Training Camp from hell

dbair1967

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One week in, and according to this stat we have 18 injured players, almost all of whom cant practice. Many are guys being counted on as starters or key back ups. I cant remember what the roster limit is now, but 18 means we have a minimum of 20% of the team that cant practice, maybe as much as close to 25%

Really disappointing. Especially considering the pussifcation of camps league-wide by Goodell and the NFLPA.


Cowboys have 18 injured players

August, 5, 2012
By Calvin Watkins | ESPNDallas.com


OXNARD, Calif. -- The Cowboys have 18 players nursing injuries heading into the Blue and White scrimmage Sunday afternoon.

Of those players, seven are projected starters and two are backups who will get extensive playing time such as Mike Jenkins and John Phillips.

"I think injuries are a part of NFL training camps and they've always been a part of NFL training camps and I think sometimes when you have injuries at certain positions that becomes that rash and that bad luck thing that we're talking about the other day," coach Jason Garrett said. "Certainly in the interior of the offensive line we've had different guys get banged up in different ways and you just have to manage it and make the most of your next best decision as a coaching staff as to how to bring these guys back and who we replace them with."

The injuries forced the Cowboys to bring in some players for workouts.

It also makes Sunday's scrimmage a little more interesting in terms of the younger players who are injured. This is their first major chance to impress the coaches and scouts, but with them out, it allows someone else to get valuable snaps.

Garrett and his staff will have to juggle snaps for some veteran and first-and-second year players because of the injuries.

"It impacts it a great deal," Garrett said. "It's a situational day for most of the veteran players and really the essence of this thing in terms of why we call it a Blue-White scrimmage is to get the younger guys a chance to play contact football and tackle to the ground. We reassessed it and we're thinning out some of the periods, we're taking out a couple of periods, the structure will be the same, we're just trying to limit some of the reps."

Some updates on the injured:

*Miles Austin will miss about a week with his hamstring injury.
*Phillip Tanner went to Dallas to get surgery on his broken hand.
*Kevin Kowalski (ankle) and Bill Nagy (ankle) will be out for a couple of weeks.
*Nate Livings (hamstring) needs another week before he can return.
*Mackenzy Bernadeau (knee and hip) could return next week.
*Danny Coale (foot) should be ready early next week.
*Anthony Spencer (hamstring), Jason Hatcher (hamstring) Lance Dunbar (hamstring), Matt Johnson (hamstring) John Phillips (ankle), Teddy Williams (concussion) and Marcus Spears (concussion) are day-to-day.
*Saalim Hakim (hand) will be at least a week.
*Mike Jenkins is headed to Florida to visit Dr. James Andrews to get his shoulder re-examined.
*Morris Claiborne (knee) is out for at least a week.
*Jay Ratliff (foot) gets work in walkthoughs but not practices.
 

dbair1967

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Our guys are soft.

I know CMD believes it, I'm starting to think thats some of it as well. Its either that or we are simply the most unlucky team in the league.

I agreed with BB in that the camp venue is too "soft" IMO, and going through a real camp in the heat of Texas somewhere would be good for them mentally and physically. Nobody can preach to me about the benefits of practicing in the friendly weather and accomplishing more when 20% of the roster is already hurt.

I think Garrett really needs to go through some notes from the Jimmy days, and how he handled guys with nagging injuries.
 
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Makes sense. I read somewhere that it's literally impossible to get a concussion if it's hot outside.
 

dbair1967

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And this Austin hamstring stuff is ridiculous. Love the guy when he is healthy, but he is almost never healthy. That contract extension we gave him is shaping up to be another laugher for us. This guy is either a pussy or has no fucking clue how to train.

I'd be making another potential starting WR a priority for next year in free agency or the draft.
 

bbgun

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The Zone would just like you to know that you're a "whiner" and a "negative nancy."
 

ThoughtExperiment

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Meh, I still say we're not that bad off. How many of these are truly serious injuries? I don't even count holding someone out for a day or two for a sore hamstring as an "injury".

What's going to really suck is one day when we lose a top player at a critical position for the year. What's worse, the Eagles losing Jason Peters for the year, or us losing three Danny Coales for a week or two? The numbers may say 3 to 1, but the answer is obvious.
 

FuzzyLumpkins

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You guys need to put the Zone butthurtedness aside.

The cowboys have 13 guys that are not cleared to practice. Many of them were taken off PUP such as Coale, Bernadeau and Johnson and have to wait 3 days in order to participate in drills. Other than possibly Nagy we have no guys that are destined for the IR.

In comparison the giants have 10 including thomas who is out for the year. The Eagles have 12 including most of their Dline and the Skins only have 9.

The thing is that we have no idea how conservative Garrett/Woicik are with injuries. Wade used to shut down guys and take no chances. I do recall guys on the injury report last season being held out of practice but ended up playing anyway.

For example:

DALLAS COWBOYS

QUESTIONABLE WR Andre Holmes (hamstring), RB Felix Jones (hamstring), LB Sean Lee (wrist, illness), S Danny McCray (ankle), WR Kevin Ogletree (knee), DT Josh Price-Brent (knee)

PROBABLE CB Mike Jenkins (shoulder), P Mat McBriar (left foot), DT Jay Ratliff (ribs), WR Laurent Robinson (shoulder), QB Tony Romo (right hand), LB DeMarcus Ware (neck)

DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE Friday S Danny McCray (ankle)

LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE Friday WR Andre Holmes (hamstring), CB Mike Jenkins (shoulder), RB Felix Jones (hamstring), LB Sean Lee (wrist, illness), WR Kevin Ogletree (knee), DT Josh Price-Brent (knee), DT Jay Ratliff (ribs), QB Tony Romo (right hand)

FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE Friday P Mat McBriar (left foot), WR Laurent Robinson (shoulder), LB DeMarcus Ware (neck)

Then I look to what Woicik did in NE.

For example:

FOXBOROUGH -- Logan Mankins did not practice today due to an illness, according to the team's injury report.

Here is the rest of the report for the Patriots and the Raiders.

Patriots

TE Aaron Hernandez, Knee, DNP
G Logan Mankins, illness, DNP
OT Sebastian Vollmer, back, DNP
DL Mike Wright, concussion, DNP

CB Kyle Arrington, chest, Limited
CB Leigh Bodden, groin, Limited
S Patrick Chung, hand, Limited
CB Ras-I Dowling, hip, Limited
DL Shaun Ellis, knee, Limited
LB Gary Guyton, hamstring, Limited
DT Albert Haynesworth, back, Limited
LB Jerod Mayo, thigh, Limited
P Zoltan Mesko, left knee, Limited
WR Taylor Price, hamstring Limited
OL Ryan Wendell, calf, Limited

You can draw your own conclusions but despite bbguns typical martyrdom i think the context is important.
 

Theebs

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And this Austin hamstring stuff is ridiculous. Love the guy when he is healthy, but he is almost never healthy. That contract extension we gave him is shaping up to be another laugher for us. This guy is either a pussy or has no fucking clue how to train.

I'd be making another potential starting WR a priority for next year in free agency or the draft.

Good lord.

I guess you want to get rid of him just like u always want to get rid of romo.

Brilliant.
 

CowboysRMX

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the philadelphia eagles have so many injuries they started searching the area league for players. Cowboys have little nagging injuries none are serious. All these other teams have these players who are out for the season and some that have players whos careers are done.

I think this shortened offseason is working against the players and isnt what they thought it would be. Theyre basically cramming everything in, in almost half the time.
 

dbair1967

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Good lord.

I guess you want to get rid of him just like u always want to get rid of romo.

Brilliant.

I havent always wanted to get rid of Romo.

But on Austin, great player when healthy, but almost never healthy. he has to have the worst hamstrings of any player we've ever had.

Cant even get through a week at a training camp where wather is clearly not a factor at all w/o hurting his hammy's again.

Not saying to get rid of him, but I do think if he cant stay healthy this year its time to start looking for future starting WR #2 next year.
 

ThoughtExperiment

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I can't believe the overreaction to this. His hamstrings are touchy the first week of camp, and we've already decided he will be hurt all year?

Yeah, maybe he will be. Or maybe the team is just taking it easy on him right now because this time of year means so little to a vet like him.

In any event, it's not like he tore his hamstring like Andre Johnson did last year and he can't play for two months.
 
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I see what he's saying. It might be time to recalibrate his value as a 12 game a season WR

Davids wrobg tho. he is half a blue collar hard worker and he got all his money up front so it's moot
 

dbair1967

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I can't believe the overreaction to this. His hamstrings are touchy the first week of camp, and we've already decided he will be hurt all year?

Yeah, maybe he will be. Or maybe the team is just taking it easy on him right now because this time of year means so little to a vet like him.

In any event, it's not like he tore his hamstring like Andre Johnson did last year and he can't play for two months.

If he hadnt been hurt on and off for two years with the hamstring thing, it'd be different.
 
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