There Is Nothing to Second Guess

If you're a college football fan, then you've probably heard that Tim Tebow was injured during yesterday's win over Kentucky and likely suffered a concussion. You might have also heard columnists, fans, "haters" and experts second guessing Urban Meyer's decision to have Tebow in the game at that point in the third quarter with Florida leading 31-7. Though, to me that shows how little they watch the game, and renders their opinion just about worthless.

It's common practice to give your starters two to three sets of plays in the third quarter of a game that was a blowout by halftime. The game has a different feel after the break, and you want them to be used to playing after sitting in the locker room between the second and third quarters. If Urban Meyer sat his starters in the games that became blowouts by halftime, then they would have had eight quarters of football under the belts leading into yesterday's game. They then would have played 10 quarters of football(through four games) as they take two weeks off in preparation for traveling to LSU. To me, that sounds like the perfect recipe for not having a team that's game tested as they head into an extremely hostile playing environment. After all, you can only simulate so much in practice.

What about the other coaches that kept their starters in the game when it seemed like they had it in hand? Colt McCoy was still on the field in the third quarter after Texas had run out to a halftime score of 47-7 against UTEP. Terrelle Pryor played all four quarters of the 30-0 Ohio State blowout of Illinois(the score was 23-0 heading into the fourth quarter). Greg McElroy was still taking snaps for Alabama as the Crimson Tide was up 35-7 in the fourth quarter against Arkansas. Yet, you don't hear anyone criticizing Mack Brown, Jim Tressel or Nick Saban for keeping their starting quarterback(or any other starters) on the field too late in the game. Though, that's probably because none of them suffered a freak concussion by taking a knee to the back of the head by an offensive lineman. Which is exactly what happened.

Though, if you are one of those people bashing Urban Meyer and not one of the other coaches that did something similar yesterday I'm curious to know if it's because you don't follow football closely, you hate the Florida Gators and Urban Meyer or both.

Someone Get Michael Beasley A Red Jersey

In football, the quarterbacks get to practice in a red non-contact jersey to make sure that everyone on defense knows not to injure the guy. Unfortunately, someone on the Miami Heat didn't get the same message, and apparently gave number two overall draft pick Michael Beasley an elbow shot that ended his practice early.

Rookie forward Michael Beasley did not finish his first practice with the Miami Heat summer league team Wednesday after being struck in the chest by a teammate's elbow.

The Heat said Beasley, the No.2 overall pick in last week's NBA draft, was being taken for evaluation and had no further details on the extent of the injury.

Geez. Coach Spoelstra needs to let these guys know that injuring Beasley is a great way to end up with another 15 wins next season.

Jon Kitna Better Be Saying His Prayers Saturday Night

Jon Kitna, probably the NFL's most openly religious player, might need some help from the heavens on Sunday when he faces the Dallas Cowboys. If he doesn't get it, then Terrence Newman might be the one making sure he has a "religious experience".

You see, after Detroit beat Dallas last year with Kitna throwing four touchdown passes, the Lions' quarterback made some comments that certain Cowboys' players didn't appreciate. In particular, Kitan singled out cornerback Terrence Newman and linebacker Bradie James. He stated that Newman wasn't as skilled as Seattle corner Marcus Trufant, and added that the Lions weren't scared to throw his way. He also said that throughout the game that James looked lost.

Newman responded on Tuesday with some comments of his own.

"Basically what it boils down to is you've got to watch what you say. Your mouth can't write checks that your (expletive) can't cash. That's what it comes down to," Newman said. "Everybody's going to see those quotes. He better just hope I don't blitz off the edge, because I've got 15, 25, 30 (thousand dollars), however much it would be for a fine. I've got that much for one fine. Revenge will be sweet definitely."

Of course the NFL sent Newman a nice letter indicating that he'll be under surveillance this weekend, but at least it adds an extra angle to the game. Hopefully Kitna puts some Holy Water in that Gatorade bottle.

Ordering "Hits" In The NHL

I will readily admit that I don't follow hockey all that much. However, I'm pretty sure that coaches telling players to take out opponents probably isn't as prevalent as it might have been in years past. One recent incident that might have been influenced by a coach's direction, though is the Todd Bertuzzi attack against Steve Moore. In case you've forgotten about it, and the fact that Moore suffered a broken neck because of it, here's some video for you.



Last night, the CBC reported that Bertuzzi may have been told by his coach, Marc Crawford, that retaliation of some sort needed to be taken against Moore.

A statement of claim filed in court by Moore's lawyer and obtained by CBC alleges that Crawford pointed to Moore's name and number on a board in the Canucks' locker room during the second intermission of that game and said "... (Moore) must pay the price."

In an accompanying document, Moore's lawyer claims Crawford's statement was disclosed by Bertuzzi while under oath, and by Canucks general manager Dave Nonis.

A month earlier, during a Feb. 16 game in Denver, Moore checked Canucks forward Markus Naslund and that led to talk of retribution against him, culminating with the Bertuzzi hit a month later.

Like I said, I don't follow hockey too closely, but are "enforcers" and "goons" still employed by teams just for the sake of retaliation? I imagine that there are probably still some around. Though, it is sad to hear of a coach singling an opponent out in an effort to get one of them to hurt that player. It will be interesting to see what the NHL thinks of this new evidence. I doubt they will do much with it, but I can't imagine that Gary Bettman is pleased to hear it.

2007, A Bad Year For Auburn Backs In The NFL

When Ronnie Brown went down with a torn ACL on Sunday most of the talk centered around how big of a blow it was to an already awful Miami Dolphins team. Brown had become the lone bright spot on a team doing its best(or maybe worst) to avoid going 0-16. With him out for the season, that task becomes even more difficult. One thing that hasn't been talked about much, at least I haven't heard it discussed, is how bad of a year this has been for former Auburn Tigers running backs.

Here is the list of backs that lead Auburn in rushing yards since the year 2000:

2000: Rudi Johnson
2001, 2003, 2004: Cadillac Williams
2002: Ronnie Brown
2005, 2006: Kenny Irons

Now, let's take a look at what's happened to them this year.

Kenny Irons was the most recently drafted of the four on the list, taken in the second round of the '07 draft, and he was also the first to get hurt in 2007. Irons tore his ACL during a preseason game on August 9, and was subsequently placed on I.R.

Rudi Johnson was the next to get hit by the injury bug, leaving the Bengals' week three game against the Seahawks with a strained hamstring. That injury has forced him to miss two games, and only receive four carries in another game. As of right now, it's unclear when he'll return to the lineup, and he probably won't be 100% for the rest of the season.

Cadillac Williams was the third former Auburn back to be injured, and the second to sustain a serious knee injury. Williams tore his patellar tendon during the team's week four game against Carolina, and was placed on I.R. the following Tuesday.

Ronnie Brown was the latest former Tigers back to suffer a devastating knee injury this season. He tore his ACL during Miami's week seven game against the Patriots, and has been put on I.R. as well.

So, that's four former Auburn running backs that lead the school in rushing at some point that have had injuries force them to miss time this season. With three of them ending up on injured reserve. What the heck is going on?

There are two possibilities that I've come up with so far, outside of it just being freak occurences. The first is that maybe Auburn rushes the ball a significant amount of times, which leads to wear and tear on their running backs. Let's see how they stack up against the rest of nation in terms of carries per year from '00-'06.

2000: 462 carries/ 12 games/ ranked 38th nationally
2001: 437 carries/ 11 games/ ranked 61st
2002: 563 carries/ 13 games/ ranked 25th
2003: 541 carries/ 13 games/ ranked 29th
2004: 553 carries/ 13 games/ ranked 29th
2005: 481 carries/ 12 games/ ranked 25th
2006: 470 carries/ 13 games/ ranked 47th

While those averages might seem a bit high, remember that the starter in each season wasn't taking every rush attempt. In '00 Rudi Johnson got 349 of the total 462 carries. His average that year was roughly 26 carries per game, which isn't abnormally high. For the rest of the seasons the carries broke down like this:

2001: Williams, 14 carries/game
2002: Brown, 15 carries/game
2003: Williams, 19 carries/game
2004: Williams, 19 carries/game
2005: Irons, 22 carries/game
2006: Irons, 18 carries/game

As you can see, outside of Johnson's 26 per game average in '00 the numbers aren't that high. Though, as a running back you are getting hit just about every time you touch the ball, and those tackles do add up quickly.

The only other possibility that I could come up with is that some portion of the Tigers' training regime makes their backs more prone to injury over the course of their football career. However, I'm not nearly familiar enough with their training program to speculate much on that.

One thing I would suggest, however is that NFL teams be a bit more cautious when considering signing or drafting a running back from Auburn in the near future. Whether it's training, bad luck or a combination of factors 2007 has not been kind to them.

Could We See Ricky Williams This Year?

2007 has turned out to be a bad year for running backs.

Some, like Cadillac Williams, ended their season early because of injury. Others, like Steven Jackson, Shaun Alexander, and Rudi Johnson, have battled injuries all season.

Now you can add Ronnie Brown to the ever-growing list.

Brown injured his knee on Sunday during an interception return by New England, and had to leave the game early. Today, it was reported that he too will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. With Brown out, the Dolphins will rely on Jesse Chatman, Patrick Cobbs and Lorenzo Booker to shoulder the running duties.

Which brings up the question of whether or not we'll see Ricky Williams playing in Miami this season. He applied for reinstatement on Monday, October 1, but the NFL has up to 60 days before it has to make a decision. By then, Miami would have about five games left in their season.

It seems like a longshot, but with Ronnie Brown out, and the team in serious rebuilding mode(Chris Chambers has already been traded, and there's talk that Jason Taylor might be gone after this season) this would be the best time to get Ricky in for a few games to see what he has. At the very least, it could drum up some trade offers, and at best, the Dolphins might find they have a decent running back to back up Ronnie Brown next year to help keep his wear and tear to a minimum.

Of course all of that hinges on Ricky's ability to pass drug tests, which up to this point has been a problem.

It Still Has To Be Safer Than Bombardment(!)

Going to school these days just isn't what it used to be. With the violence, censorship, oversexed teachers and sports injuries. It really should include some type of workman's comp for the students. Especially for the kids that have their hands pulled off.

One teenager has been released from the hospital and another remained in serious condition after their hands were severely injured during a game of tug-of-war at school.

Henry Bennett and classmate Mitch Helfer were participating in a team-building activity at Lutheran High School in Parker on Oct. 12 when the accident happened.

Bennett's doctor told Denver television station KMGH that the 16-year-old wrapped the rope around the palm of his right hand for a better grip.

"At some point a bunch of the kids let go, creating an imbalance in the tugging, and it pulled his hand off. The medical term is avulsed," said Dr. Lewis Oster, a microsurgeon with Hand Surgery Associates in Denver.

Bennett underwent a 10-hour surgery to save his hand. He was released from the hospital Wednesday. Helfer, who suffered a very similar injury, remained in the hospital, according to Oster.

Holy schnikies! The kid was pulling a rope one minute, and the next minute his hand was ripped from his body! And you know that the 10-hour surgery wasn't exactly "easy".

Oster performed the delicate surgery on Bennett's hand, first repairing bones with titanium plates. Then, muscles and microscopic veins and arteries were reattached.

Yeah, that sounds pretty terrible. Seriously, one day, if the kid's hand returns to 100%, it might be cool to show off the titanium hand, but it's going to be a long road to recovery, and there are no guarantees.

I wish both kids the best, and would like to remind everyone else, that's why you never wrap the rope around your hand. Your high school gym teacher might not know much about physics or chemistry, but when he tells you not to loop that rope around your hand just listen to him. Rope burns are nothing compared to getting your freakin' hand pulled off.

Tragedy Strikes Minor League Baseball Game

I don't watch too much baseball, but anytime I see a shot into the dugout I'm always amazed when there aren't injuries. Unfortunately, a minor league manager wasn't so lucky over the weekend.

"Tulsa Drillers coach Mike Coolbaugh died after being struck in the head by a line drive as he stood in the first-base coach's box during a game.

The Texas League game was suspended in the ninth inning Sunday after the 35-year-old former major leaguer was hit by a foul ball off the bat of Tino Sanchez of the Arkansas Travelers. Coolbaugh was taken to Baptist Medical Center-North Little Rock, where he was pronounced dead."

It's sad to hear about something like this happening, though I am surprised that it doesn't occur more often. My condolences go out to Coolbaugh's family and teammates.

What Sport Inflicted These Injuries?

When you read the following what sport do you think of?

...punctured lung that immediately required draining, hairline fractures in three dorsal vertebra, five fractured ribs, fractured shoulder blade, sprained shoulder, transferred to hospital.

Running with the bulls? No.

Automobile racing? No.

Motorcycle racing? No, but you're pretty close.

How about riding in the Tour de France?

Australian rider, Stuart O'Grady, suffered those injuries "after crashing into a roadside barrier on the descent of the Cormet de Roselend during the eighth stage from Le Grand Bornand to Tignes."

O'Grady apparently touched wheels with another rider which sent him hurtling towards the roadside barrier. Fortunately, that barrier kept him from going off of the road and into a steep ravine. O'Grady is convinced that the barrier saved his life.

"The big wood post actually kept me alive and stopped me (from going over the edge of the cliff)."

It sounds like a pretty close call, but O'Grady is expected to recover. Hopefully he comes out of this ok.

Mike Ditka, Laying Out The X's and O's For Retired Football Players

Mike Ditka has joined the fight for getting retired NFL players better healthcare coverage and retirement benefits. A number of retired players have debilitating injuries that require extensive surgeries and numerous medications. As the system stands right now it can be an arduous process to get even a little assistance. Ditka was asked to help by former Green Bay Packers player Jerry Kramer, who started the Gridiron Greats organization in order to help retired NFL plauyers.

Ditka admits that he doesn't have all of the answers, though his theory that the fans wouldn't oppose a $1 increase in ticket prices if the money went to help retired players and not to the owners probably isn't too far off. Seeing him speak you can understand why he was a good coach, and why many people still love him to this day. Sure, he might have the reputation of being short-tempered, and that Ricky Williams trade wasn't the best move, but when he talks you can't help but listen.

College Wrestlers, Still Dirty. Concussions, Increasing.

The NCAA released their findings of a study that covered 16 years of data, and a couple of items were pretty interesting.

First the humorous, then we'll get to the more serious ones.

"In men's wrestling, skin infections proved to be a larger problem than previously thought, with about 20 percent of practice injuries related to skin infections. The report recommended better hygiene, for wrestlers and the mats."

Remember that the next time someone tells you they were a wrestler in college, and then shakes your hand or gives you a hug. Purell, stat!

The study also concluded that "more than half of all injuries were to the lower extremities", "injury rates were two to three times higher during preseason practices than during the regular season" and that the rate of concussions has increased dramatically.

"Rates of concussions increased from .17 per 1,000 athlete exposures in 1988-89 to .34 per 1,000 exposures in 2003-04. An exposure is every time an athlete participates in a game. Authors attributed the increase in part to improved reporting and identification of concussions."

Wow, the rate of concussions has increased twofold over the past 16 years. Yes, advances in medicine that have led to better detection has probably bumped the rate up a bit. However, with athletes becoming stronger and faster every year, and equipment staying relatively the same, something obviously needs to be done. The NCAA might want to follow the NFL's approach, and make this a priority in the near future.