Here’s Simple Answer on NFL Injuries

As the bodies started falling at a seemingly alarming rate in Week 2, including the Indianapolis Colts losing two key starters, why were players getting hurt? The explanation might not be so complicated.

There had to be a reason why so many key NFL players suffered serious injuries in Week 2.

That question is seemingly asked every time there’s a series of star players who are sidelined. The Indianapolis Colts weren’t immune. They’ve lost three starters in running back Marlon Mack (Achilles), safety Malik Hooker (Achilles), and wide receiver Parris Campbell (knee), all of whom have been placed on injured reserve. Hooker and Campbell exited on Sunday.

But around the NFL, this sure seemed different. New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley and San Francisco defensive end Nick Bosa suffered season-ending ACL tears. Carolina running back Christian McCaffrey went down with an ankle injury. There were many others. Those are the biggest names.

49ers defensive end Nick Bosa is carted off with a torn ACL on Sunday :: Chris Pedota/USA TODAY Sports

A quick explanation points to the lack of a normal offseason due to the Coronavirus pandemic, with players working out on their own, and teams not having the usual camps and no preseason games.

The problem with that theory, especially in the case of the Colts, is these players were in peak condition. Mack, Hooker, and Campbell had strong training camps. Coaches were excited about their progress.

If it’s not because of the deviation in the offseason routine, fans are quick to point a finger at strength and conditioning coaches and trainers. But, again, if the Colts trio was in peak condition, how can it be the fault of those who closely monitor their physical shape each day? The Colts had players wearing heart monitors during offseason workouts. They couldn’t have monitored player activity more closely.

If not that, then what?

Here’s the most obvious answer that fans and media are quick to overlook because many just don’t understand the rigors of the NFL.

That’s just football.

What part of the human anatomy was designed for athletes in peak condition to run full speed and slam into each other on a weekly basis for about five or six months? Seriously, think about that.

That Hooker and Mack ruptured Achilles tendons seems unusual. But if they’re pushing their bodies to the limit, isn’t it reasonable to surmise their bodies just broke amid the strain? It's happened before. And will happen again.

When the Miami Dolphins visited the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Stadium in 1993, quarterback Dan Marino stepped up in the pocket and felt a sharp leg pain. Cleveland’s field surface always seemed like it was a mix of mud and sand, which caused footing issues. Despite no contact on the play, Marino ruptured his Achilles tendon and was lost for the season.

On any given play, someone can get hurt, even freakishly. It’s the only time in Marino’s Hall-of-Fame career that he didn’t play double-digit games.

So while the theories about recent injuries will continue and arm-chair experts will be convinced there has to be a reason for why it’s happening, it would be wise to remember that the NFL is a violent, contact sport where bodies are pushed to the limit and they often break.

Colts head coach Frank Reich was asked for his take on Monday, after giving the somber news on Hooker and Campbell.

“Yeah, I think injuries happen,” Reich said. “It’s hard. It’s such a small sample size – two weeks of a season. I know it’s early. I know in some respects it seems like it’s more than normal, and I don’t know if it actually is, to be honest with you. It maybe just feels that way given the context of everything. But at some level it is football, sometimes injuries do come in gluts, unfortunately.

“I know our players came in here in great shape. Our guys who have gotten hurt were in great physical condition and I think in good football condition. So, sometimes it’s just part of the game.”

Accept that or dismiss it, but it’s an obvious explanation.

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(Phillip B. Wilson has covered the Indianapolis Colts for more than two decades and authored the 2013 book 100 Things Colts Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. He’s on Twitter @pwilson24, on Facebook at @allcoltswithphilb and @100thingscoltsfans, and his email is phillipbwilson24@yahoo.com.)