[News] Eisenberg: Ravens' Willingness To Try Almost Anything To Win Should Be Appreciated

[BR News]

Baltimore never takes short cuts. It has implemented cutting-edge sports science, statistical analytics, sleep studies and many other strategies in an effort to get an advantage.

View the full article

[harfordravenfan]

After the last two seasons, they gotta try something. One more injury filled season and I'll start looking for bubble wrap suits for the team lol

[ellicottraven]

What choice did they really have being at the top of the league in terms of injuries the last couple of years? The question should be why did it take so long? Why the deep trust in Rogicki when he is clearly old school in terms of training. Don't get me wrong, because I'm really glad that the Ravens are implementing and embracing change. But, kudos would've been more deserved if it was before the fact than after.

[ALSKAN RAVEN FAN]

It is nice to see the Ravens trying to take extra precautions. The last couple of years we have been hindered / hurt by injuries for sure.

[whobilly]

Injuries are part of the game. Granted, nutrition, sleep, etc play a part.
With all of that being said it comes down to a few breaks in just about every game combined with having the horses to get you there. Chip Kelly tried the sports nutrition, sleep requirements, along with all the other things mentioned in the article. He lasted three years. That's probably a year longer than he will make it in San Fran.

[bioLarzen]

"RAVENS' WILLINGNESS TO TRY ALMOST ANYTHING TO WIN SHOULD BE APPRECIATED"

John... isn't that the normal thing?

[Moderator 3]

Perhaps they should consider voodoo.  

[harfordravenfan]

1 hour ago, Moderator 3 said:

Perhaps they should consider voodoo.  

They could hire me as their sideline good luck charm.

[EdTheMythicalOne]

An accepted definition for crazy is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Over the past two seasons the Ravens had 19 and then 20 players on IR respectively. Think about that because you only suit up 47 players for a game and have a 53 man roster. That's about half of your active roster.

One other thing that hasn't been mentioned is the move to natural turf and how that relates to injury. I think that in combination with new training methods could help decrease the RISK of injuries. I know artificial turfs are great for wear and such, but I was never a fan of them. I think most athletes if they are being open and honest with you will tell you they hate artificial turf. It isn't so much the synthetic grass that is the problem, but what is underneath. The ground is just so unforgiving and when you have guys being slammed to the ground repeatedly, the fact that sometimes the turf gives too much traction and doesn't allow spikes to slide through, and it increases speed of players that it becomes a recipe for causing more injuries.

So hats off to the Ravens brass for making these changes and trying something different to help keep their players healthy. Nobody helps you on IR.

[bmorefan444]

It's mind blowing to me that this is a new position. They are paying these athletes millions and there is plenty of literature that suggest movement screens can identify individuals who are at risk of injury. They should've had a physical therapist on staff performing screens and evaluations years ago. This move WILL make a difference.

[Maryland]

I like that Steve spends money on literally everything he can outside of the salary cap to make the team better. Part of what makes him such a good owner. You won't see any cheapskate teams shelling out money like Steve on a high-tech physical training staff.

[Halshayeji]

9 hours ago, EdTheMythicalOne said:

An accepted definition for crazy is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Over the past two seasons the Ravens had 19 and then 20 players on IR respectively. Think about that because you only suit up 47 players for a game and have a 53 man roster. That's about half of your active roster.

One other thing that hasn't been mentioned is the move to natural turf and how that relates to injury. I think that in combination with new training methods could help decrease the RISK of injuries. I know artificial turfs are great for wear and such, but I was never a fan of them. I think most athletes if they are being open and honest with you will tell you they hate artificial turf. It isn't so much the synthetic grass that is the problem, but what is underneath. The ground is just so unforgiving and when you have guys being slammed to the ground repeatedly, the fact that sometimes the turf gives too much traction and doesn't allow spikes to slide through, and it increases speed of players that it becomes a recipe for causing more injuries.

So hats off to the Ravens brass for making these changes and trying something different to help keep their players healthy. Nobody helps you on IR.

I'm sure just about every player prefers natural grass vs turf. Emitt Smith even included a clause in his contract that the Cowboys change from turf to grass. I can bore you with details but il try to keep it simple. Artificial turf is horrible for ligaments and tendons. Literally horrible! if your studs are not deep enough then you get no traction and your ancles and tendons suffer. If your studs are long enough then they plant so deep in that your body gets shoved in different angles while your studs are stuck where they are. That's hazardous! Think of a WR breaking at full speed and his ancle is stuck to the turf instead of pivoting while his body changes direction. When grass gives and you see a hole left behind, that's a good thing because that force would have transferred to an athletes ancle or knee or hed fall flat on his behind.

Its about time we move to grass. I just hope it's maintained properly because uneven torn up grass defeats the purpose lol 

Edited April 24, 2016 by Halshayeji

[pcwag33]

This move seems more reactive than proactive, as the Ravens have looked far less than cutting edge in terms of injury prevention and recovery. Problem is, and it's industry wide (but no excuse), stale conventional thinking has been institutionalized. Irony is, the athletes themselves are where the real knowledge lies, as they've been through it and know what works and what doesn't. The medical professionals mostly rely on their backgrounds and new scientific studies from their counterparts that want to make names and money for themselves. But most is learned from the unbiased subject (the athlete) of the real trials. In terms of what I think the Ravens are looking for, perhaps better to just survey a large population of over-30 players and learn what they have learned about how to stay in the game. Can't argue with real outcome. "61 Custom Rebuild"

[EdTheMythicalOne]

  13 hours ago, EdTheMythicalOne said:

An accepted definition for crazy is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Over the past two seasons the Ravens had 19 and then 20 players on IR respectively. Think about that because you only suit up 47 players for a game and have a 53 man roster. That's about half of your active roster.

One other thing that hasn't been mentioned is the move to natural turf and how that relates to injury. I think that in combination with new training methods could help decrease the RISK of injuries. I know artificial turfs are great for wear and such, but I was never a fan of them. I think most athletes if they are being open and honest with you will tell you they hate artificial turf. It isn't so much the synthetic grass that is the problem, but what is underneath. The ground is just so unforgiving and when you have guys being slammed to the ground repeatedly, the fact that sometimes the turf gives too much traction and doesn't allow spikes to slide through, and it increases speed of players that it becomes a recipe for causing more injuries.

So hats off to the Ravens brass for making these changes and trying something different to help keep their players healthy. Nobody helps you on IR.

I'm sure just about every player prefers natural grass vs turf. Emitt Smith even included a clause in his contract that the Cowboys change from turf to grass. I can bore you with details but il try to keep it simple. Artificial turf is horrible for ligaments and tendons. Literally horrible! if your studs are not deep enough then you get no traction and your ancles and tendons suffer. If your studs are long enough then they plant so deep in that your body gets shoved in different angles while your studs are stuck where they are. That's hazardous! Think of a WR breaking at full speed and his ancle is stuck to the turf instead of pivoting while his body changes direction. When grass gives and you see a hole left behind, that's a good thing because that force would have transferred to an athletes ancle or knee or hed fall flat on his behind.

Its about time we move to grass. I just hope it's maintained properly because uneven torn up grass defeats the purpose lol 

I did a term paper in college about the dangers of artificial turf to football players back in the early 90's and one of the most horrible examples I found was of former Bears WR Wendell Davis. He was playing a game at Philadelphia and a pass was thrown deep and over his head. What he planned to do was run the route a bit short and then out leap the defender to trick him. Wendell ran, stopped short and then went to leap. His body went up, but his cleats dug into the turf and his feet remained planted in the turf. He tore both patella tendons and when he went into surgery the doctors found his kneecaps up in his thighs. That happened in 1994 and believe it or not he attempted a comeback in 1995, but he never played another game.

[JimmyBlack]

I like the grass field concept with a border of artificial turf in the high traffic areas.  My main concern is that grass fields tend to get torn up near the end of games.

[robbie29]

Every field should be natural grass. If your team plays in a dome, then renovate and use the stadium concept that the Cardinals use (grow/maintain the grass outside then roll it inside on game day). Maybe that's expensive, but considering the NFL generates more revenue in 1 game than most Americans earn in a decade, I think it's certainly realistic. Just my 2 cents.

[EdTheMythicalOne]

This is interesting and I wonder why nothing has been posted on this site about it. Apparently Jimmy Smith is still having problems with his ankle/lisfranc injury. The source is Mike Preston via Twitter:

https://twitter.com/MikePrestonSun/status/722464194159845377

Guess it is time to hire a chicken waver.

[EdTheMythicalOne]

I like that Steve spends money on literally everything he can outside of the salary cap to make the team better. Part of what makes him such a good owner. You won't see any cheapskate teams shelling out money like Steve on a high-tech physical training staff.

We should be very happy to have such a good owner. He's been relatively hands off and allows his football people to run the show with a caveat that he simply wants the team to be better. He supports the team financially and he isn't in the news for stupid reasons.

About the only blemish I can recall is the whole Ray Rice fiasco. The only thing I can think of is that Rice was telling them the issue wasn't as bad as what was reported and then the tape came out to prove otherwise. That whole situation will leave a bad taste in Baltimore fans' mouths for quite some time.

Thing is, a habitual jerk like Greg Hardy still got another chance and he very well may get another one due to injuries/suspensions. By all accounts Ray Rice was a model citizen other than this incident and while he was coming off of a down year, he had a track record of success. Was there more going on behind the scenes we didn't know about?

[whobilly]

  22 hours ago, Halshayeji said:

  On ‎4‎/‎24‎/‎2016 at 9:15 PM, EdTheMythicalOne said:

An accepted definition for crazy is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Over the past two seasons the Ravens had 19 and then 20 players on IR respectively. Think about that because you only suit up 47 players for a game and have a 53 man roster. That's about half of your active roster.

One other thing that hasn't been mentioned is the move to natural turf and how that relates to injury. I think that in combination with new training methods could help decrease the RISK of injuries. I know artificial turfs are great for wear and such, but I was never a fan of them. I think most athletes if they are being open and honest with you will tell you they hate artificial turf. It isn't so much the synthetic grass that is the problem, but what is underneath. The ground is just so unforgiving and when you have guys being slammed to the ground repeatedly, the fact that sometimes the turf gives too much traction and doesn't allow spikes to slide through, and it increases speed of players that it becomes a recipe for causing more injuries.

So hats off to the Ravens brass for making these changes and trying something different to help keep their players healthy. Nobody helps you on IR.

I'm sure just about every player prefers natural grass vs turf. Emitt Smith even included a clause in his contract that the Cowboys change from turf to grass. I can bore you with details but il try to keep it simple. Artificial turf is horrible for ligaments and tendons. Literally horrible! if your studs are not deep enough then you get no traction and your ancles and tendons suffer. If your studs are long enough then they plant so deep in that your body gets shoved in different angles while your studs are stuck where they are. That's hazardous! Think of a WR breaking at full speed and his ancle is stuck to the turf instead of pivoting while his body changes direction. When grass gives and you see a hole left behind, that's a good thing because that force would have transferred to an athletes ancle or knee or hed fall flat on his behind.

Its about time we move to grass. I just hope it's maintained properly because uneven torn up grass defeats the purpose lol 

I did a term paper in college about the dangers of artificial turf to football players back in the early 90's and one of the most horrible examples I found was of former Bears WR Wendell Davis. He was playing a game at Philadelphia and a pass was thrown deep and over his head. What he planned to do was run the route a bit short and then out leap the defender to trick him. Wendell ran, stopped short and then went to leap. His body went up, but his cleats dug into the turf and his feet remained planted in the turf. He tore both patella tendons and when he went into surgery the doctors found his kneecaps up in his thighs. That happened in 1994 and believe it or not he attempted a comeback in 1995, but he never played another game.

I was at that game. Davis actually landed on the second base cut out. They put a patch of artificial turf to cover up the dirt that had seams around it making it a dangerous spot on the field. Remember the Ravens walked off the same field at the Vet when they felt the conditions were horrible. That was the worst artificial surface ever.

[Halshayeji]

14 hours ago, EdTheMythicalOne said:

This is interesting and I wonder why nothing has been posted on this site about it. Apparently Jimmy Smith is still having problems with his ankle/lisfranc injury. The source is Mike Preston via Twitter:

https://twitter.com/MikePrestonSun/status/722464194159845377

Guess it is time to hire a chicken waver.

 

I believe that lisfranc injury is a direct correlation to that turf. Look at that injury again, had the grass given then he probably may have hurt something but not as bad as he did. Brooks was a similar situation etc...

 

To your earlier comment. If you'd send a link to that paper I'd love to read it  and that story is just painful to hear I hope I never see it coz I can literally invision it.

 

Personally, I didn't do as much research as you may have done but I totally agree with your outcome by experience.

 

Where Iv lived half my life, summers are so hot that grass fields get destroyed by the heat. So basically if you wanna play soccer in the summer you gotta find a torn up turf field or indoor or sand pitch. Somewhere around 2005-8, artificial turf spread like flies because it was just the most logical thing. All of a sudden we'd play 7-10 games a week on that turf. Il tell you this much, Kuwait became top 10 in ACL tears per capita!

 

At that time I played semi-pro and I swear we were banned from playing on artificial turf. If our coaches found out theyd cut 2 weeks of our pay even during the offseason. When i partially tore my ACL and minescus I realized why they insisted on it lol

[Crusader]

Jimmy Smith and Bradshaw Perriman have long term nagging injuries. All you have to do is Google the injuries and look up long term affects. The bad news Ravens just signed a long term deal with Jimmy .(Another Webb deal) The good news is Ravens have a few years to check out Perriman. Every one of these injured guys will not be close to 60% and by the 8 game it will only get less. Its only natural and their not super heroes.

[Crusader]

My prediction this year.
Joe will be skittish
Justin will fumble because lack of strength in his arm
Perriman will be average speed.
SSS will not be the guy you saw last year nor should you expect it.
Jimmy will pursue a little better but he better rely on his brain. Ed was slow but smart in knowing .
I'm just hoping to see the return of the Ravens defense this year and Weddle can get the secondary straightened out. Three years of confusion in the back end has to stop.That way Suggs and Dumervil can "hunt"