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NFL working on changes in hopes of decreasing injuries
Roy Williams' horse-collar tackles are expected to be outlawed at the next NFL meeting.
When they weren't talking about problems with a new collective bargaining agreement, NFL owners last week were dealing with the increase in injuries and what to do about it. When they were through, there were no bold decisions or major rules changes, but there was concern voiced for a game producing more casualties.
Last year injuries were up, particularly injuries involving ankles and feet, and you don't need to be reminded. You saw what happened to Philadelphia's Terrell Owens in a Dec. 19 defeat of Dallas, and you saw what happened to New England's Ty Law earlier in the year.
When NFL owners convened in Maui last week for their annual winter meetings, they saw what happened, too, and they started to make changes. They outlawed peel-back blocks. They expanded unnecessary roughness to include the blindside hit Warren Sapp laid on Chad Clifton in 2002 and George Foster's cut block of Cincinnati's Tony Williams last season. They expanded protection for kickers and punters, and they came this close to acting on the controversial "horse-collar tackle" that sidelined Owens.
Look for a change at the league's May meetings.
"There's no question this rule will be passed," said Atlanta president and general manager Rich McKay, co-chairman of the NFL's influential competition committee. "It's one technique we need to get out of the game."
There are others, but leave it to coaches and general managers to identify them in the months ahead. Hey, this is a league so concerned about foot injuries it examined players' shoes as potential culprits. So look for it to continue to study ways to eliminate unnecessary injuries because far too many clubs lost key players last year, with few overcoming those setbacks as successfully as New England.
One of the hardest hit was Tennessee, which subtracted scores of starters as the season progressed -- finishing the season with a lineup that included nine changes from its Sept. 11 opener, including the losses of quarterback Steve McNair, running back Chris Brown and three of its four defensive backs.
"I'm concerned because of the injury situation we endured last year," said Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher, who co-chairs the competition committee with McKay. "We've done our research, but we can't put our finger on one particular thing. That said, it was a one-year issue, and we'll get through it. The key is to get the guys we lost back and healthy.
"As far as the league is concerned, yes, the injury rate was up last year. So everyone's watching, and we're going to see where this is going. But it might just be a one-year thing. If you could pinpoint one item we'd attack it aggressively and say, 'Hey, we need to address this.' But we can't."
That message was repeated by others, including Carolina general manager Marty Hurney. The Panthers lost star receiver Steve Smith in the season opener, and the casualty list grew from there. Running back Stephen Davis was next. Then it was DeShaun Foster. And All-Pro defensive tackle Kris Jenkins. When the season concluded there were 14 players on the team's injured reserve list, and Carolina -- in the Super Bowl the year before -- missed the playoffs.
"We still feel like it's a cyclical thing," said Hurney. "Last year we were unfortunate; the year before we were fortunate. I don't think at this point there are any trends involved."
Neither do the Detroit Lions, but they were sufficiently concerned that last year -- one season after the club suffered a spate of injuries -- coach Steve Mariucci changed his summer practice schedule and rolled back offseason workouts. Mariucci was concerned that the club might be guilty of overworking players, which made them tired and more vulnerable to injuries.
Then came the 2004 season, and wide receiver Charles Rogers suffered a season-ending injury on the third offensive snap.
"I always followed a certain way of doing things," said Mariucci, "and I cut it back. And it helped us. We were really hurt the year before (2003), and this year we were better. Now, did it make a difference? We think so.
"Sometimes it's just the luck of the draw, but we cut back in the offseason -- telling coaches not to do individual drills, to stay away from guys and let them just run and lift.
"In Detroit, I don't know if it's a cumulative effect of playing on the turf, of practicing on the turf, of having offseason conditioning on the turf. Maybe that produces wear and tear on one's legs over times, I don't know."
Nor does anyone else. What they do know is that when injuries go up, so do their antennae. And so do the number of proposed rules changes. We saw that last week, and, if things don't change this season, look for another push this time next year to reduce the number of injuries.
The point is that the NFL is alert to a potential problem. Now what it needs to determine is: Is it part of a trend or not?
"If I were to give an unprofessional opinion," said San Diego coach Marty Schottenheimer, "I would say that what we have are bigger, faster people that produce collisions like we never had before. I mean, we have defensive linemen who are 6-feet-4, weigh 280 pounds and run 4.7. When those body masses collide at some point something's going to give.
"So my feeling is the offseason program and playing surfaces and shoes are not the issue; the issue is physics."
Source: sportsline