As my mother would say, the National Football League’s personnel are currently “dropping like flies!”
After week one showed promise of a potentially healthy season, week two and the injury bug respectfully humbled the league quickly.
With a questionably forgone preseason, the NFL is gruesomely facing the repercussions of not properly conditioning its players prior to season start.
In the last week alone, the league has seen big names like Christian McCaffery, Nick Bosa, Saquon Barkley, Drew Lock and Jimmy Garoppolo all coming out before the second half in what can be described as a fantasy football nightmare.
Barkely, along with Bosa and Denver Broncos receiver Cortland Sutton, all suffered torn anterior cruciate ligaments injuries that could cost them the whole season.
Of course, four preseason games couldn’t have prevented the slew of injuries the league has already experienced, but preseason reps would have better prepared the body for the hits regularly sustained in game.
Would 38 snaps and nine carries over three preseason games have been enough to have saved Barkley’s knee?
Doubtful.
With the NFL recently expanding the playoffs by one team per conference and planning on adjusting the schedule from 16 to 17 games, the preseason is proving that it holds more value than just the money it generates.
With no preseason, teams ended up practicing nearly every day leading up to the start of the season. That went for pretty much every team in the league, and could have contributed to the body wearing down quicker.
Even though it seems like there’s an influx in serious injuries every year, data points to injuries tending to phase out in the next coming weeks.
Thank god, because my fantasy team is royally screwed.