CLEARED TO PLAY vs HEALTHY TO PLAY: TRICK QUESTION?

[MWAI]

Well I woke up this morning and turned on the ole computer to learn that Josh Morgan had a picture on the internet from a HOSPITAL BED. So now, without more information, I am to assume that the Redskins gave a pretty sizeable contract to a player who was not even healthy last season, because here he is with more surgery on the same foot that he broke last year, although he was CLEARED TO PLAY.

Our season just ended, so I don't want to drive to Panic City but I am becoming more and more suspicious of what Mike Shanahan recognizes about injuries, and about playing/signing guys who are coming off injuries. This suspicion is not about Morgan but is due to a number of various players on this team who get injured and then almost immediately get RE-INJURED and ended up in the surgery room with the same problem. Happened to Brian Orakpo, Merriweather, Jammal Brown, and of course RG3 and those are just the obvious cases.

Remember Morgan was signed last year coming off a BROKEN FOOT and yet the Skins signed him. And then what happened? They held him out of OTA's and some preseason work as a PRECAUTIONARY measure..in other words he was still injured and they knew it. So why sign somebody who is still injured and can't practice because they are hurt? Good question! He eventually was CLEARED TO PLAY. Orakpo injured TWO years in a row because he was not fully healed. But he got to a point he was CLEARED TO PLAY. Merriweather, rushed back during the season and the same story, but he was CLEARED TO PLAY. After only ONE good game he reinjures the same knee. Jammal Brown..same injury area while being forced to run all day long at full speed in camp, but of course he was CLEARED TO PLAY.

So the book on RG3 hasn't been written yet but we already know he has 3 injuries in the same season and 2 of those injuries to the same spot. I wonder if Shanahan will err on the side of caution and allow the patient to sit out one full year, or rush him back in Mini Camp and regular Season and destroy a promising career. To be seen, I know, but overall I continue to be suspicious about Mike Shanahan's ability to evaluate the difference between "CLEARED TO PLAY" and "HEALTHY TO PLAY".

Just to be clear, I have SUSPICIONS about Shanny's ability to err on the side of caution. I am not criticizing his coaching, or in game strategies, or even his desire to win. But I am suspicious of his ability to use good judgement for long term benefits as opposed to 'The Future is Now". He TALKS a good game about long term and building,...but his ACTIONS say something else. Just wondering if anybody else has the same suspicions....although..I know there will be several who reply with "YOU'RE A TROLL IF YOU DON'T PUT ON BURGUNDY COLORED GLASSES AND SAY EVERYTHING IS FINE". If this site is for the curious as well as the knowledgeable then consider this my effort to be curious about a really important and different subject.

[HighOnHendrix]

A lot of that is being driven by the desire of the players themselves to get back on the field; you didn't touch on that at all.

[bobbi3stix]

The debate over RGIII & Shanny and the decision to play has grown so tiresome, I quit listening to ESPN radio just because it's all that got talked about.

But, in general.. It's a case by case decision and you cannot really put a "end all be all" to any situation.


EDIT: Until we change our field, it's hard to think any player is going to ever be "healthy"

[TK]

Hush.

Next time instead of looking at a picture try reading the accomplish article that Tandler wrote with it. Rich explained its typical to have a clean out procedure done after the type of surgery Morgan had.

[2cents]

Hush.

Next time instead of looking at a picture try reading the accomplish article that Tandler wrote with it. Rich explained its typical to have a clean out procedure done after the type of surgery Morgan had.

Those darn pesky facts that add perspective and take away all the fun....

[BKSkinsFan]

The case with Morgan is actually encouraging to me. I thought he was really starting to find his place in the offense as the season went on, and now knowing that he wasn't 100%, I feel like he can provide an even bigger impact next season. The same goes for Garcon, playing in pain and still being an integral part of our success.

Face it, these 2 guys playing hurt have been more productive than anything else we've had in quite some time. Moss has been our only option for so long, it's nice to see other guys that bring that same determination and skill set to the WR position.

I'd also like to point out that the Redskins and Shanahan are most definitely not the only ones that battle injury problems with their roster. It's frustrating, but there is no team with a clean slate on the IR list and weekly injury report.

[SWFLSkins]

Players wanna play. Haters going to hate.

[TK]

Players wanna play. Haters going to hate.

And "stoopid" would suffocate if breathing wasn't an involuntary action.

[Dirt]

Seriously, the way people are acting, you'd think the best solution is to never play anyone ever. (by the way, Morgan had a pretty good year so what exactly is the problem?)

It's going to get so much more annoying . If RG3 does any training camp work, or takes any snaps in preseason, everyone will **** their pants. If you guys were allowed to follow these players around for a day you would complain they run up the stairs too fast.

INJURIES HAPPEN. LEARN TO DEAL. L2D.

[NLC1054]

Our season just ended, so I don't want to drive to Panic City ...

Aww, but you already move there! You bought prime real estate on Know Your Role Boulevard and Shut Your Mouth Street, too.

[DCsportsfan53]

That's football, man. It's like this on every team, the game takes it's toll. There aren't very many truly healthy players out there, they almost all have medical baggage. Would resting these guys longer and more time immobilized instead of continually pushing and pushing to get back decrease the chance of re-injury? Most likely but at the same time, there's a blurry line between protecting players and getting to a point where you won't have enough players to play if you treat the injuries conservatively enough. A lot of it lies on the player's shoulders, too. RG3 continually insisted he was fine and good to go and it's not like that little shed has an MRI machine in it to verify. What happened this year and has been happening here under Shanahan is par for the course in the NFL in terms of handling injuries. A combination of 24 hour in your face media and changing social perceptions has blown the whole topic so far out of proportion and perspective.

[bowhunter]

Sit the players for a full season if they have at least 7 years remaining on their contract.

[FSUSkins24]

Aww, but you already move there! You bought prime real estate on Know Your Role Boulevard and Shut Your Mouth Street, too.

Should we check him into the Smackdown Hotel?

[Symbol]

As TK said, you get "clean out" procedures with some injuries, it's not that he was playing particularly injured. Now to the, healthy vs cleared question. I played injured all of the time when I played (no never in the pros, had my career ending injury before the pros) and I would guess that not one single pro football player doesn't play injured in several games every single year. For most players, the only time they aren't injured in some way is during training camp. So cleared to play is what most are at anyway, maybe not guys like Brady, but they wear a skirt when they play anyway, but the guys who actually do the "heavy lifting" will have sprains, fractures, etc. for the most of the season.

To finish, don't get so caught up on, cleared to play or healthy to play because if we wanted a season where everyone played a game healthy, we might get to watch preaseason and nothing else.

[pjfootballer]

Sometimes I wish fans didn't have access to all the information on players. I liked it better when you would wait for the team to issue a press release on Russ Grimm playing on a broken foot all year. It was so much better that way and the fanbase didn't get in a tizzy over the little things. Seriously, I think we are privy to TOO much information these days. People are having heart attacks about Griffin going to the movies or walking to the kitchen.

My dad just had some outpatient back surgery and the doctor told him he can sit and rest the day he had the surgery, but the next day, he wanted him up and walking. My dad is 69.

And get off my lawn!!