Preston on Injuries

**Ravenswarrior19** · 02-12-2008, 10:44 AM

Originally Posted by pyite32

Of course they do this, and it doesn't make me mad at all. I want the teams we play to live in uncertainty about who they have to gameplan against.

The other team knows our scrub corners are playing and they will spend all week putting together a gameplan to exploit that. Ogden is more hurt than he lets on, well lets overload that side of the D-line and sack the quarterback all day. It's one thing for the opposing team to make in-game adjustments to take advantage of these mismatches, it is giving them a gift to tell them a long time ahead so they know they don't have to worry about facing our top guys.

:word
I'm glad we played some games with the injury report. We should be taking every advantage we can to win games. Unless a guy is "out" with no chance of playing, I'd rather not hear anything about it.

As fans we like to know about our team. When CMac hurt his knee, we all went crazy wanting to know how bad he was hurt. But its in the best interest of the team to keep these things as secret as possible. We fans should just suck it up and wait till Sunday to see who's in.

**camdenyard** · 02-12-2008, 10:55 AM

Except that Heap should have been put on IR long before the season ended so we didn't have to run out a converted DT with stone hands to play TE.

Same for CMac. If they knew it was that bad, they should have put him on IR in November and been done with it. It wasn't as if the team had a shot at the playoffs by then anyway.

**Losac** · 02-12-2008, 10:59 AM

Originally Posted by camdenyard

Except that Heap should have been put on IR long before the season ended so we didn't have to run out a converted DT with stone hands to play TE.

Same for CMac. If they knew it was that bad, they should have put him on IR in November and been done with it. It wasn't as if the team had a shot at the playoffs by then anyway.

The frustrating part was them letting everyone think Heap and CMac had a shot to play week after week, then seeing them trot Lee Vickers and Willie Gaston out there.

**HoustonRaven** · 02-12-2008, 11:58 AM

The IR is not so fans know who's hurt and who's not. It was never designed for fans. It was designed (originally) for the odds makers.

The coaches are now using it as a tool to trick the opposing team. I have no problems with our team down playing injuries. It forces the other team to game plan on certain players.

This offense some fans are taking is misplaced and misses the bigger picture of what the IR has evolved into.

**Ravenswarrior19** · 02-12-2008, 12:00 PM

Maybe determining if a guy has a realistic shot at playing again isn't as cut and dry as some would think.

Also consider
1) If we IR starter X (Heap, etc) to make a roster spot, who do we get to fill it? Who's to say Lee Vickers wasn't our best available option anyway?

2) What was our in-season cap situation as far as signing a free agent? Would bringing in a temporary fix for an injury cause us to release someone we have legitamate plans for in years to come?

Just some thoughts. Personally, I wish we would just drink the magic potion that kept the whole team healthy like in '06. Winning healthy is a lot more fun than what we did this year.

**Dade** · 02-12-2008, 01:40 PM

Every team abuses the injury report, just to get some type of advantage over the other team. Which is pointless IMO. If a player sprains his ankle and walks off the field, the next opponent will gameplan for the player to play next Sunday regardless what the injury report says. Every team has the own medical staff and given certain injuries can determined the chances of a player taking the field and if the should gameplan for it. Tom Brady is listed every week as probable, but is pointless now because everyone knows he's gonna play. The NFL should step in and regulate the injury report or just do away with it. Who cares what the odds makers in Vegas thinks.

**Rxdoxx** · 02-13-2008, 07:01 PM

Yep, it sure produces a real messy situation.
I say clean it up, by whatever means it takes.
For our team, we would like the advantage of making another team plan for someone (who really won't play), and not have time to game plan to exploit our sub. But if everyone is forced to be reasonably accurate, then it levels the playing field. Someone can game-plan for us, we can game-plan for someone else.
I don't think an unreported injury was more documented than Brady's ankle.
Hell, Jaws combed over tape and showed the play it happened. If the media knew it (and had a field day with it), then the league ought to demand to know why they weren't officially told. (Unless they don't care about fan rumbling and discontent).

The IR is another area involved in the equation, and I've got an idea for a change there. A salary cap exemption.
Currently a player on IR counts against the cap, and no real argument with that reality. But give a salary exemption (extra cap space) to a team when a player is placed on IR, equivalent to the minimum.
If a rookie is placed on IR, then $285,000 exemption is granted.
If a second year then $360,000, up to $820,000 for an 11+yr veteran.
Make it player for player, and a team doesn't have to use the full amount on a replacement (but can't carry it over to another player).
I think this may make it easier for a team to decide to IR a player, since they can afford a replacement as soon as they do.
Make a day, like June 1 the exemption expiration, so if a team wants to keep a player, they have to make a decision... maybe that is a bad date due to the "Rule of 51" , but I think granting a team special salary cap space will keep the best product on the field, and give some "borderline" players maybe the one break they need.