green bay packers injury report

green bay packers injury report

The Impact of Injuries on the Green Bay Packers

1. Introduction

The impact of injuries on the Green Bay Packers highlights the effects of injuries on an American football team. The Green Bay Packers are used as the example team, but other sports teams suffer from similar setbacks when dealing with injuries to key players. Often times it is referred to as a “blessing in disguise” when a second string or backup player is forced to play regular minutes due to injury of a key player. This is due to the fact that the “fill in” player will gain vital game experience and may blossom into a great player, which is beneficial in future seasons. A great example of this was in 2010 when the Packers were deep into their depth chart due to countless injuries. This resulted in the emergence of a star in the making, Sam Shields. Additionally, on the positive side, injuries promote healthier living for athletes and prove the severity of sports. Sports fans and the media often underestimate the effects of injuries and how they affect a team. This article will shed light on this topic and show how injury prevention and rehabilitation techniques are essential to the success of a team.

2. The Importance of a Healthy Roster

The Packers’ 2013 season was riddled with injuries right from the start. Over the course of the season, the Packers placed a total of 15 players on injured reserve. The injury woes of the Packers even caught the attention of taking his entire team to Warm Springs, Georgia, to participate in 5 days of therapy in hopes of avoiding injuries. Why are the Packers so concerned about injuries? It is because it has been statistically proven that a healthy roster leads to a more successful record. Coach McCarthy has said that injuries are “the biggest obstacle for any team to get through to be successful (Lourie, 2013). An article by Pete Dougherty displayed the significance of the correlation between team health and success. Dougherty explained that there “is a significant correlation between a team’s adjusted games lost due to injury and the won/loss records. This has been statistically proven with R=.8381. This high of a correlation coefficient is rare to find when related two sets of data. This data was taken from the 2009-2012 NFL seasons, a span of 4 years. The .8381 coefficient provides substantial evidence that the decrease in team injuries will increase the amount of games won. This increase in games won is what any team strives for a it leads to a into the playoffs and a possible super bowl appearance.

3. Key Players Affected by Injuries

Gregg Rosenthal from NFL.com reported that the Green Bay Packers dealt with injuries with key players on top of the loss of their quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. On the first play from scrimmage against the Vikings, running back Ty Montgomery was hit and sustained broken ribs, an injury that caused internal bleeding. Aaron Jones, the rookie running back out of UTEP, has provided a much-needed spark to the offense in the absence of Montgomery. Unfortunately for the Packers, he injured his MCL in the same game that Montgomery suffered his rib injuries and is expected to miss 3-6 weeks. Both of these injuries cause a huge blow to the Packers running game and have put the burden on the Packers passing game until the return of their backs. Jamaal Williams, who took over during the RB plague in the game against the Bears, was having a solid night until he was hit in the knee and had to be carted off the field with a knee injury. Although Williams’ injury didn’t seem to be as severe as the other two running backs, he did happen to hurt the same knee in which he tore his meniscus in the preseason, the severity of the injury is still unknown, but it clearly didn’t help the Packers at all. The latest back to go down is fullback, Aaron Ripkowski, who injured his back against the Ravens; it is unclear his status going forward but this leaves the Packers with no true running backs. The injury problems with the running backs have put the Packers in a tough position and now they will need to rely on guys who have little experience in the running back role.

4. Strategies to Minimize Injuries

Another essential for minimizing injuries is balance. Alcohol and drugs off the field can lead to injury because they affect the athletes’ coordination, and on the opposing side of the spectrum, being too extreme in fitness can also lead to injury. Coaches and strength and conditioning experts need to push their athletes to the limit to enhance their physical performance, but there is a fine line between enhancement and excessive overload. In a report from the British Journal of Sports Medicine, excessive physical training and competition, without proper rest, proved to increase injury rates in high level athletes. According to the data, this is because fatigue, caused by stress on the body, results in muscle and cognitive function loss which increases the possibility of severe traumatic injuries. Furthermore, countless studies have shown that fatigue and low energy correlate with an increased rate of injuries. This is why it is essential for the Green Bay Packers coaching staff to monitor employee fatigue and stress, by doing so it can prevent injury and ensure UW-Health’s team of medical professionals and athletic trainers that there is a healthy team to care for.

5. Conclusion

The most colorful season after a dismal, injury-filled start came in 2014 when several run-of-the-mill players were able to step up in place of injured stars and lead the team to a season of unexpected success. This success led to a better health situation for modern-day Packers football.

The range of success with injured players is another factor that has led the Packers to be a successful team. Though there have been many painful loss seasons in between, Packers teams of the injured players’ era eventually led to a championship season or one that fell just short of championship glory. This includes the current 2011 team that brings up visions of a champion, with key players recovering from injuries and names from championship seasons visiting to heal old injuries.

In conclusion, the Green Bay Packers are one of the most historic franchises in the NFL and have been successful due to their traditional blue-collar approach, finding and maintaining success with players of the past who suffered from injuries, and a remarkable recovery in 2014. Since the early days of Curly Lambeau, the Packers have been a team with a strong bond and sense of community. Even though the organization has changed since Lambeau’s time, it was said that he would hire a Packers player if his current job didn’t work out. This ideology holds true today, as the Packers have a great sense of community and pride among players, coaches, and fans.