I think it’s just a violent sport with a near 100% injury rate. If you’re playing, you will be injured at some point during the season. That doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to miss time, but you’re all but guaranteed to get dinged up. There’s no foolproof method of conditioning that’s right for every person every time.
There's a huge difference in how many players are bulked up from the weight room vs the 1990's and earlier. Looking at DJ from Asheville, NC (I haven't seen him in person), he appears as a physical specimen. If there's excess poundage, I'm not seeing it. Tebow was about the same size, yet I never heard anyone say Tebow was too heavy. There are freak accidents that happen sometimes, and Mertz tearing an ACL at UcheaT is an example.
This is another excellent podcast segment about Florida football at the 33:45 mark with Urban Meyer, Dan Thompson, and Nick de la Torre. Watch this from the beginning if you follow Gators basketball. Be sure to listen to this until the very end, as Nick shares some juicy stuff about the last scrimmage. https://www.youtube.com/live/TikHKXfXwJQ?si=cgjoM1TOGS2sBH-W
Don’t have 40 minutes to watch right now, but if you want to share the cliff notes of the juicy stuff, your Gator brethren would be highly appreciative To be honest, at this late stage before we start the season, what I most want to know is the health status of DJ and the Wilsons… I know they are dinged up now, but what exactly are their malodies and when can we expect them to be full go?
Thanks for posting doctorsg8r. Really feel good about SOS saying no need to throw in the towel if Lagway goes down. He said we have a COUPLE of kids that are pretty good behind him. I feel the same way and I’d rather share same evaluation as Spurrier than those who claim all is lost if DJ goes down.
I know everyone has been waiting with baited breath for my completely ignorant take on this subject and so I will grace it to you all now. You are most sincerely welcome! IMO, what we are witnessing, besides a bunch of Gator fan angst - it appears to be a more entertaining venue with us than other programs - is that we are trying to create Frankensteins instead of allowing nature to do its thing. We can use all sorts of methods to put on muscle but unless the subject is prepared for the other side of the coin, "things" will happen. And as it has already been presented, ligaments and joints are always in play as they ARE the weak links to the body structures. Gonna change the directions some. Example 1 for me is David Pollack. As a college football player, he was a great combination of size and athletic skill. Now his football days are over and he is doing quite well on TV as a analyst. Um, has anyone ever paid attention to his body? He appears to be a younger and less well built version of John Lynch (albeit a bit taller). In other words, he looks like a retired former safety than he does a defensive end. Why is that? Besides the conspiracy theories, methinks it is because his body isn't designed to be 260 pounds. He just grew to that size through dogged determination. Now go to a decent Example 2: Tony Siragusa. He was a damn fine nose guard for the Ravens and did his job with aplomb. He also has been seen on TV since he retired. How does he look? Like someone who is healthy but damn large. Why? Because his body and eating/exercise habits mean he is going to have an issue being smaller. And in the middle, I would put Howie Long and Michael Strahan. They are close to the same size as they were when they played in the NFL. My point in all this is that people's bodies are sort of wired to a size and style and, using our ambitions with some scientific insights (but not pure knowledge), we are able to make the Pollacks. The question is, is that a good thing? Just remember, these are young men and are in many cases still finding their way to full maturity. Yet we want them to be what we want them to be NOW and are pushing the envelop for competitive reasons. It is what it is. And finally, I do believe that the pre-season nonsense is still pre-season nonsense and the Gator angst and the media who feed it are all culpable for whatever reasons. Once the games begin in earnest - let's call it the USF game this year - THEN we can see what are real issues and what is a bunch a waisted energy. Final question, the NFL plays 3 pre-season games instead of 4 and usually, the second-to-last game is a "dress rehearsal" for the real season up to a point before they pull the starters. This year, I see the starters being pulled WAY early and sometimes not even on the field. Why is this an okay idea for the pros but this pre-season angst and caution not at our level? Could it be because it drives an economic engine that pays well whereas the NFL doesn't need that revenue stream? Naw, that would be conspiratorial thinking...or just plain thinking instead of not.
I think they were referring more to soft-tissue injuries. Doering gave an example of when he was in Denver and bulked up with Ed McCaffrey in the off season and then went on to pull an Achilles that season. AR and his hamstring injuries. Doering and Matthews were both concerned with DJ's soft tissue injuries.
I prefer to think of it as laughing at yourself, but that is just me. There are two aspects to a communication, the sender and the receiver. What the receiver does with the information is up to them. And to a profound dialog, which I utilize all the time, as a sender: It's great being a sociopath!
Their goal is to generate clicks and make sure you’re concerned about whatever they say they’re concerned about. Seems they were successful.