Injuries!

[McBoog]

I addressed this in another thread last week, but feel it deserves some discussion.

 

I am personally a bit tired of the old macho attitude that injuries are a part of the game and not an excuse. I am sure that this has evolved as "coach speak" so that the rest of the team does not fold or stop doing their individual jobs. It is still a team sport and I do believe in the idea of "any given Sunday" (Thursday, Saturday, Monday).

 

Watching the Chargers destroy the Chiefs yesterday, I knew in my heart of hearts that that was a different game if Cassel had played. The Chargers would still likely have won that game yesterday the way it played out, but Croyle was clearly not up to the task and with only a week to prepare was at a greater disadvantage. Even if the Chiefs outside of Croyle played a near perfect game, I still think they would have lost.

 

There are clearly some positions that are easier to cover than others. Losing your #1 QB is crippling. Very few teams have a #2 that can come in and keep things rolling anywhere near the #1. The skill positions are next. RB, WR and DBs are players that are out there doing a lot more work, in space, one-on-one. The timing and familiarity are essential.

 

I was a trench guy. OL and LB. So I am not propping those positions because I played them. I am pragmatic about it. There are few interior players that will impact a game as much as the skill players.

 

I also won't jump into the "it is the only factor" arena either. But there are always reasons why a team loses (or wins) a game. Penalties, drops, turn overs, bad clock management are some other factors or "reasons" that can be pointed to.

 

Now before I get the Rothlesburger argument or a myriad of other fans propping their teams for winning despite, I have a caveat to add. It is MUCH EASIER to adapt to injuries or player absences (holdouts, suspension, injuries) from the start of the year, in camp where a team can prepare for it from the beginning. Injuries are minimized as games/weeks go on and a team adjusts to the personnel they have available.

 

Aaron Rodgers goes down yesterday, and to me, that is the primary factor/reason why the Pack loses that game. If he will be gone for a while, the Pack will have to adapt and get better with each week without him. It is the immediate loss and short term implications that injuries have on game outcomes that is more significant.

 

I think the Steelers and to an extent, the Chargers (two teams I follow closely) have done amazing jobs this year using depth and managing injuries. The Steelers have had more significant trench issues and the Chargers more problems with the skill players. I think this illustrates my point that skill guys have a greater effect. Big Ben was gone before the season started, and the team had time to adjust to that, getting a boost upon his return.

 

Rivers, Tolbert and Hester are the ONLY skill guys to have made it through the season without missing a game, and it has shown at times (the Raiders man2man D prowess really showed this last week). This also shows the importance of a top QB, since Rivers (and Manning to an extent though he has had his #1 WR all year) can carry a team and how losing a #1 QB in a game or practice is devastating most of the time.

 

Depth is the foundation that championships are made of, but IMHO is a greater asset over the course of the season and does not usually translate into immediate help in the short term, especially in the skill slots.

[MTSuper7]

You could say the same about certain defensive players. Look at how different the Steelers' defense is when Polamalu gets hurt. Or the Colts' when Bob Sanders is hurt (which is pretty much always, but still...)

 

This is one of the biggest reasons why an 18 game season is a mistake. These teams have a hard enough time making it through 16 games without sustaining significant injuries. This year alone, and just counting QBs, we've seen Romo, Matt Moore, Alex Smith, Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, Chad Henne (then Chad Pennington), Matt Hasselbeck, Jay Cutler, Matthew Stafford (then Shaun Hill), Matt Cassel, Michael Vick, Jason Campbell (then Gradkowski), David Garrard, Jake Delhomme (then Seneca Wallace, then Colt McCoy), and Vince Young (then Kerry Collins) all miss game time (some only knocked out of a game they couldn't finish, some missing the whole season essentially). That is nearly half of the league's starting QBs who have gotten knocked out of a game and/or missed playing time this year. Granted, the majority of the above listed guys didn't sustain significant injuries, but losing a game or two because your backup QB couldn't get it done is all that it takes to go from playoff bound to sitting at home in January.