[SAGA45]

Originally Posted by kccrow

This has been the response by 99% of this board despite the fact that the entire population of players with this injury was compiled to show the risk. I shared it with everyone, and yet the general response remains the same. It's not people overplaying the risk, it is the risk. It's not a representative sample of some segment of players with this injury, it is the entire population. It's like, you can't really refute it. It is it.

Originally Posted by SAGA45

Here's the thing...Do you actually feel like you presented information that the CHIEFS didn't already know about, though? I'm not questioning the study itself. It's that you and a handful of others champion this study as if you stumbled on information that Burkholder and his staff weren't already aware of and hadnt already taken into account throughout their - from all accounts - meticulous evaluation process of Simmons' knee and his recovery progress.

It's one thing to prop up the study as a reason why YOU would personally pass on Simmons leading UP TO the draft. I get and got that part of it just fine. But now that the Chiefs have signed off on his rate of recovery by drafting him, that stance seems pretty weak and borders on you basically saying "Burkholder and his staff dont know wtf their doing! Meanwhile, I actually know wtf Im talking about!" ...which absolutely insane to me.

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Literally nobody has said that.

Well, until...

Originally Posted by kccrow

Yep. He doesn't even have a PhD. He's a MS in Athletic Training and has load of experience as an athletic trainer. Do I see him as qualified to give a sound opinion? Yes, for sure.

His opinion doesn't give me more optimism though. There's 25 years of sound data that tells me his opinion really doesn't matter. Only Simmons' body is going to matter.

So, Burkholder's opinion doesn't matter despite the fact Brett Veach leaned on it and that he and his team have been entrusted with/ are responsible for the design and oversight of Simmons' continued rehab/recovery, ultimately affecting how his body responds and continues to heal? That's crazy!

I'm kidding. Seriously, I get what you're trying to say...that in the end, regardless of what anyone thinks (Burkholder included), it's Simmons' body against unfavorable odds per the data. However, my point is that the same data was no doubt factored into the Chiefs' examination of his knee and the ultimate decision to draft him.

Now, does that mean they KNOW he'll defy those odds? No, it does not, nor does it mean they made the right choice, as only time will bear that out. Nonetheless, Burkholder (despite his academic shortcomings ) and his staff are LEGIT and held in high esteem both inside and outside of league circles for a reason. They also know more about Simmons' healing than will ever be publicly disclosed other than reports he's ahead of schedule. So, for them to feel good enough about Simmons medically to take him at 32, to me, speaks volumes.

To DJ's point earlier, this isn't to say Burkholder and the Chiefs are infallible. They've definitely been wrong where we've been right. However, that does not mean our guess (or projection as Duncan stated before) is as good as theirs because, unlike ours, their projections/guesses, both in terms of the sports medicine side and player eval side, are backed by and based on first-hand, boots-to-ground experience and knowledge in their respective fields that spans decades, collectively culminating in five Super Bowl appearances in six years with three wins including a back-to-back..

One would think that fact alone would buy the Chiefs the benefit of the doubt here but hey to each his own. I respect and understand the opinions of those who just simply don't feel good about Simmons. The history of the injury supports your angst and concerns. Nevertheless, I feel like he's in highly qualified and capable hands thus I'm a bit more optimistic that the pick actually pans out.