Injuries Are Unpredictable
December 9th, 2024
Looking for cause of injuries.
From time to time on this here website over the years, Joe sees a comment from a Bucs fan wanting to run the Bucs’ training staff because the fan(s) directly blames trainers at the AdventHealth Hamstring Center for injuries.
Football is a contact sport. Injuries happen. Sometimes in bunches, sometimes few. There usually is no rhyme or reason.
As Joe always says, if someone has a new formula to prevent injuries and get production out of the same players, that person with said magic formula could make millions in the NFL (and college) with this secret sauce.
The Bucs are beat to hell right now. They’re down three starters and two backups in the middle of their defense — two starting safeties, one starting inside linebacker and two backup inside linebackers (and that’s not even factoring in Pro Bowl receiver Chris Godwin).
Todd Bowles, speaking in his day-after presser today, seems as frustrated as any Bucs fan.
“I wish I could tell you,” the head coach said when asked about why so many injuries. “We had this [same practice] schedule last year, we were one of the healthiest teams in the league. And we had the exact same schedule.”
So Bowles and his training staff are doing extra work to try to find any connection there may be to how team and prepares and the injuries.
“We’re taking a look at everything,” Bowles said. “We’re trying to find if there’s a common denominator and things that we can do better on Friday.
“But we had the same schedule last year and everybody was commending us for being one of the healthiest teams in the league.”
Joe does know the Bucs had an unusual training camp schedule in that they had back-to-back days off in camp after four practices in a row, something Joe hadn’t seen previously.
Bowles said on the “Ira Kaufman Podcast” that trainers showed when the Bucs practiced for a fifth straight day, that’s when injuries began to crop up.
Outside of Calijah Kancey blowing out his calf for the second straight training camp, the Bucs were pretty healthy this summer. And the team started 2-0 with good health.
So it’s not like the Bucs’ training staff isn’t searching for reasons injuries happen and trying to avoid them.
It’s just one of those years.
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December 9th, 2024 at 4:13 pm
He gave them an extra day off again this week.
There’s not a team in the league that practices less than the Bucs.
And then people question why they can’t tackle, or why most of the backups aren’t ready to play… Gee, that’s a stumper.
December 9th, 2024 at 4:15 pm
It’s the pregame dancing and jawing, the hoopin and holllering. By the time the game starts they are worn out and injuries happen. lol jk
December 9th, 2024 at 4:24 pm
The record heat this year combined with camp cupcake surely contributed.
December 9th, 2024 at 4:37 pm
The NFL Players Union is at fault for demanding all these soft practices. So many former players have said you can’t go from these short, soft practices to full game speed without it leading to injuries, that you need to hit in practice, that it keeps you healthy by giving your body a chance to ramp up to full speed.
The media should be all over this, slamming the players union, or at least aggressively questioning them – but we never hear anything, it’s not even brought up.
December 9th, 2024 at 4:38 pm
Well they need to look harder. Is Lavonte David the only defensive starter that hasn’t missed a game this year. Is there 3 maybe 4 offensive starters that haven’t missed a game. I don’t know something in the training or not training has caused this team a lot of starts. This team has more players hurt than the average NFL team does.
December 9th, 2024 at 4:46 pm
So they stopped practicing 5 straight days and the injuries still popped up. You can’t stop contact injuries, but you can mitigate muscle and tendon injuries by properly warming up and stretching. I question whether the players are actually doing this or just pretending.
December 9th, 2024 at 4:56 pm
Injuries are unpredictable but we went into the season awefly thin and did do anything at the deadline. Jason could of signed a few more guys this summer.
December 9th, 2024 at 5:05 pm
The bucs are thin on cash injuries are what they are people want to point at a villain but they just happen. Go bucs.
December 9th, 2024 at 5:08 pm
The lions have way more injuries on the defense than us, and they seem to be able to plug n play guys just fine. Just be better.
December 9th, 2024 at 5:18 pm
it’s JL fault. time to fire the GM. he’s horrible.
December 9th, 2024 at 5:23 pm
Lol @ rod munch… man players want less practices, and less preseason games and no thursday night football. Millionaires dont enjoy going to practice, I dont know where you get players complaining about not having enough practices from
December 9th, 2024 at 5:24 pm
Good point Tucker. Things happen.
They went all in for that Brady SB and it was pretty great period for fans and communities so I’m sure it will come back their way again. The rebuild has been slow but they also changed the schedule and added an extra game to try and increase revenue I am sure.
I don’t know why they don’t just add two more NFL teams and revamp the playoff scenarios. That’ would make things more interesting and change of scenery. Get more fans involved and quit worrying about ticket prices and instead focus on getting fans more interested in watching.
December 9th, 2024 at 5:25 pm
This is a really important post. Take a look at the NFL’s most injured in 2024. 1. Browns; 2. Buccaneer; 3. Rams; 4. 49ers; 5. Dolphins. Each of these teams has been depleted by injuries. Buccaneers and Rams are the only teams still in hunt for the playoffs? Lion’s have recently suffered as well and have been fortunate to win the past two games.
December 9th, 2024 at 5:43 pm
There is no denying that the number of non-contact injuries, especially hamstrings, has been ludicrous this year. I hope they are writing this off as “one of those years, then someone needs to be held accountable.
December 9th, 2024 at 5:47 pm
Even healthy this week this Chargers game looks like a loss because of how the Bucs are playing. I would be resting everyone I could this week and take the L so they can be ready for the last 3 games. Gonna need them ready for the saints since we love letting them beat us and Dallas won’t be a give me like everyone is thinking.
December 9th, 2024 at 6:01 pm
And Bowles defense isn’t that’s for sure
December 9th, 2024 at 6:48 pm
Has anyone looked at diet, what is being eaten. And hydration. Bucs do seem to have an unusually large number of hamstring issues.
December 9th, 2024 at 6:49 pm
THANKS Dr. Munch!!!
December 9th, 2024 at 7:04 pm
Global warming.
December 9th, 2024 at 7:08 pm
Best post and comments in a long time. Something is askew and needs to fixed. Hope the Chargers will keep on dwelling on how they let the Chefs pull another one out of their arres and forget about beating the Bucs
⁰
December 9th, 2024 at 7:17 pm
RM may be right but look at the Eagles. On defense they 9 of 11 starters have started every game In Tampa only 3. That’s simply luck.
December 9th, 2024 at 7:20 pm
It’s the Microplastics in bottled water
December 9th, 2024 at 7:23 pm
Rod, Bucs were one of the healthier teams with “camp cup cake” last year…..so your theory on how things work (like usual) doesn’t hold water.
December 9th, 2024 at 7:26 pm
When you play football, sometimes you get hurt.
Sometimes you don’t.
Trying to figure out who’s to blame is Childish.
December 9th, 2024 at 7:28 pm
Yes, injuries are unpredictable. Which is why you don’t expose players unnecessarily, like having your 2nd best receiver catching passes over the middle in a game that’s already been decided, or having your best RB returning kickoffs.
December 9th, 2024 at 9:30 pm
Filler article.
December 9th, 2024 at 9:33 pm
When you have players blowing out hamstrings in practice and pregame warmups somebody isn’t doing their job. The same with any muscle or tear sustained in practice. Those are usually the result of poor hydration and the lack of proper stretching. Both things trainers should be monitoring and supervising.
December 9th, 2024 at 9:34 pm
Stretch, stretch, stretch, and hydrate. The number of soft tissue injuries from this team is unbelievable.
December 9th, 2024 at 9:57 pm
This^^^ …..My prediction… More hamstring injuries.. tb12 is the answer, muscle plyability, but it’s not in the system. Preventative or reactive therapy, choose. Go BUCS
December 9th, 2024 at 10:36 pm
Mike C – Hey stupid, I was talking about league wide. I know you’re an imbecile and your knowledge only goes as far as the last thing you read, but league wide injuries are up bigly. Now get back to your job as professional glue sniffer.
December 9th, 2024 at 11:06 pm
Record Heat, Soft practices…and players on other teams play a huge role.
December 9th, 2024 at 11:12 pm
Tom Brady seemed to have it handled, but he also players the second most protected role on a team (kicker/punter being the first).
So whatever he did, the NFL should follow.
December 10th, 2024 at 12:26 am
The team should extract Lavonte’s DNA and then give it to everyone else. Win, win and win.
December 10th, 2024 at 5:52 am
Anyone who suggests that the S&C staff are at fault and then can’t offer any insight other than “stretch more” is just dragging their knuckles across the keyboard hoping words come out.
December 10th, 2024 at 7:22 am
Idk JOE a lot of hamstring injuries this year. How is everyone blowing a hamstring. Yes I know it’s not everyone but man being a low grade athlete myself when not stretching properly that’s when I pulled a hammy or a muscle. Fluids also plays a factor.
December 10th, 2024 at 7:48 am
Todd is right, it’s unpredictable and he also said they are looking at everything which means they are trying to figure it out. Diet is a big part too. Brady followed a real healthy diet and it wasn’t until he had some personal problems that it fell apart. There is the mindset too when you are out there on the field too.
So many in the league are having injuries, especially hamstrings. Not sure if curtailing the practices worked either. By the sounds of it, no.
Going back to the 2023 NFL survey that was on here; the food/cafeteria was a C- from the Bucs, diet/nutrition was a B and training staff a B. Going by that, the players seem pretty much satisfied. However, maybe the food/cafeteria could work with the nutritionists more.