PHILADELPHIA – The elephant in the room is wearing a knee brace.
It is tough enough that the Eagles have lost two players for the season due to ACL tears. Linebacker Travis Long and rookie cornerback JaCorey Shepherd were likely to make the 53-man roster and play significant roles on the Eagles’ defense.
What is tougher, though, is the reminder that the Eagles’ entire season is riding on a player who has torn his left ACL twice in the past two seasons. Although Chip Kelly says he hass been told there is only an 8- to 12-percent chance of Sam Bradford tearing the ACL again, Long and Shepherd are living proof that every player is always one misstep away from a season-ending injury.
And that includes Bradford.
When I tweeted out the news about Shepherd on Monday, three people independently replied with the same comeback: “#Sportsscience.” I would think it was a crass little bit of sarcasm if it wasn’t almost exactly what I first thought myself.
This probably isn’t fair. But the reality is Kelly has created the impression that he has all the answers. His approach -- challenging NFL assumptions, doing things differently from everyone before him – generates a reaction. When someone comes across as smug, there’s a natural desire to see them get their comeuppance.
So if Kelly is suggesting that his methods will prevent injuries, and he loses two players in a week to ACL tears, then there will be some backlash. It is human nature.
But here’s the thing. Kelly has said on several occasions that there is little or nothing that can be done to prevent some injuries. Football is a violent game and injuries have always been a consequence of that. As Kelly said earlier this year, everyone who plays football is injury-prone.
That doesn’t really negate the sports science-based policies Kelly adheres to. Last week, the Eagles held running back DeMarco Murray out of a practice because testing revealed his hydration levels weren’t where they should be.
Maybe Murray would have been fine if he’d practiced. Maybe he would have felt sick to his stomach a half-hour into practice and taken himself out of the drills. But maybe, just maybe, Murray would have pulled a hamstring or groin muscle and missed a week of practices.
The bottom line is that we don’t see the positive results of the sports science initiatives. If players feel better and more energized, they know it, but there isn’t necessarily any outward sign of that.
So it may be that having his urine tested and filling out a daily questionnaire help Bradford to recover quickly and feel at his best for practice every day. Kelly’s system may benefit Bradford and all of his teammates in that way.
But as Long and Shepherd illustrate, the smoothies and the extra sleep and hydration testing won’t stop a ligament from tearing or a bone from breaking.
Those things happen in football, and Bradford is out there playing football. There’s risk involved, no matter what precautions are taken.
