KCSupersized
10-14-2006, 07:18 AM
JOHNSON'S NECK INJURY TRACES TO BAD FUNDAMENTALS?
A reader who viewed the video of Antrel Rolle's "grabbed and pulled and hurt my neck in 2006" routine on Larry Johnson has raised an excellent point with us.
The head-twisting injury that Johnson suffered when Rolle dragged him down from behind by the facemask on his helmet was, indirectly, Johnson's own fault.
How dare we say that? Well, it all comes down to fundamentals. Or, as the case may be, a lack of fundamentals at the highest level of the sport.
The most important function of anyone who carries the ball is to protect it from being taken away by the other team. For a running back who has the ball near a sideline, it's common knowledge that the guy should switch the ball to his outside arm. If he does, and if the ball is then punched out, it's more likely to end up out of bounds before it can be recovered by the other team.
Last week, for example, Eagles running back Brian Westbrook fumbled during the first drive of Philly's game against the Cowboys. He caught the ball near the middle of the field and tucked it into his left arm as he moved for the right sideline. So when the ball came out, it went back toward the middle of the field and was easily recovered by Dallas.
In Johnson's case, he released late from the backfield, caught a screen pass, and sprinted (with an awkward knock-kneed gait) down the left sideline. The ball was in his right arm the entire time.
So when Rolle approached as Johnson began to run out of steam, Johnson didn't have a free inside arm that he could use to try to fight him off.
It's just another reason why guys have got to switch the ball to the outside arm. For plenty of players, it's second nature. For others, it almost never happens. And of all the things that a football player does on the field, we can't think of anything easier to learn.
Do you people by this?
A reader who viewed the video of Antrel Rolle's "grabbed and pulled and hurt my neck in 2006" routine on Larry Johnson has raised an excellent point with us.
The head-twisting injury that Johnson suffered when Rolle dragged him down from behind by the facemask on his helmet was, indirectly, Johnson's own fault.
How dare we say that? Well, it all comes down to fundamentals. Or, as the case may be, a lack of fundamentals at the highest level of the sport.
The most important function of anyone who carries the ball is to protect it from being taken away by the other team. For a running back who has the ball near a sideline, it's common knowledge that the guy should switch the ball to his outside arm. If he does, and if the ball is then punched out, it's more likely to end up out of bounds before it can be recovered by the other team.
Last week, for example, Eagles running back Brian Westbrook fumbled during the first drive of Philly's game against the Cowboys. He caught the ball near the middle of the field and tucked it into his left arm as he moved for the right sideline. So when the ball came out, it went back toward the middle of the field and was easily recovered by Dallas.
In Johnson's case, he released late from the backfield, caught a screen pass, and sprinted (with an awkward knock-kneed gait) down the left sideline. The ball was in his right arm the entire time.
So when Rolle approached as Johnson began to run out of steam, Johnson didn't have a free inside arm that he could use to try to fight him off.
It's just another reason why guys have got to switch the ball to the outside arm. For plenty of players, it's second nature. For others, it almost never happens. And of all the things that a football player does on the field, we can't think of anything easier to learn.
Do you people by this?