How to kill your players before the season starts..

[lostknight]

It was pointed out over and over last year that the consequences of a training camp where you are in pads and full contact the entire time is higher levels of injury. We dodged all the bullets last year, but this year it's already been devastating.

From the injuries to Knowshon and C-Buck the first day, on the same drill (which clearly indicate that the players were not ready for the drill before hand), to the huge possibly season-destroying injury to Doom, we are now in a situation where the top talent on the team is now going into the season under-prepared, injured or missing it completely.

In the past, I would completely trust Bobby Turner to have the best practices and drills for his players. The new coach? Who knows? Do we really want to be trusting McDaniel's kid brother, who has no experience with our QBs? And what exactly is it that Tuten has having over the Broncos FO to keep him around? The team has suffered late collapses three years in a row, due to conditioning and injuries, and this year we are going into the season in a bad state, which the front of our season is unbelievably nasty. Don't get me started. What some reputable players have had to say about his decisions border on unethical and malpractice.

And why hasn't anyone challenged the pace of camp, given the damage it's doing to players. Yes, there are freak injuries, but now we have three points, enough to clearly establish a trajectory, and that trajectory might just wipe out the team before the season even starts.Of course you need contact drills and pads to get started, but the rooster has finally come home to roost on McDaniel's decision to push the hardest possible camp.

[2KBack]

wait? football is played in pads with contact?

[lostknight]

Originally Posted by 2KBack

wait? football is played in pads with contact?

Of course it is. And apparently we have set out a whole bunch of players not in condition to deal with that reality, and then done it over and over and over.

[bfoflcommish]

**** someone alert the NFL, i mean since there wasnt ever an injury in no cotact camps....oh wait...never mind

[gyldenlove]

So you suggest that we do not hold any game situation practices? That will work well I am sure.....

[bfoflcommish]

Originally Posted by lostknight

Of course it is. And apparently we have set out a whole bunch of players not in condition to deal with that reality, and then done it over and over and over.

blame the player not the practice

[Rabb]

you really are an idiot

[2KBack]

Originally Posted by lostknight

Of course it is. And apparently we have set out a whole bunch of players not in condition to deal with that reality, and then done it over and over and over.

you mean one?

Clady= non football
Moreno= non contact hamstring
Buck= made of glass
Doom= football injury (that's the one!)

[lostknight]

Originally Posted by gyldenlove

So you suggest that we do not hold any game situation practices? That will work well I am sure.....

Nope, I am suggesting that like every other team in the league, we don't put them in pads and encourage full contact every single practice, in excess of what's actually required.

[Retire #30!!!]

It's football dude you can't be serious. Three of the injuries weren't even related to contact.

[lostknight]

Originally Posted by bfoflcommish

blame the player not the practice

Why? It's the coaching staff's responsibility to come up with ways to prep this team, without a unnecessary amount of injury. Buckhalter and Moreno were injured in the same first practice of camp. Droom's probably out for the season, and we know Matt Willis is trying to take people's heads off.

I'm not rooting for the Shanahan system here, but something between the two extremes of not prepping your players for a full season and killing all your players before the season starts would be good.

[dbfan4life]

Contact in camp should be reduced to a game of two hand touch - below the waist. That'll prepare us for the real thing.

[TheElusiveKyleOrton]

Don't know if anyone else remembers this, but there were complaints in the Shanny era that they weren't doing enough hitting, that they were too soft in practice, and it translated to more in-game injuries and lots of missed tackles by the defense. Anyone recall this?

Super-duper glad that people on a message board know more about football training and practice techniques than any coaching staff we've ever had.

What a ****ing moron.

[azbroncfan]

Let's just play flag football.

[Jason in LA]

Lostknight, I'm curious, have you played tackle football and at what level? And have you coached before? Because you're talking like you've run a program before.

It sucks to lose players in practice, but that's part of the game. Teams have to go full contact in practice. If they don't then they'll be soft come game time.

Now, that doesn't mean go full speed contact all the time, but at times there has to be full contact. That's a part of football at every level.

[lostknight]

Originally Posted by dbfan4life

Contact in camp should be reduced to a game of two hand touch - below the waist. That'll prepare us for the real thing.

Again, no one is calling for that, but some basic precautions and a realization that the coaching staff is responsible for injuries would go a long way to moderate our training camps so we don't possibly loose the season before the season even starts.

Our defense was always going to be problematic with Nolan's departure. Now the only proven performer is out, probably for the season. Heads should roll on this one.

[lostknight]

Originally Posted by Jason in McLA

Now, that doesn't mean go full speed contact all the time, but at times there has to be full contact. That's a part of football at every level.

Of course they do. But it doesn't mean that every single practice should be that way - as it was last year, and as it is this year so far. The key operative word here is "at times" and this coaching staff interpreted that to mean "all the time"

But also note, that's only a single point in the large list I bring up - poor conditioning, a medical staff players don't trust, and coaches who are inexperienced all played as big, if not a bigger role in this debacle.

[snowspot66]

Has everybody forgotten how these injuries occured? Moreno's injury was him turning up field. No contact.

Dum's injury was in a one on one drill.

This wasn't a case of being too physical. Just really ****ty luck.

[diehardbroncosfan]

Originally Posted by lostknight

Again, no one is calling for that, but some basic precautions and a realization that the coaching staff is responsible for injuries would go a long way to moderate our training camps so we don't possibly loose the season before the season even starts.

Our defense was always going to be problematic with Nolan's departure. Now the only proven performer is out, probably for the season. Heads should roll on this one.

Only proven performer? What in the world are Champ Bailey, Brian Dawkins, and DJ Williams, all of whom have or should have been pro-bowlers? And, that's not even including Mario Haggan, Andre Goodman, and Renaldo Hill who were extremely solid last year, Jamal Williams, Justin Bannan, and Jarvis Green (all three who have been good to great on other teams), and young players such as Ayers, Moss, Woodyard, McBath, Smith, and Cox who have great potential.

[crush17]

oh jesus christ leave it out....

[enjolras]

Dude, injuries happen. The Broncos are hardly the first team to lose a star player to a training camp injury. It sucks. I'd MUCH rather have a team that's been physically training to handle the rigors of a NFL season.

Ayers said he wants to be dominate, well now he has his chance.

[Los Broncos]

True, training camp should be flag football from now on.

The commish should look into this.

[PRBronco]

Originally Posted by McRabb

you really are an idiot

.

[Mr.Meanie]

we talking 'bout practice?

[BMarsh615]

Knowshon wasn't even touched when he got hurt. And Dumervil was in a 1 on 1 blocking drill that EVERY team does. They are fluke injuries.