10 replies to this topic

[BSLChrisStoner]

ESPN: Hartsfield suffered ACL Injury
http://espn.go.com/b...r-to-acl-injury

Was having a great year. Hope he can get healthy, and have an opportunity to make a team in camp next year. Probably not realistic though. So, he will be looking to make a team in '14. Horrible blow for him.

[glenn__davis]

Have to legitimately start to wonder if there's an underlying issue here. I personally don't believe there is, but particularly with the new turf down, if I am a competing coach on the recruiting trail you better believe I am pointing to all the injuries MD has sustained this year, particularly knee injuries. This is just ridiculous.

[You Play to Win the Game]

Have to legitimately start to wonder if there's an underlying issue here. I personally don't believe there is, but particularly with the new turf down, if I am a competing coach on the recruiting trail you better believe I am pointing to all the injuries MD has sustained this year, particularly knee injuries. This is just ridiculous.

I was coming to post the same thing. Apparently even the new type of artificial turf is proving to be pretty dangerous from an injury perspective, so there could be something there. What a frustrating year for these guys. I feel badly for the kids more than anything.

[BSLMikeLowe]

There was a discussion a couple weeks ago on the NFL Today show on CBS about whether field turf is riskier for knee injuries than some may think. I believe research has shown that more injuries happen on it than natural grass, although it's tougher to determine that the playing surface is the actual cause. Anyway, on the show they interviewed a doctor who does surgery for a lot of sports injuries, and both he and one of the hosts (I think it was Cowher) stressed that often times players don't wear the right kind of shoes for the surface they are playing on. They put some of the onus on the shoe companies to manufacture and ensure the athletes endorsing their shoes are wearing the right type for the surface they're on. I know it's a bit different for college athletes, since they don't get individual endorsement deals.....but still, as a team I think some responsibility would also fall on the coaches/trainers to make sure this is happening. And I know UA is still a relative newcomer on the scene when it comes to football shoes, so it bears asking whether they are manufacturing different shoes for different surfaces.

Looking at the Terps situation, despite the freakish number of ACL tears I still don't think the SS is large enough to say. The Hills injury was the only one I recall seeing enough replays on, and that was as much if not more due to an illegal block he sustained than the playing surface. Way too hard to say the same thing would not have happened in that situation if they were on grass. And Rowe's injury didn't happen in Byrd, although the field at BC is obviously very similar, if not the same.

[ravens8589]

Personally, I believe these players are not being conditioned well enough. Why do I jump to this conclusion? These guys are all suffering similar injuries. Now, it is true that no matter the conditioning, the right hit can tear the ACL, but it is becoming a big problem with injuries. I do not believe this is some coincidence. There is a reason these injuries are occurring. The turf has something to do with it, because cutting on turf and natural grass is a complete 180 difference. Much tougher to cut on artificial turn and when you do plant your leg down hard enough, tears will happen. Something has to be happening here. My personal opinion is the combination of the turf and conditioning.

[Mike B]

Personally, I believe these players are not being conditioned well enough. Why do I jump to this conclusion? These guys are all suffering similar injuries. Now, it is true that no matter the conditioning, the right hit can tear the ACL, but it is becoming a big problem with injuries. I do not believe this is some coincidence. There is a reason these injuries are occurring. The turf has something to do with it, because cutting on turf and natural grass is a complete 180 difference. Much tougher to cut on artificial turn and when you do plant your leg down hard enough, tears will happen. Something has to be happening here. My personal opinion is the combination of the turf and conditioning.

Interesting. I think the new turf is the big part of the problem but all the injuries have not been at Maryland.
CJ Brown was on a practice field and some have been on the road.
As for conditioning.... I wonder what conditioning drills are used for the Knees. I see players lifting weight all the time, but do not know if that helps or hurts the knees.

[mdak06]

If I remember correctly, CJ Brown, may have been practicing on the field at Byrd Stadium when he was injured. Not totally sure though.

I don't know whether it's the Strength & Conditioning program (and the S&C coach?), or the turf, or the shoes, or some combination of all of those and/or other things ... but I hope they get it figured out.

One thing to note is that the Terps actually had a lot of games lost to injuries last year too, when they still played on grass. The turf could be responsible for some of the injuries, but I can't see how it's entirely the turf's fault.

[ravens8589]

Interesting. I think the new turf is the big part of the problem but all the injuries have not been at Maryland.
CJ Brown was on a practice field and some have been on the road.
As for conditioning.... I wonder what conditioning drills are used for the Knees. I see players lifting weight all the time, but do not know if that helps or hurts the knees.

Drills in which you do a lot of cutting and such is for knees, calves and quads. Doing the leg press when working out also helps with the knees. I'm not saying it's completely the strength and conditioning, but I find it hard to believe it doesn't have any factor in this. If this is the case, many people were wrong about Edsall. It would mean he wasn't enough of a hardass.

[ravens8589]

If I remember correctly, CJ Brown, may have been practicing on the field at Byrd Stadium when he was injured. Not totally sure though.

I don't know whether it's the Strength & Conditioning program (and the S&C coach?), or the turf, or the shoes, or some combination of all of those and/or other things ... but I hope they get it figured out.

One thing to note is that the Terps actually had a lot of games lost to injuries last year too, when they still played on grass. The turf could be responsible for some of the injuries, but I can't see how it's entirely the turf's fault.

It's definitely not just the turf, but it is the easiest thing to point to as they just put it in this season. That is why I opened the idea of the S&c program being potentially the problem, which I think it is.

There have to be questions about it.

[Mike B]

Drills in which you do a lot of cutting and such is for knees, calves and quads. Doing the leg press when working out also helps with the knees. I'm not saying it's completely the strength and conditioning, but I find it hard to believe it doesn't have any factor in this. If this is the case, many people were wrong about Edsall. It would mean he wasn't enough of a hardass.

Been a long while since I have done these type of drills.

Who knows though. maryland has been devasted by injuries so there may be something to it.

[ravens8589]

Been a long while since I have done these type of drills.

Who knows though. maryland has been devasted by injuries so there may be something to it.

My last college workout for coaches was a year and a half ago so I know the pain

It is worth questioning though because this is no longer a coincidence.