Cory's Corner: Injury honesty would be a relief
Injuries are synonymous with the NFL. It’s a collision sport, so naturally there are going to be players getting hurt.
The Packers have 15 players that showed up on the initial injury report for the pivotal game at Minnesota.
Is this the new normal in the NFL? Remember when coach Mike McCarthy altered his preseason practice schedule? He limited contact drills and even offered gummy snacks and drinks as a measure to prevent run-of-the-mill sprains and strains.
And thanks to collective bargaining, practice time has been trimmed — putting the handcuffs on coaches to, well, coach.
Four of five Packers’ starting offensive linemen are on the list. Aaron Rodgers is on there. As is Clay Matthews, Mike Neal and Micah Hyde.
I know the Packers won a Super Bowl title in 2010 that saw 15 guys on injured reserve. Which is crazy in itself. To win road playoff games is something, but to do it with that many guys not playing is amazing.
Another problem with the Packers’ and most of the NFL injuries for that matter, is that they’re a mystery. Is Eddie Lacy really injured? And if so, why was he a full participant in practice last week before being listed as inactive hours before the game?
We just learned this week that Rodgers has nagging shoulder pain. The severity of that pain is kind of like trying to tell how big a glacier is below the water. Is that why Rodgers is near the bottom of the league with an average of 3.34 yards thrown in the air? That’s below Kirk Cousins (3.42), Teddy Bridgewater (3.43) and even Cam Newton (4.77).
Is that why the offensive line cannot get on track or open up holes in the running game? Are the knees of tackles David Bakhtiari and Bryan Bulaga the reason why the pocket keeps disappearing?
This season is easily the most adversity that McCarthy or Rodgers has ever faced. And the reason is because players are starting to point fingers.
And I really think it could all be avoided if McCarthy was more upfront about injuries. If Rodgers’ shoulder was injured weeks ago, it would’ve helped everyone on the team if McCarthy would’ve just pointed it out.
Same goes for Lacy. Was McCarthy overlooking the Lions last week by sitting Lacy in hopes of sending a message to the entire team or is he legitimately concerned about Lacy’s groin?
And what about the wideout position? If rookie upstart Ty Montgomery cannot get any relief from his ankle, the Packers will be playing with three wide receivers. That would be the preseason No. 2, 3 and 5 guys.
Injuries have been a problem for every team. Dallas has thrown its season away while Tony Romo watched and Denver is fretting its postseason future if Peyton Manning cannot lead the team in the huddle.
And that’s one of the reasons why this year has been dreadful so far in the NFL. All the top quarterbacks have struggled and even the best team needed a boneheaded play from the Giants to remain unbeaten.
Injuries will never be an excuse. But a losing streak is easier to swallow if all of the information is given.
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Cory Jennerjohn is a graduate from UW-Oshkosh and has been in sports media for over 15 years. He was a co-host on "Clubhouse Live" and has also done various radio and TV work as well. He has written for newspapers, magazines and websites. He currently is a columnist for CHTV and also does various podcasts. He recently earned his Masters degree from the University of Iowa. He can be found on Twitter: @Coryjennerjohn
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Comments (12)
Ibleedgreenmore
November 21, 2015 at 07:51 am
The way they are playing they are all hurt.
TommyG
November 21, 2015 at 08:14 am
We, the type of fans that spend time on team blogs, enjoy being over saturated with information. While knowledge of each players injuries would make the losing and poor performance more palatable (or just lead to over analyzation) the knowledge won't change the outcome of them game. Sometimes we should just enjoy the game for what it is. I currently live in Redskins country. When their season started these fans did not have super bowl aspirations. They were excited about game 1. After their team's drubbing of New Orleans we did not hear "about time" messages. Instead they talked about how awesome that one game was.
Tundraboy
November 21, 2015 at 10:44 am
You're right
AZPack
November 21, 2015 at 08:45 am
I guess the author doesn't understand the concept of competitive advantage. By not releasing details of injuries the opponent is much less likely to be able to identify weaknesses and exploit them. Teams could care less whether you or I or Joe fan anywhere wants or thinks.
TarynsEyes
November 21, 2015 at 09:50 am
Whether the fans know more about the injuries to make it more palatable when losing is the last thing on a teams mind and,does anyone really accept a thinking that an opponent cannot by virtue of who isn't starting,getting limited time and as in Rodgers case don't see or detect there is an issue whether it's injury or another factor,much less they get to watch tape and see the players get hurt no matter the severity.
Can we please stop comparing the 2010 SB team and it's winning despite injury issues with this years or last years etc...it was a totally different team with totally different talent and experience.
The fans and media are and will always be looking for excuses while we hope the team is looking for answers.Though at this moment,both are failing miserably.
Archie
November 21, 2015 at 09:59 am
The 2010 SB team had no business even making the playoffs. A miracle happened on teh last day of the saeson and we backed in because the NYG were too stupid to punt the ball out of bounds with little time remaining. And that doesn't mention many other amazing events that had to happen. 12 and 44 played like people possessed down the stretch and into the playoffs. It was amazing but you are right, that type of thing happens once in a bluemoon and has no relevance to 2015. About 7:30pm est on Sunday we will know if our playoff hopes are dashed or not. If the Bears win and we lose, we will be fighting for 3rd place on Thanksgiving night. So buckle up Packer fans, 5 more days and you will know all, maybe.
Tundraboy
November 21, 2015 at 10:47 am
Buckle up is right!
TarynsEyes
November 21, 2015 at 10:59 am
A quick synopsis of the Packers situation... 'Shark in the water' and a thought on how to fix the situation....
https://youtu.be/QT9BeGNnCqw
packersbrewers
November 21, 2015 at 11:01 am
I think saying Rodgers was hurt, while probably holding some semblance of truth, is a cop out to the bigger issues plaguing the Packers.
It's mid November. Everyone has ailments and most aren't feeling tip top. Teams are supposed to disclose injuries. This is the first week he's popped up on the injury report. I'm sure he's probably sore from being plastered on the grass all the time, but I'm not going to buy into this idea that Aaron has been so injured for weeks and that's why he has been playing so poorly. Sounds like an excuse to pacify the media and get them to shut up about the bigger issues. It just seems....convenient. Sort of like how they blamed Lacy's lack of production on injuries then weight then poor conditioning. JJ disappearing is supposedly because he's injured. Cobb can't do anything because of his shoulder. I mean at some point injuries can't be the excuse used by all your players who aren't producing. If you are THAT injured then sit down. Otherwise stop using that excuse.
Even if you can attribute his bizarre throws and poor completion rate on his injury what about the performance of your o-line, your lack of running game, your receivers who can't gain separation or even catch a football, your boring predictable plays, your inability to create any kind of plays to help your struggling receivers or your injured QB?
There is more wrong with this offense then Aaron Rodgers having a bad shoulder. It doesn't help but it isn't the root of the problem. At least in my opinion.
EdsLaces
November 21, 2015 at 11:03 am
Injuries shminjuries. ..just fn win baby!!!!! Please?
Since'61
November 21, 2015 at 11:05 am
The volume of injuries in Goodell's "safer" NFL is increasing all he time. The on field product is getting worse and worse with each passing week. The level of play is atrocious around the league. Transparency with injuries is not going t change that. Therefore if you are MM or any NFL head coach why would give your opponent any information about your personnel until the last possible moment. The fact that the Packers have numerous injuries does not make losing any more palatable for me. If a player is hurting the team by playing hurt he shouldn't be playing. It's up to the coaches to prepare and raise the level of play of the players they put on the field. Getting beat and playing well is one thing but losing the way the Packers have the last 3 weeks is not just due to injuries because except for the last 10 minutes of the last 2 games the Packers have not been playing competitively and that has rarely happened during MMs tenure even when the Packers have lost in the past. We'll see if it turns around this week. Thanks, Since '61
ray nichkee
November 21, 2015 at 01:01 pm
Im not sure about the content in this article. I wasted my time reading it and feel the need to comment on it. This is football and is a game. This bullshit is becoming way to political the way it is ran and with all the talking heads and writers feeding the system. Just play the fucking game and watch it. Enjoy it for what it is. A lot of fans have become way to saturated with wins and don't know how to react to losing.