]

It feels like the NFL is starting to run into a huge injury problem the last few years. And not just a strain here or a sprain there. But full on spine, concussion, ACL, achilles etc. It seems almost weekly at this point. As an NFL lifer it is becoming a bit of turn off to have all these seasons and careers cut short/ruined. It isn't great for the product. 

I think there are a few problems/solutions: 
 

1. These guys are absolute freaks, who are barely required to be in team facilities outside of the season. Having all these guys out there more or less winging it is just becoming irresponsible. For reference, most injuries occur in the preseason and first 4 weeks of the year. Spiking in the first COVID season 2020-2021. I normally side with the players on most things CBA. But the league has to get these guys back in the facilities. They don't have to hit, or wear pads. But they can work on the sleds, running routes, weights, stretching, watching film. No reason guys can't be back in the facility 4 days per week May 1. 5 days June 1. Then run training camp like normal. I think practice time is probably the biggest contributor. 

2.. These guys are bigger, faster, stronger than ever. The body can only take so much. It can take even less when its artificially made. Steroids and HGH are likely at an all time high. For player safety and longevity they likely need to find a way to clamp down a bit. 

3. Switch to grass league wide. 

 

EDIT: 
 

Injuries significantly doubled from 2014-2018. Nearly doubled.

 

https://www.weisspaarz.com/nfl-injuries-over-five-seasons/

 

Injuries decrease as the season progresses. 

 

https://www.kaggle.com/code/jaseziv83/an-analysis-of-nfl-injuries

Edited November 3, 2023 by Mango
Data

[Beast]

I don’t know the answer.

 

I remember two seasons ago, the only significant injury the Bills suffered was Tre White’s ACL. The Bills training staff was being credited with keeping the players healthy.

 

Now, compare that to the past two seasons. Does the training staff deserve criticism for all the injuries we have suffered through?

 

I don’t know. Seems to me that training staff’s across the league are probably pretty comparable and injuries are just a good luck/bad luck sort of thing for the most part.

 

 

Edited November 3, 2023 by Beast

[RoyBatty is alive]

There should be analytics that mathematically can "prove" your claims of huge injury problems last few years or is this more a reflection of your gut instinct as magnified by the injury woes we have had this year.

 

I think the CBA and the NFL are acutely aware players are bigger , faster, stronger.  They continue to implement more and more rules to safeguard players so except more and more penalties and increasingly more benign football play and the equipment (as well as the treatment) .  Every player , more or less, understand the inherent risks as does the NFL but unless you want the NFL to turn into the pro bowl or glorified flag football, you have to accept the cost benefit analysis of the game.

 

Lets compare the average age of NFL players see how that has evolved over the last few years, if your assertion is correct the average age should be decreasing.

[Mango]

9 minutes ago, Beast said:

I don’t know the answer.

 

I remember two seasons ago, the only significant injury the Bills suffered was Tre White’s ACL. The Bills training staff was being credited with keeping the players healthy.

 

Now, compare that to the past two seasons. Does the training staff deserve criticism for all the injuries we have suffered through?

 

I don’t know. Seems to me that training staff’s across the league are probably pretty comparable and injuries are just a good luck/bad luck sort of thing for the most part.

 

 

 

I think it goes well beyond the Bills. Even if we are healthy, it feels like I am seeing a season ending injury in most games I turn on. 

[Warcodered]

Are we sure it's not just that we've been on the end of the bad injury stick here lately, feels like these have happened every year.

[mannc]

3 minutes ago, Mango said:

 

I think it goes well beyond the Bills. Even if we are healthy, it feels like I am seeing a season ending injury in most games I turn on. 

It seems like that to me, too, but are there really more injuries this year than in the past?  There has to be data on this...

[Donuts and Doritos]

Agree 100%. A number of friends have had the same concern. Wonder if there's a correlation to the pad-less preseason/training camps & the extended season extra game. The fields seem to be an issue as well. It's definitely effecting the product.

[zow2]

These players are throwing themselves around like missiles.  They tried to phase out crown of the helmet tackles, horse collars, falling hard on the QBs, and something called hip drop tackles, soon.  Not sure how far they will go.  In one article i read that NFL will be flag football within 20 years.  I don't believe that.

[Mango]

13 minutes ago, RoyBatty is alive said:

There should be analytics that mathematically can "prove" your claims of huge injury problems last few years or is this more a reflection of your gut instinct as magnified by the injury woes we have had this year.

 

I think the CBA and the NFL are acutely aware players are bigger , faster, stronger.  They continue to implement more and more rules to safeguard players so except more and more penalties and increasingly more benign football play and the equipment (as well as the treatment) .  Every player , more or less, understand the inherent risks as does the NFL but unless you want the NFL to turn into the pro bowl or glorified flag football, you have to accept the cost benefit analysis of the game.

 

Lets compare the average age of NFL players see how that has evolved over the last few years, if your assertion is correct the average age should be decreasing.

 

Injuries significantly doubled from 2014-2018. Nearly doubled.

 

https://www.weisspaarz.com/nfl-injuries-over-five-seasons/

 

Injuries decrease as the season progresses. 

 

https://www.kaggle.com/code/jaseziv83/an-analysis-of-nfl-injuries

[Gugny]

It's a violent game that I personally don't think humans are supposed to play.

[Mango]

9 minutes ago, Warcodered said:

Are we sure it's not just that we've been on the end of the bad injury stick here lately, feels like these have happened every year.

 

It was actually last nights broken leg and spinal chord injury that got me thinking about it. 

The data also seems to check out. Injuries have been on the rise for quite a long time. I am tempted to go down the course of body maintenance. Not that these guys aren't working in the offseason. But that they are relying on too much improv early in the season. They aren't getting enough live reps against NFL competition. 

I am all for keeping padded/tackling in practice to a minimum. But I think there is a huge advantage to being in an NFL training room, running routes, getting stretched, and working in a complete cycle with your staff. 

[Warcodered]

1 minute ago, Mango said:

 

Injuries significantly doubled from 2014-2018. Nearly doubled.

 

https://www.weisspaarz.com/nfl-injuries-over-five-seasons/

 

Injuries decrease as the season progresses. 

 

https://www.kaggle.com/code/jaseziv83/an-analysis-of-nfl-injuries

I know it seems counterintuitive but maybe it's a practice thing? Practices have gotten away from as much contact and duration as they could in training camp leading into the season. So when they suddenly are in games where there's immediate full throttle impacts injuries start popping up?

[Mango]

4 minutes ago, zow2 said:

These players are throwing themselves around like missiles.  They tried to phase out crown of the helmet tackles, horse collars, falling hard on the QBs, and something called hip drop tackles, soon.  Not sure how far they will go.  In one article i read that NFL will be flag football within 20 years.  I don't believe that.

 

I truly believe the league can mitigate in a very measurable way by having these guys in house far more often. 

[4th&long]

Injuries happen regularly, it’s nothing new. 
 

but I was thinking about injuries today and it is starting to irritate me that by the time these big games come up our roster is depleted. I wish we could play the bengals at full strength, our best vs. their best. If they lose we will wonder what the turn out might have been had were not lost 3 all pros for the season?

 

 We don’t just get injuries like sprains where someone might miss 2-4 weeks. We get season ending injuries to some of our best players!

[Mango]

1 minute ago, Warcodered said:

I know it seems counterintuitive but maybe it's a practice thing? Practices have gotten away from as much contact and duration as they could in training camp leading into the season. So when they suddenly are in games where there's immediate full throttle impacts injuries start popping up?

 

This is where I am at. I don't even think they need to tackle in practice. But they can do a lot of 7 on 7. Get stretched daily. Watch film. 

[GunnerBill]

27 minutes ago, Beast said:

I don’t know the answer.

 

I remember two seasons ago, the only significant injury the Bills suffered was Tre White’s ACL. The Bills training staff was being credited with keeping the players healthy.

 

Now, compare that to the past two seasons. Does the training staff deserve criticism for all the injuries we have suffered through?

 

I don’t know. Seems to me that training staff’s across the league are probably pretty comparable and injuries are just a good luck/bad luck sort of thing for the most part.

 

 

 

Strength and conditioning can help with muscle injuries. Hamstrings, groins etc. The serious stuff sadly is mainly luck.

[The Wiz]

15 minutes ago, Gugny said:

It's a violent game that I personally don't think humans are supposed to play.

Next you're gonna tell me the key to winning is the players and winning.

[dave mcbride]

16 minutes ago, Warcodered said:

I know it seems counterintuitive but maybe it's a practice thing? Practices have gotten away from as much contact and duration as they could in training camp leading into the season. So when they suddenly are in games where there's immediate full throttle impacts injuries start popping up?

The reason there are fewer practices is because there were so many injuries in practice -- which doesn't get captured in these stats. It's an extremely violent game and it's always been such.

8 minutes ago, Buffalo619 said:

This is a problem. The NFL falsely claims the sport is getting safer while in fact it isn’t. Lack of practices and real game speed contributes to injuries but ultimately comes down to the trainers and players. 
 

 

Again, the decline in practices is because there were so many injuries in practice! 

[RyanC883]

55 minutes ago, Mango said:

It feels like the NFL is starting to run into a huge injury problem the last few years. And not just a strain here or a sprain there. But full on spine, concussion, ACL, achilles etc. It seems almost weekly at this point. As an NFL lifer it is becoming a bit of turn off to have all these seasons and careers cut short/ruined. It isn't great for the product. 

I think there are a few problems/solutions: 
 

1. These guys are absolute freaks, who are barely required to be in team facilities outside of the season. Having all these guys out there more or less winging it is just becoming irresponsible. For reference, most injuries occur in the preseason and first 4 weeks of the year. Spiking in the first COVID season 2020-2021. I normally side with the players on most things CBA. But the league has to get these guys back in the facilities. They don't have to hit, or wear pads. But they can work on the sleds, running routes, weights, stretching, watching film. No reason guys can't be back in the facility 4 days per week May 1. 5 days June 1. Then run training camp like normal. I think practice time is probably the biggest contributor. 

2.. These guys are bigger, faster, stronger than ever. The body can only take so much. It can take even less when its artificially made. Steroids and HGH are likely at an all time high. For player safety and longevity they likely need to find a way to clamp down a bit. 

3. Switch to grass league wide. 

Agree on getting them in the facilities, but the players association has made it clear they would rather “work out on their own”.  Really ridiculous for million dollar athletes.  Having them train as you recommend should cut down on the schedules, muscle, etc injuries.  
 

 

[RoyBatty is alive]

30 minutes ago, Mango said:

 

Injuries significantly doubled from 2014-2018. Nearly doubled.

 

https://www.weisspaarz.com/nfl-injuries-over-five-seasons/

 

Injuries decrease as the season progresses. 

 

https://www.kaggle.com/code/jaseziv83/an-analysis-of-nfl-injuries

Great find on the data but unfortunately, is is 5 year old data so doesn't address the current state of affairs' you were discussing.

 

Regardless,  it is also largely  what is reported by each team.

 

Teams are much more likely to report an injury for a) liability issues (note your data was supplied by a medical malpractice law firm)  and B) how much is driven by stashing players (is Kairr Elam really have a bad ankle?).

 

I think there were two major events to more readily propel teams to report injuries.  The fiasco with Tua and his concussions.  Note after the Miami "concussion "expert cleared Tua to play versus the Bills it wasn't long before he was fired and i noted a significant uptick and caution with concussions, especially on QBs.  And the Damar Hamlin incident. 

27 minutes ago, Gugny said:

It's a violent game that I personally don't think humans are supposed to play.

That is the cold hard truth.  If you play in the NFL today consider yourself a "modern gladiator" with all the associated long term negative physical and mental attributes.

Edited November 3, 2023 by RoyBatty is alive