Originally posted by WINiner:Great point. I do think they were too patient with Hurd and Ford. With Ford they kept him and got some replacements knowing Ford's career is in jeopardy. I think (looking back in hindsight) I would have let Hurd go last year once he couldn't make it a 2nd time. With injuries, it's hard to tell sometimes what's going on, but clearly the philosophy shift away from injured players to more healthy players I think has helped a bit this year. Still a lot of injuries though.
Originally posted by Polkadots:
Originally posted by TheGore49er:
Im starting to see a pattern here with our injuries. It seems like we have a very "corporate" medical staff. Looks like their main job is to get guys to play through injuries and try to be as liberal as possible when diagnosing an injury.
Their job is not to get guys as healthy as possible, but just enough to get them out there to play asap. Outside of a bone sticking out during a game or practice, it seems like Kyle doesn't give a damn and makes sure that his medical team does what he wants as long as still somewhat within the rules.
This is definitely an area where Kyle deserves the blame.
But how does this help Kyle / the team? If he was only here for a year or two, sure. Win that Super Bowl and let the next guy clean up the mess. But this is Kyle's mess. It will be his mess next year. And the year after. It would benefit him, far more, if he got his guys as healthy as possible.
I mean, I know there is the whole RG3 fiasco. And plenty of examples here in SF. But that's some short-sighted s**t I'd expect from a child, not an adult making millions of dollars--in charge of people making similar amounts (and more).
Further...look, I know some slimy ass doctors. There are slimy ass people in all walks of life--and the NFL probably has more than most. But, if our medical staff is that ethically challenged, then this team is doomed, because that tells me those who oversee the medical staff / their decisions are equally challenged. And that's a recipe for disaster, both now and in the future.
If I were in Kyle's shoes, I'd rather sacrifice Kinlaw for a year, if it meant his chances of having a productive career were maximized (because this outcome directly & positively impacts the 49ers' potential), rather than neuter Kinlaw's career by constantly providing him with inferior medical choices / actions.
In my view, Kyle and John have been ultra patient with injuries compared to the past. They've been almost too careful with players and I think it's gotten to the point where some players know Kyle and John and are patient with injuries and they take advantage of it. Dee Ford and Jaylen Hurd come to mind. I don't see the corporate take at all, like not at all, not even a little bit. This IS the NFL and good players on the field usually=more wins than them not being on the field. EVERY coach wants the players out there, but the 49ers are one of the most patient teams when it comes to injury imo.
With injuries being the difference between a great season and a bad season, if ShanaLynch can solve this problem, or even just reduce it by 10% to 15% I think that will make a big difference because talent is spread so thin in the NFL. Just losing a QB or a star CB means an addition 3+ or more games lost for the year -- which is a shame considering the fan bases of every NFL team is in the millions. That's a lot of money lost.
