FOX NFL SUNDAY NOTES – 9/25/11
FOXSports.com Medical Expert & Former NFL Player Dr. Mark Adickes To Manning: Retire
Johnson Reacts To Teams Faking Injuries: Why Are Coaches Working on This?
Glazer Reports Teams Have Designated Player Who Fakes Injuries
Bradshaw: If McNabb Plays Poorly, Give Ponder A Shot
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FOX NFL SUNDAY analysts Howie Long, Jimmy Johnson & NFL on FOX insider Jay Glazer addressed NFL teams faking injuries which allegedly occurred during last week’s NY Giants game. In reaction to that, the NFL sent all 32 teams a memo stating that if they believed a player faked an injury, there could be fines, suspensions or a loss of draft choices. When visiting NFL training camps this offseason, host Curt Menefee said he spotted teams working on faking injuries.
Long: “It’s hard to call somebody on this. The excuse is plausible by the New York Giants as long as everybody sticks to their story. When you go to the Commissioner’s office in New York, he doesn’t meet with you as a group. He meets with you individually. If you lie to the Commissioner and one of the guys doesn’t stick to the story, you’re done.”
Johnson reacted to host Curt Menefee stating that in the offseason while visiting training camps, Menefee saw teams working on faking injuries: “Why are the coaches working on this stuff? I never did, I promise. Why not spend that time working on substitutions; working on letting your personnel that’s on the field adjust to whatever situation, that’s what you’ve got to do. Don’t work on all of this acting stuff!”
Glazer: “It’s very widespread. Some teams actually coach it. From the teams I talked to, they said they have a designated guy, not two designated guys, one designated guy and when the middle linebacker hears it in his helmet he yells out a word and the guy goes down. The best story I was told from one team is that they had a guy go down, fake the injury but he was actually hurt and everyone thought he was just faking it so the trainers walked away and left the guy.”
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FOXSports.com medical expert Dr. Mark Adickes was asked by Strahan if Cowboys QB Tony Romo is putting himself more at risk by playing with cracked ribs and punctured lung this week: “I don’t think so. He just had a little bit of air between his lung and chest wall, a little crack in his rib. They’ll pad it up. He’ll be fine.”
FOX NFL SUNDAY analyst Terry Bradshaw asked Dr. Adickes what advice he’d give to Colts QB Peyton Manning. Adickes is a former NFL offensive lineman & current orthopedic surgeon: “My career ended with a back injury. I was blocking a guy in training camp and felt a sharp pain in my back, legs go numb, I didn’t even think about football. My legs were weak for a year. All I thought about was playing with my kids. If I’m his doctor, I would tell him to retire.”
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NFL teams reacted to Glazer’s scoop last week that injured Colts QB Peyton Manning flew overseas for exploratory stem cell treatment: “I actually had a handful of teams contact me this week to find out what I knew. If it worked for Peyton Manning, how much progress has he made because they said, ‘listen if it actually worked, we want to send some of our guys out to Europe ourselves as well.’ It’s just such an inexact science right now.”
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Analyst Johnson credits Detroit Lions General Manager Martin Mayhew with team’s early success this season: “Head coach Jim Schwartz is doing a great job coaching, but I’ve always said the most important person in an NFL organization is the individual that brings in the talent. General manager Martin Mayhew has done a great job of bringing in talent. That’s why they’re winning. They’re one of the more talented teams in the NFL right now.”
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Co-host Bradshaw says to sit Minnesota Vikings QB Donovan McNabb if he plays poorly: “It seems like every year we see the Vikings go out and try to find a veteran quarterback. Finally they drafted one in Christian Ponder out of Florida State. There’s nothing wrong with starting a rookie quarterback. We’ve got three other rookie quarterbacks starting today. If Donovan McNabb struggles, put that kid in there and let him play.”
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Glazer on further tests to make sure Eagles QB Michael Vick is cleared to play today following a concussion: “Rich Burkholder [Eagles Trainer] and the Eagles training staff are very conservative because they have already gone through this with Brian Westbrook and some other players. As far as Vick, Burkholder told me yesterday that even after he was cleared by an independent neurologist, he still put him through two more impact tests. The other thing they tried to do is they actually went to Vince Young and said, ‘Vince, you’re next to Mike all the time in meetings, practice, in the weight room, we really want you to tell us some inside information if he has anything hurting, we want to know about it. Finally, they used this thing called micro-current and the Pittsburgh Penguins called to ask if it worked and if it worked for Vick, it could work for Sidney Crosby.”
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Analyst Jimmy Johnson on Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley’s future: “I think he’ll last the season, but it will only be this season.”
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Co-host Terry Bradshaw on if the quarterback change in Jacksonville will make a difference: “I don’t think so. It’s not a good football team. But I’m glad Blaine Gabbert is getting the start there.”
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Analyst Jimmy Johnson on Kerry Collins: “I said a month ago on Twitter that Kerry Collins was a $4 million mistake. The Colts organization doesn’t want to admit it. But after the game against Pittsburgh, look for Kerry Collins to be on the sideline.”
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During this week’s ‘Fired Up’ segment, analyst Strahan gave his thoughts on college players entering the league: “Just about every year a player comes into the NFL that doesn’t fit the exact mold of what we expect an NFL player to be. He may have won the Heisman or even the college national championship and in some occasions both. But because of the system they played in college, their size or because they don’t fit the exact mold for their position, we tend to discount them as a college athlete not quite suited for the NFL. When college kids came into the league, as a veteran we looked at their past achievements and basically said, “You know what kids? Take that mess out of here!!” I and other veteran players were programmed to believe that our way is the way and that these not yet qualified rookies needed to learn a lesson. We are men of great ego who always want to believe that the way we played the game and the people we played the game against did it right. But we always look at these kids, particularly quarterbacks, whether it’s Cam Newton or Tim Tebow or Blaine Gabbert or whoever and the last thing our ego can take is that they came into our game and made it look easy. Looking back at all conversations this off-season about Cam Newton not being ready for this level and not sure if he would ever be I now realize that maybe we’re not ready for him. So I’ve decided to try and change the way I think. In the future, I’ll try to give a kid a chance. It is difficult, it really is. I mean, they haven’t spent hour upon hour in a pro film room or taken the bumps and bruises like a Manning, Brady or Brees but I’m willing to make a deal. Instead of tearing down a young kid coming into the game who seems to be willing to bust his butt to make himself successful I will check my ego and give the kid a chance because sometimes a new kid on the block is just what the neighborhood needs.”
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