With the start of the NFL’s regular season just around the corner, well known and key player such as Kevin Elliot (Buffalo Bills), Bryan Bulaga (Green Bay Packers), Stevie Brown (New York Giants) and Marcus Lattimore (San Francisco 49ers), are a few players who will be spending it on the bench. This is due to a recent and growing trend in severe knee injuries: ACL tears. There is no denying it, the game is changing. It is becoming faster, the players are getting stronger and so is their “no pain – no gain mentality.” As many as 20 players have sustained this injury in pre-season camps and last season, and with the severity of injury will miss the whole season. It takes about 9-12 months to recover and get back to game shape.
There are many things that can lead up to a player’s “downfall”. Take Robert Griffin III (RG3), the quarterback for the Washington Redskins, for example. Last year he completely tore his ACL and LCL in a wildcard game against the Seahawks. About a month before hand, he had sustained a slight ACL sprain. Because he didn’t rest long enough, went back to play too soon, and didn’t take the injury seriously, he ended up doing more damage than had already been done in the first place.
Advances to the game itself can also be more damaging than productive to the players. Back when football was first getting started there were no fancy turf fields, just plain old grass. It’s very simple to understand why natural grass is better to play on than turf. When your foot gets planted into grass, there is give, your foot can slide and not be stuck in a locked position. On turf, there is no give; once your foot hits the ground after making a sharp cutting movement, landing after a jump or taking a tackle, it will stay there. If that player goes down, all their force will be put onto that leg and the knee will give out and collapse.
This is a major problem that the league, fans, teams and players are all facing. It reflects poorly on the NFL because it looks like they are not doing their part to make the game safe. No fan wants to see their favorite player on the bench, no player wants to sit the bench all season, and no team can afford to lose anyone before the season even starts. This injury will be around for a long time to come; there is apparently no stopping it. For now, all professional and amateur athletes can do to lower their chances from this happening is build up muscle, train hard, and rest and recover.