Forget the Game, what about the F...ing INJURIES?!

[LaRon + Sean = Hell 4 U]

Yes injuries have killed us but I agree we would have lost the NWE game anyway but what I was looking at Roger's injury & McIntosh were pretty huge along with Smoot on defense, offensively everybody knows the o-line. Honestly with the injuries we might not be able to make the playoffs. I think GW can have the defense back on track but if we can't run the football or move the ball threw the air we are doomed.

[mheisig]

I'll answer my own question. Below is a list of players who went out of a game with an injury, taken from NFL.com. They don't seem to list every injury during the game, just "notables."

Week 1: Vernon Fox (sprained groin)
Week 2: Randy Thomas (torn triceps)
Week 3: Santana Moss (strained groin)
Week 4: bye
Week 5: Marcus Washington (hamstring)
Week 6: Todd Wade (groin), Casey Rabach (groin), Stephon Heyer ()
Week 7: Rock Cartwright (quadriceps)
Week 8: Carlos Rogers (unknown)

Here's a list of every Redskin player that has appeared on the injury list at one time or another during the first 8 games, the injury and the number of appearances on the list.

Cody Boyd (shoulder) x 2
Khary Campbell (hamstring)
Clinton Portis (knee) x 2
Chris Samuels (knee)
Todd Wade (shoulder) (groin) x 2
Marcus Washington (elbow) (hamstring) x 4
Vernon Fox (groin) x 2
Phillip Daniels (foot) x 3
Pierson Prioleau (hamstring)
Fred Smoot (hamstring) (illness) x 5
Todd Yoder (ankle)
Santana Moss (groin) (hamstring) x 4
Randy Thomas (triceps) x 5
Brandon Lloyd (shin)
Sean Taylor (knee)
Mike Sellers (heel) x 2
Antwaan Randle El (hamstring)
Stephon Heyer (hamstring) x 2
Shawn Springs (family)
Casey Rabach (groin) x 2
Pete Kendall (hamstring)
Rock Cartwright (quadricep)
Carlos Rogers (knee)

I'm not entirely sure how this compares to other teams in the league. Obviously just getting listed on the injury list doesn't mean the player didn't play, just that at some point they were banged up enough to get listed.

For reference, I noticed that the Rams have, on several occasions, listed 13 players on their injured list, and the Colts seem to have a pretty large running list as well.

Does anyone find the number of hamstring (7) and groin (4) injuries to be unusually high? I guess I kind of expect knee injuries, shoulder injuries, etc. and the occasional flu or family death, but the hamstrings and groin problems are rampant.

[BDBohnzie]

Unfortunately, injury reports are a team's way of playing cat and mouse with the rest of the league...so it's hard to go by those without knowing who exactly is hurt as bad as the report says...

[mheisig]

Originally Posted by BDBohnzie

Unfortunately, injury reports are a team's way of playing cat and mouse with the rest of the league...so it's hard to go by those without knowing who exactly is hurt as bad as the report says...

Yeah, that occurred to me. I'd still say that a good 80% or more of those on that list are legit.

[SC Skins Fan]

I agree that the injury story is the 2nd story line of the game. I cannot believe that we've now lost Carlos. Even though a lot of people don't like the guy I think he's played pretty well this year and is certainly a better player than Leigh Torrence. These aren't just role players getting hurt, these are top flight guys. Completely unbelievable. If it is an ACL that would put him out the better part of 12 months and it typically takes two years to fully recover from that injury and return to playing at the level you were prior to hurting your knee. If that is the case you're talking about Rogers missing at least 16 games and pretty much being out until this time next season. Unreal.

[GMScud]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

Not having Smoot AND Rogers for just about the entire game against New England was, to me, one of the biggest-if not the biggest reason we lost. And then throw in losing Rocky midway through the game.

Those injuries were huge, and hopefully the Rogers'one isn't as serious as feared.

So you're saying that if Smoot and Rogers were in there we wouldn't have lost? I think they may have made a 1 or 2 TD difference in the game AT BEST, which still would have made it a blowout.

Redskins.com is saying Rogers MCL suffered a "significant" injury. I think we all know that means it's torn. And they said his ACL may be injured as well. To me that sounds like fancy language for a shredded knee.

This just sucks. Totally friggin sucks. Oh well, there's a reason we signed all those D backs in the offseason. Time for Torrence and Macklin to step up.

I feel so embarassed after that game. Hopefully our team takes this VERY personally, and goes out and plays with a serious chip on their shoulder. I hope we pound the Jets. If they can't score a TD against Buffalo....

[hooskins]

Another point is that our depth will only get worst in the coming years because of the way our contracts are set up. Next couple years is when the wideouts will be getting big bucks. We will need to cut them or other people.

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by GMScud

So you're saying that if Smoot and Rogers were in there we wouldn't have lost? I think they may have made a 1 or 2 TD difference in the game AT BEST, which still would have made it a blowout.

Redskins.com is saying Rogers MCL suffered a "significant" injury. I think we all know that means it's torn. And they said his ACL may be injured as well. To me that sounds like fancy language for a shredded knee.

This just sucks. Totally friggin sucks. Oh well, there's a reason we signed all those D backs in the offseason. Time for Torrence and Macklin to step up.

I feel so embarassed after that game. Hopefully our team takes this VERY personally, and goes out and plays with a serious chip on their shoulder. I hope we pound the Jets. If they can't score a TD against Buffalo....

I think if they were both in the game, and Campbell didn't have those two costly fumbles yes we could have won.

[Monkeydad]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

I think if they were both in the game, and Campbell didn't have those two costly fumbles yes we could have won.

Three fumbles.

One interception also.

[SmootSmack]

Yeah but that fumble that was returned for a TD by Colvin, and the one we had after we had just recovered a fumble and were at their 23 yard line with 2 minutes left in the half were the ones that stood out for me.

Not even the first one that much really, but the second one absolutely. Imagine going into the half down just 17-7. That wouldn't have been so bad.

[DieHardSkinsFan777]

No doubt. This injury bug shit, really sucks!

Starting to look like a repeat of last season. With the exception we do at least have better depth....FOR NOW...

[JWsleep]

Very tough, but that's life "up here" as Gibbs puts it. We need Smoot back without Rogers. Hopefully Rocky is OK, but the pinched nerve stuff has been recurring, which is worrisome. No comment on the oline stuff, beyond wow.

The nagging stuff on offense has hurt as well--Santana looks a step slower and Portis certainly looks a step slower. Both those guys games' are predicated on speed rather than power, so it really hurts them. And ARE was slowed as well.

But ack, we've got to beat the Jets. And it's not like we're alone on the injury thing. Other teams are hurting bad as well--the Jets put Vilma on IR this week, for example. Everything is working for the Pats--reminds me of 91 where I don't recall a serious injury.

We need to build some depth in the draft--that's the worst thing about our FA strategy, IMO--we lose the draft picks that provide decent young backups. Undrafted FAs work at times, but not enough to sustain things. And "vet minimum" guys are on the market for a reason.

[SmootSmack]

Looking more and more like Rogers is done for the year, from all I hear. I imagine they'll call up either Westbrook or Eubanks from the practice squad. Curious as to which one it will be.

Either way, it's time for Smoot to start backing up the smack.

[dgack]

I was just thinking it would be interesting to try and quantify in numerical terms the losses this team has sustained to key personnel throughout the end of last season and beginning of this one, as compared to any other team.

Perhaps the problem lies not in the number of injuries or even the specifics of who got injured, but that our talent isn't well distributed among the different strings of players.

Obviously first-stringers are supposed to be better than second-stringers, but it really does seem like we are a top-heavy team who has a huge dropoff in talent level (or experience, or both) beyond our starters. I'm sure this is true of many teams but it seems like the great ones, the successful ones, do not have nearly as much of a drop when players go out.

Indy, for example, lost Edgerrin James and Dominic Rhodes to free agency, Marvin Harrison to injuries, plus at least a few other notables on defense, to say nothing of any line players they may have had injuries. And I think they have managed to win a few games this year.

[mheisig]

Originally Posted by dgack

I was just thinking it would be interesting to try and quantify in numerical terms the losses this team has sustained to key personnel throughout the end of last season and beginning of this one, as compared to any other team.

Perhaps the problem lies not in the number of injuries or even the specifics of who got injured, but that our talent isn't well distributed among the different strings of players.

Obviously first-stringers are supposed to be better than second-stringers, but it really does seem like we are a top-heavy team who has a huge dropoff in talent level (or experience, or both) beyond our starters. I'm sure this is true of many teams but it seems like the great ones, the successful ones, do not have nearly as much of a drop when players go out.

Indy, for example, lost Edgerrin James and Dominic Rhodes to free agency, Marvin Harrison to injuries, plus at least a few other notables on defense, to say nothing of any line players they may have had injuries. And I think they have managed to win a few games this year.

That would be interesting data to have. It doesn't appear that NFL.com has any real access to it, if they even have a model for it.

I think there's also a tendency to overly stress the big-name, skill positions like WR, RB and QB and not pay enough attention to the less glamorous offensive line.

Our offensive line has been decimated. At one point the only original starter we had was Chris Samuels. That's almost unprecedented as far as I know. The Rams O-line has taken a big hit this year and look where they are.

I think you can evaluate skill position players on their individual merits. CP not doing well in open space beyond the LOS, Moss simply dropping everything that comes his way, those are individual skills to measure and analyze.

CP having a low YPC is effected by a huge number of variables, I'd argue the offensive line being the most important. JC's overall performance is obviously going to take a huge hit. He's fumbling a lot - why? Because he's getting hit a lot, which is the offensive line once again. Yeah he holds on a little too long and yeah he needs to just tuck that thing in when he feels pressure, but ultimately what do you expect when he's getting pressured all day long?

I'm rambling, but my point is I think maybe we underestimate that offensive line problems and the impact on every other aspect of the game.