Sorry, but this article is confusing. Reasons for injury are quite complex. Just confusing

There is no statistical data shown that support the claims made by this article. Are there more torn ACL's now with bigger bodies and fewer practices than there were 30 years ago? I have no idea. I am all for protecting the health of players, but we need to do it in a scientific fashion with reliable data. Blanket assertions based on personal feelings don't provide much clarity.

I think this article makes a good point. With too little practice, players just aren't ready for the real thing.

I'd also argue that having so few reps makes each rep so much more important. It's almost like they can't just learn anymore, because they have to produce on every precious rep. Yeah, I'm exaggerating there. But I think if they had more practice with more live reps, players could prepare better and not try to be Superman every down.

It just seems like compressing these camps so much adds urgency at a time when we want to add preparation.

Heres my take FWIW...

I see a point here and that is that the CBA limits team football activities.

I think maybe that doing football activities at a practice speed and moderate intensity may strengthen the body in a more overall and comprehensive manner than weight training and specific targeted exercise does.

Hence the term "country strong" which is what one gets with lots of physical "work" activity.

Maybe this type of activity could help players develop the proper strength in the proper areas of their body to take on the stresses of full speed football activities. Maybe more football activities would develop the sense of motion and leverage that might help players keep their bodies out of injury causing positions.

Sometimes things just happen, but sometimes certain things can be prevented by experience and knowledge and proper technique, especially in an inherently dangerous activity such as tackling another human being.

I would think that with all the exercise physiology and kineisiology etc that goes along with nutrition knowledge that issues like this could be properly addressed.

Maybe we just dont hear enough about the behind the scenes details of these activities around professional athletes.

Maybe there is simply more to learn and know about how much the human body can endure and the stresses that can lead to system failure, ie injuries.

Over the years while posting here at CHTV and Jersey Al's all GBP before that I have advocated for more practice and fewer preseason games. If the NFL took that approach that would in effect make TC longer and give the players more time to get in football shape rather than going almost directly to the "precious reps" that ALP correctly refers to.

Those of us old enough to remember know how strongly Lombardi stressed conditioning for his players. "Fatigue makes cowards of us all". The NFL training camp was once famous for its "two a day" workouts. They are long gone now.

I don't know if more practice and/or conditioning would have helped Jake Ryan and other ACL victims. But the opportunity for more player conditioning couldn't hurt. More practice should also lead to a better level of play once the season begins.

Someone posted if there were more ACLs 30 -40 years ago. I don't know the answer but I do know that back in the 50s and 60s MRIs didn't even exist so we have no idea how many players played with ACLs. It is now believed that Mickey Mantle played his entire professional baseball career with a torn ACL from an injury suffered during the 1951 World Series.

As for the owners and if they care, to me they have clearly demonstrated that they don't care. They don't make any money from additional practice. They do however make money from meaningless exhibition games, Thursday night games and games in London.

The CBA needs to allow more practice during the preseason. Maybe not during the regular season but at least during the preseason. They should also try to eliminate the Thursday night games and the trips to London. They add nothing to the league and just expose the players to more injuries.

As for Goodell I doubt that he has the capacity to think beyond his paycheck, never mind 5, 10 or 20 years from now. The quality of play has decreased every season for at least the last 10 seasons. Lack of practice and injuries to the league's better players are big factors in that decline. Regretably I think that it is going to get worse before it gets better. Thanks, Since '61

I think this article is referring to 'football shape".

An athlete can be finely tuned, eat healthy, workout like mad, etc.... but if you aren't out there getting hit, hitting people, feeling impacts, making cuts, jumping, dip, dodge, dive, duck... and dodging, then you aren't in football shape.

The more practice the body gets in doing these activities, the less likely it is to suffer injury because it acclimates to the punishment. It gets tougher...

I agree that practice schedules should return to pre-CBA rules.

Absolutely.

Is anyone out of the area going to stream family night? Is WTMJ going to like last year?

Great article! Lack of preparation counts. Also, the players can build a lot of muscle, but ligaments cannot be developed like that. Genetics count also.

"Does Roger Goodell ever daydream about what the game will be like in 10, 15 or 20 years?"

Doesn't have to, game won't exist in 15 or 20 years. The NFL is a few additional academic CTE studies and an on-field death away from going bye bye.

Enjoy it while you can!

I can't say for sure if there is a direct correlation between less practice time and injuries. I think there is a correlation between less practice time and the quality of the product on the field though. I believe that less practice = lower quality. Just my opinion.

I agree with many of the posters here. I like the ideas of more full padded practices, starting training camp 2 weeks or a month earlier. Cut a pre season game and expand reserve and practice squads. Get rid of some Thursday games. Europe is Soccer country, the NFL needs to quit force feeding football there.

I like the suggestions of ALP and Since '61 (and think about that pairing for a moment.....) concerning more practice, fewer pre-season games, and Thursdays only after a bye. All would certainly improve the quality of play and may lead to fewer injuries.

Unfortunately I don't think the NFLPA will support more practices because more practices also opens the door to more rookies making a team and more veterans getting cut, something the membership of the NFLPA would be opposed to.

It was the players reps that bargained for the reduced practices and hitting. And I doubt you will find anyone on that side of the negotiations arguing they need to go back to more hitting and padded practices.