Post by jamaisvu on Nov 26, 2016 19:32:08 GMT -6
Seems like this is a popular subject with this team this week, but Biggs does a good job of breaking down some specific numbers.
LINK
LINK
When the season ends and the Bears get down to the business of evaluating not just what went wrong but how they can fix it, everything should be on the table.
From the club's poor performance in the red zone — the Bears rank 23rd entering Sunday's game against the Titans — to how they tape ankles, it all has to be under examination.
The Bears (2-8) have had too many losses through 10 games and too many injuries with 14 players on injured reserve. With six games to go, that number is likely to climb even if cornerback Kyle Fuller is designated to return, something that could happen next week. The status of quarterback Jay Cutler, among others, is in question for the stretch run. A right shoulder injury has him listed as doubtful with journeyman Matt Barkley expected to start.
Particularly alarming has been the number of ankle injuries the team has suffered. Right guard Kyle Long will undergo surgery Monday to repair his right ankle. That surgery will be completed before he undergoes surgery to repair the torn labrum in his left shoulder. Defensive lineman Will Sutton suffered a high ankle sprain and landed on injured reserve. Five other players have missed time in-season or training camp with ankle injuries: nose tackle Eddie Goldman, running back Jeremy Langford, left guard Josh Sitton, cornerback Deiondre' Hall and tight end Ben Braunecker.
Internally, the Bears already have asked the questions you would expect. Has there been a common thread? What surfaces were the players injured on? What kind of footwear were they using? How were their ankles taped? It's not prevalent but some are of the belief it's better not to tape ankles. You can bet the front office and coaching staff considers everything at the end of the year.
It's not just the volume of players on injured reserve. Outside linebacker Pernell McPhee was on the physically unable to perform list for the first six games. Cutler missed five games with a thumb injury, although you can make a case the team was going to stay with Brian Hoyer until his left arm was fractured. Goldman has missed seven games. Linebacker Danny Trevathan missed two games after thumb surgery and then played with a cast. The offensive line has used four starting combinations. No position group has been immune.
The most popular question: How bad is it?
"It's up there," coach John Fox said last Sunday at MetLife Stadium after tight end Zach Miller was lost to a broken right foot. "I've been doing it a little bit, so it's hard to remember 27 years ago, but this is up in the top five for sure."
The 14 players on IR represent the most the Bears have had in the 2000s. Heck, they even have had two players go on the practice squad/injured list — tight end Busta Anderson and running back Raheem Mostert.
The previous high for the Bears was 13 in 2000. They had 11 go on the IR in 2002, including seven starters — quarterback Jim Miller, running back Anthony Thomas, defensive tackle Ted Washington, right tackle Marc Colombo, wide receiver David Terrell, left guard Rex Tucker and weak-side linebacker Warrick Holdman. Counting center Hroniss Grasu, lost to a torn ACL in training camp, the Bears have five starters currently on IR with Fuller, Long, Miller and wide receiver Kevin White. Ten players finished the season on IR in 2004, Lovie Smith's first season when a hamstring epidemic swept the locker room.
Other than that, the most the Bears have placed on IR since 2009 was nine players (2015, 2014, 2011, 2007) and the fewest was one in 2001 when wide receiver Marcus Robinson's season was ended by injury. When the Bears reached Super Bowl XLI, five players were placed on IR with the significant losses of safety Mike Brown and defensive tackle Tommie Harris. Their absence often is cited as a reason for the loss to the Colts.
According to the website Man Games Lost (mangameslost.com), the Bears have lost the fourth-most games to injuries this season at 162 — 125 to players on IR and 37 to players ruled out on game day. Only the Chargers (202), Saints (181) and Ravens (174) have more. None of the four teams have a winning record.
The site also has an IIT ranking — Injury Impact to Team — in which it tries to quantify the value of each player lost. For instance, the loss of Miller is going to affect the Bears more than linebacker Lamin Barrow, who is on IR but was a long shot to make the roster. Similarly, the loss of running back Adrian Peterson is a greater loss to the Vikings than the Bears being without defensive lineman Ego Ferguson. In the IIT rankings, the Bears are also fourth, trailing the Vikings, Cowboys and Chargers.
Wide receiver Alshon Jeffery was the player with the greatest injury concern entering this season and he managed to stay on the field before a performance-enhancing drug suspension. Jeffery battled soft-tissue injuries in 2015 and hamstring injuries have plagued cornerback Bryce Callahan, linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski and safety Deon Bush.
General manager Ryan Pace and Fox are going to have to talk about it all when the season ends. Is their strength and conditioning program producing the results they desire? What about the athletic trainers? Is there a benefit to the sports science program? Some of it is bad luck in a violent sport that produces injuries for every roster. But the Bears are going to have to do more than just hope for better luck in 2017.
The most frustrating thing according to Man Games Lost? According to their data, from 2009 through 2015 the Bears were the fourth-healthiest team in the league. That good fortune resulted in one playoff appearance. Talk about not being able to catch a break.
From the club's poor performance in the red zone — the Bears rank 23rd entering Sunday's game against the Titans — to how they tape ankles, it all has to be under examination.
The Bears (2-8) have had too many losses through 10 games and too many injuries with 14 players on injured reserve. With six games to go, that number is likely to climb even if cornerback Kyle Fuller is designated to return, something that could happen next week. The status of quarterback Jay Cutler, among others, is in question for the stretch run. A right shoulder injury has him listed as doubtful with journeyman Matt Barkley expected to start.
Particularly alarming has been the number of ankle injuries the team has suffered. Right guard Kyle Long will undergo surgery Monday to repair his right ankle. That surgery will be completed before he undergoes surgery to repair the torn labrum in his left shoulder. Defensive lineman Will Sutton suffered a high ankle sprain and landed on injured reserve. Five other players have missed time in-season or training camp with ankle injuries: nose tackle Eddie Goldman, running back Jeremy Langford, left guard Josh Sitton, cornerback Deiondre' Hall and tight end Ben Braunecker.
Internally, the Bears already have asked the questions you would expect. Has there been a common thread? What surfaces were the players injured on? What kind of footwear were they using? How were their ankles taped? It's not prevalent but some are of the belief it's better not to tape ankles. You can bet the front office and coaching staff considers everything at the end of the year.
It's not just the volume of players on injured reserve. Outside linebacker Pernell McPhee was on the physically unable to perform list for the first six games. Cutler missed five games with a thumb injury, although you can make a case the team was going to stay with Brian Hoyer until his left arm was fractured. Goldman has missed seven games. Linebacker Danny Trevathan missed two games after thumb surgery and then played with a cast. The offensive line has used four starting combinations. No position group has been immune.
The most popular question: How bad is it?
"It's up there," coach John Fox said last Sunday at MetLife Stadium after tight end Zach Miller was lost to a broken right foot. "I've been doing it a little bit, so it's hard to remember 27 years ago, but this is up in the top five for sure."
The 14 players on IR represent the most the Bears have had in the 2000s. Heck, they even have had two players go on the practice squad/injured list — tight end Busta Anderson and running back Raheem Mostert.
The previous high for the Bears was 13 in 2000. They had 11 go on the IR in 2002, including seven starters — quarterback Jim Miller, running back Anthony Thomas, defensive tackle Ted Washington, right tackle Marc Colombo, wide receiver David Terrell, left guard Rex Tucker and weak-side linebacker Warrick Holdman. Counting center Hroniss Grasu, lost to a torn ACL in training camp, the Bears have five starters currently on IR with Fuller, Long, Miller and wide receiver Kevin White. Ten players finished the season on IR in 2004, Lovie Smith's first season when a hamstring epidemic swept the locker room.
Other than that, the most the Bears have placed on IR since 2009 was nine players (2015, 2014, 2011, 2007) and the fewest was one in 2001 when wide receiver Marcus Robinson's season was ended by injury. When the Bears reached Super Bowl XLI, five players were placed on IR with the significant losses of safety Mike Brown and defensive tackle Tommie Harris. Their absence often is cited as a reason for the loss to the Colts.
According to the website Man Games Lost (mangameslost.com), the Bears have lost the fourth-most games to injuries this season at 162 — 125 to players on IR and 37 to players ruled out on game day. Only the Chargers (202), Saints (181) and Ravens (174) have more. None of the four teams have a winning record.
The site also has an IIT ranking — Injury Impact to Team — in which it tries to quantify the value of each player lost. For instance, the loss of Miller is going to affect the Bears more than linebacker Lamin Barrow, who is on IR but was a long shot to make the roster. Similarly, the loss of running back Adrian Peterson is a greater loss to the Vikings than the Bears being without defensive lineman Ego Ferguson. In the IIT rankings, the Bears are also fourth, trailing the Vikings, Cowboys and Chargers.
Wide receiver Alshon Jeffery was the player with the greatest injury concern entering this season and he managed to stay on the field before a performance-enhancing drug suspension. Jeffery battled soft-tissue injuries in 2015 and hamstring injuries have plagued cornerback Bryce Callahan, linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski and safety Deon Bush.
General manager Ryan Pace and Fox are going to have to talk about it all when the season ends. Is their strength and conditioning program producing the results they desire? What about the athletic trainers? Is there a benefit to the sports science program? Some of it is bad luck in a violent sport that produces injuries for every roster. But the Bears are going to have to do more than just hope for better luck in 2017.
The most frustrating thing according to Man Games Lost? According to their data, from 2009 through 2015 the Bears were the fourth-healthiest team in the league. That good fortune resulted in one playoff appearance. Talk about not being able to catch a break.
