'It's Hard to Walk': Falcons OT Kaleb McGary Describes 'Brutal' NFL Season

Atlanta Falcons offensive tackle Kaleb McGary has played every offensive snap this season. How is his body holding up?

Jeremy Brener | Jan 6, 2023

Injuries in the NFL have been brought to the forefront of the conversation this week after Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin collapsed on Monday Night Football.

Hamlin's scary injury on the big national TV stage has sent shockwaves through the NFL in every way imaginable. Players are thankful for their health, franchises are reconsidering whether they are utilizing the best practices, and fans are more aware to the humanizing element of the league.

Atlanta Falcons tackle Kaleb McGary spoke to The Athletic on the physical toll a season takes. McGary, a 2019 first-round pick who played the best season of his four-year career, has played every snap on offense for the Falcons this season.

"This time of year, it’s hard to walk," McGary said. "We joke about it and stuff, but I feel like it’s easy for people to forget on the outside what a toll this sport takes. No amount of ice can take away the toll that 18 weeks of absolute brutal, constant, physical pounding will take on your body. There’s just no way around it. It’s just an ugly part of the game, man. We try not to focus on it."

"It’s a thing that if you dwell on too much, it’s easy to get down about, it’s easy to get depressed about, and I think it makes you more likely to get hurt," McGary said. "If you’re standing there wondering if you’re going to get hurt, someone is going to run into you and you’re going to get hurt. You play slow, you risk injury more than if you are playing fast."

He also spoke about if it is harder to disregard the risks of playing football after Hamlin's injury.

It often takes shocking experiences to shake a system ... that's what Hamlin's injury did. And perhaps the system is about to receive a wake-up call very soon, if it hasn't already.

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Published Jan 6, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.