ESPN Article on Achilles Rupture

After spending many hours online OCD'ing over this injury, I found one article that actually sated me and potentially answered my question of how and why it happened.

The doctor in the ESPN article describes a common cause as the combination of a concentric and eccentric load on the tendon. The stopping and starting movements in athletes.

Eccentric means applying a load when it's already stretched (e.g. running backwards) and concentric means applying a load when it's already shortened (e.g. doing toe raises).

So injuries occur commonly when eccentric loads are quickly followed by concentric loads and vice versa. Perfect example, a quarterback dropping back to pass and moving forward or a tennis player running to the net for a volley and then backwards for the lob.

And to boot, "there seems to be a direct correlation to aging where the aging athlete, in general has less blood flow to the region."

Ah ha! 2 strikes against me. Eccentric/concentric load and the "aging athlete."

Not sure how I feel about that or how one defines aging .... aren't we all aging and does early thirties count as aging?

Link to article

NFL Stars with Achilles Ruptures

• LaVar Arrington, LB, Giants, 10/23/06
• Ronald Curry, WR, Raiders, 10/19/05
  
• Brandon Stokley, WR, Colts, 12/10/06
• Rien Long, DT, Titans, 7/30/06
• Todd Pinkston, WR, Eagles, 8/5/05
• Greg Ellis, LB, Cowboys, 11/14/06
• Trace Armstrong, DE, Raiders, 10/1/01
• Takeo Spikes, LB, Bills, 10/05
• Reggie Hayward, DL, Jaguars, 9/06
• Dan Marino, QB, Dolphins, 1993
  
• Vinny Testaverde, QB, Jets, 1999
  

Speed Freak Awards, Week 13

Another thrilling week of NFL action with late winning field goals and outstanding play from some special athletes. Specifically, I'd like to call out three guys who demonstrated that speed does kill and who helped lead their teams to victory with their God-given talents. In fact, they are all rookies. Does it say something about youth?

Here they are:

#3 Devin Hester, 5'11, 189 - electifying 45 yard punt return for TD

#2 Jerious Norwood, 6'0, 203 - riDunkulous open field 62-yard TD run

#1 Reggie Bush, 5'11, 203 - 4 TDs and a plethora of jockstraps left on the field. The kid moves in video game speed and is jacked up (see pic below).

Donovan McNabb Joins the ACL Club

Today, Donovan McNabb, All-Pro quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles had ACL surgery on his right knee. Feeling his pain.

Two Sundays ago, he tore the ACL on a somewhat freakish play running out of bounds on a QB scramble to his right. It wasn't a force impact type injury .... it seems that a lot of ACLs are injured like this. By happenstance, you catch your knee the wrong way and it pops.

The head trainer for the Eagles is saying 9 months post surgery that he'll be back which I think is very realistic. He did have some meniscus work done but given that he's a professional athlete and will have 100% of his time devoted to rehabilitation, I'm pretty sure Campbell's Chunky Soup spokesman will be back to true form by the 2007 season opener.

Welcome to the Club Donovan and best wishes on a fast recovery.

ACL Injuries in the NFL & Other Stats

I was curious to know how many notable NFL players have had ACL injuries and recovered. I did a quick Google scan and this is what I found.

It's quite interesting to see that recent medical advancements have certainly improved players' chances of returning to the field and being successful.

I've highlighted the success stories (in bold).

• Edgerrin James - RB
• Jamal Lewis - RB
• Willis McGahee - RB
• Deuce McAllister - RB
• Dominic Rhodes - RB
• Terrell Davis - RB
• Correll Buckhalter - RB
  
• Frank Gore - RB
• Jamal Anderson - RB
• Kijana Carter - RB
• Greg Jones - RB
• Jerry Rice - WR
• Brian Finneran - WR
• Lee Evans - WR
• Tyrone Calico - WR
• Braylon Edwards - WR
  
• Daunte Culpepper - QB
• Brian Griese - QB
• Carson Palmer - QB
• Antonio Cromartie - CB
• Roman Harper - S
• Kailee Wong - LB
• Will Demps - S
  

I asked my physical therapist about how an ACL injury might affect your speed. Theoretically, it shouldn't because it's your quad, hamstring, and calf muscle fibers which determine speed but she does think it may marginally affect the natural knee joint motion. I'll have to bring up this point with my surgeon Dr. Green next week.

Other Stats:

• Grass and turf had equal rates of ACL injuries
• ACL injuries accounted for 2% of all injuries
• 66% of injuries occurred in games
• RBs have the highest risk of injury
• 81% of team physicians said the ideal return to play time is 6-9 months post surgery
• Nearly 100% of NFL athletes were able to return to competition after surgery

Source: Bradley, Sekiya, Kaplan. A Summary of ACL Injuries in the NFL, 2001.

Lazy Sunday: Fantasy Football, NFL, and Hooters

To get the full story on this photo, you'll have to read on.

It was a good way to end the week. Wake up late on a Sunday morn', grab a short latte at your favorite coffee joint (Zoka), head to the gym to pre-burn the calories you're going to consume that afternoon, make your favorite beef stew recipe, and head to Hooters for some Week 5 NFL action. That's a lazy Sunday every guy should have .... every week.

Yes, we are at Week 5. A few comments ....

Can you believe da Bears are 5-0?!? Is it all D, not at all. Rex Grossman looks damn good in the pocket, throwing ropes off the back of his foot into the endzone and pinpoint bombs down the sidelines. I've never heard of his receivers but he's making them look All Pro (some former Arena league guy and a guy named Berry-an).

Reggie Bush. My fellow San Diegan is representing SoCal. His punt return for a TD was a display of pure footspeed. I don't think he ran the 40 in the combines but I'd have to say he looks to be the fastest guy in the NFL. I'm talking football speed. Reggie is uncatchable once he gets to the outside. If you saw his press conference post game, the Saints are paying for that speed. His Princess cut diamond earringwas the size of a small walnut.

Cowboys and Eagles. The non-return of T.O. to Philly for the battle of the NFC East. It was too much home field advantage for the 'Boys. The D-McNabb show it was. I think Donovan has dispelled all notions that he's not an accurate passer. The guy has a gun for an arm. Did you see that flea flicker pass to Reggie Brown? Preeetty.

Peyton Manning has proved again why he is the best player in the league. He can singlehandedly win a game with his arm and football intelligence; it's all about the flapping wings and the feet stuttering on his three step. Give the guy 60 seconds and he can take his team down the field and put up six and then call it a day. Granted he has a set of Pro Bowl receivers (Harrison, Wayne, and Dallas Clark) but nonetheless ... the guy wrote the manual on the two minute drill.

My fantasy results are going well despite the loss of my #1 pick, Shaun Alexander. In fact, I've come to the conclusion that he is an overrated back. I wouldn't not put him in the class of an L.T. who I think is a better athlete - better hands, better cutback ability, shiftier, faster and more versatile. Nothing against Alexander the Great but the guy had an awesome line and a passing offense that is well respected. You can't put 8 in the box on Hasselback & Co.

So Search & Destroy, the name of my fantasy team is heading into Week 5 at 3-1, not because my team is dominant but because I've had some favorable matchups thus far. I don't expect this to continue as playoffs are a different story. My strategy has been active management - picking up players in free agency who can put up points that week and have the potential to be starters further down in the season.

As I mentioned earlier, Mike D and I spent a "lovely" afternoon at our local Hooters franchise. It was a football date of sorts, mixed in with debates on the demise of Social Security and how we allocate personnel for next season's flag football team.

The food and views were equally scintillating. The wings were delicious - greasy as they come and to-die-for when doused with Ranch dressing. We did get our veggies requirements, each having a celery and carrot stick. Towards the end of the Cowboys & Eagles game, the waitresses were preparing for the WWE crowd influx (who you don't want to mess with - that's a whole other story in itself). Anyhow, part of this preparation involved an all-restaurant dance on top of the chairs with the Hooters ladies.

Mike's 007 good looks caught the eye of a waitress who pulled him up with five other patrons to shake their tailfeathers. To my delight, my trusty Treo came to the rescue and caught Mike in butter-cup form with the other unlucky blokes.

Mike's the second from right, next to the nerdy looking Asian dude. And that Asian dude is not me!

The NFL and Monday Night Football are Back ...

I am very excited that the 2006 NFL season has begun and we are well on our way towards another action-packed season filled with enough drama fit for several seasons of 90210 and Melrose Place combined. I'm talking about the quarterback controversies, the injuries, the trades, the fall of perennial All-Pros, the emergence of rookie stars, et al.

Couple the NFL season with a fantasy team and your downtime is completely accounted for. I think I spent literally 5 hours on the couch on Sunday watching football with my laptop acting as a heater for my thighs.

A few things that come to mind after Week 1:

• Reggie Bush is the real deal; sorry, Mario Williams, you should not have been #1
• Two aspirin ain't gonna' cut it for Trent Green after that vicious hit
• Kellen Winslow looks to be following in dad's footsteps; looks like he's back from his motorcycle accident
• LT is the best back in the NFL, period; even though I have last year's MVP on my fantasy team, LT does it all (running, catching, throwing)
• Shawn Merriman is the new Freak
• Chad Pennington is proving the naysayers wrong; his arm looks pretty strong to me
• As annoying as he is off the field, T.O. is a playmaker and backs up his game week in and week out. He physically dominates the secondary he faces.
• Fav-ruh, it's time to hang up the cleats
• And lastly.... I think Martin Lawrence is the new QB for the Oakland Raiders.