Why doesnt Tomlinson ever (1 Viewer)

[NorrisB]

I dont think Ive even seen him as questionable on the injury report the last two years, Just wondering if its his running style or toughness or what.

 

[smcindoe]

When he tears his ACL this weekend, I'm going to drive to your house, ring your doorbell, and punch you in the ear.

 

[joffer]

nice keerok

 

[Islander]

He played injured almost all of 2004 and 2005. Most other backs would have rested but he's tough as nails.

He kept putting up decent stats despite the injuries.

 

[paulbertini]

please close this thread. it is retarted.

anyone can get injured at any time.

he probably conditions very well, is very tough with minor injuries and has been lucky. case closed

 

[Arnold. S]

 

[Banger]

voodoo

 

[Gopher State]

This is as bad as the Madden curse

 

[Young 8]

I dont think Ive even seen him as questionable on the injury report the last two years, Just wondering if its his running style or toughness or what.

what a Jinx........... fortunately i don't have him on my team

 

[KellysHeroes]

For starters... he is very tough; I remember 2 yrs ago he had a neck injury and it never slowed him down... Hes trains like crazy, and I have never seen him take a monster hit in the past 2 too 3 yrs; thats the most important part.

 

[Banger]

For starters... he is very tough; I remember 2 yrs ago he had a neck injury and it never slowed him down... Hes trains like crazy, and I have never seen him take a monster hit in the past 2 too 3 yrs; thats the most important part.

He also learned from E. Smith and takes very good care of his body. Always goes in the tub, gets massages, etc.. He's got the best vision of any rb in the league.

 

[EdwardCat]

For starters... he is very tough; I remember 2 yrs ago he had a neck injury and it never slowed him down... Hes trains like crazy, and I have never seen him take a monster hit in the past 2 too 3 yrs; thats the most important part.

He also learned from E. Smith and takes very good care of his body. Always goes in the tub, gets massages, etc.. He's got the best vision of any rb in the league.

I hope this vision serves him well to have a big game against Baltimore this weekend.

 

[Banger]

For starters... he is very tough; I remember 2 yrs ago he had a neck injury and it never slowed him down... Hes trains like crazy, and I have never seen him take a monster hit in the past 2 too 3 yrs; thats the most important part.

He also learned from E. Smith and takes very good care of his body. Always goes in the tub, gets massages, etc.. He's got the best vision of any rb in the league.

I hope this vision serves him well to have a big game against Baltimore this weekend.

could be another tough weekend I'm afraid. He's had a heck of a rushing schedule this year. The only easy games I think he's had this year have been his division games against the Bronc's/Raiders.

 

[EdwardCat]

For starters... he is very tough; I remember 2 yrs ago he had a neck injury and it never slowed him down... Hes trains like crazy, and I have never seen him take a monster hit in the past 2 too 3 yrs; thats the most important part.

He also learned from E. Smith and takes very good care of his body. Always goes in the tub, gets massages, etc.. He's got the best vision of any rb in the league.

I hope this vision serves him well to have a big game against Baltimore this weekend.

could be another tough weekend I'm afraid. He's had a heck of a rushing schedule this year. The only easy games I think he's had this year have been his division games against the Bronc's/Raiders.

I think he can do well against them. They are a tough run defense, yes. But I think Tomlinson has it in him to have a 90-100 yard game and another 50-60 receiving and maybe 2 TDs. Look what Ryan Grant did against Minnesota a few weeks ago.

 

[maxwell1295]

When he tears his ACL this weekend, I'm going to drive to your house, ring your doorbell, and punch you in the ear.

 

[Synthesizer]

I agree that his great vision has helped him avoid any major injuries. He knows when he's going to be tackled so he leans into it just right and that he doesn't land awkward or have multiple defenders taking shots at him.

Too bad someone like A.Peterson doesn't have that same vision because it's the kind of thing that would have prevented him from taking a big hit on his knee while another defender was hitting him from the side.

 

[TwinTurbo]

Like Barry Sanders, it is tough for defenders to get a solid hit on LT. He has those subtle, skillful moves and compact running style that allows him to elude the big hits. But I think some of it is just luck. Not having a lineman roll up on the back of his leg, not getting hit the wrong way while making a cut, etc.

 

[Macdaddy_2004]

I was just about to drop Turner but after this thread came out I'm gonna avoid the voodoo and hang on for at least one more week

 

[Frank Black]

Yes, anyone can be injured at any time. Yet, you have to wonder how the likes of LT, Jerry Rice, Barry Sanders, and Michael Jordan in basketball have avoided significant injury. In the past, some have said that there is something intangible and/or otherwise inperceptible that causes them to land and move in certain ways and otherwise avoid injuries. I can't rule this in or out.

 

[NattyDread]

Like Barry Sanders, it is tough for defenders to get a solid hit on LT. He has those subtle, skillful moves and compact running style that allows him to elude the big hits. But I think some of it is just luck. Not having a lineman roll up on the back of his leg, not getting hit the wrong way while making a cut, etc.

Like Barry and Marcus Allen before him, LT seems to have a slippery style that results in glancing blows instead of big hits. Can you think of the last time you saw a defender square up and blast him?

 

[EBF]

He has the perfect body type for a RB and he's very good at avoiding contact.

 

[moose162]

please close this thread. it is retarted.

anyone can get injured at any time.

he probably conditions very well, is very tough with minor injuries and has been lucky. case closed

tarts?

 

[the spanker]

What a thread. Let's just change this to why doesn't Brady or Manning ever get hurt.

I knew better than to read this...yawwwwwwwwwn.

 

[Pigskins]

He is a good RB and he has good luck on the field. Expect 100 yrds and 2 TDs per game for remainder of the season.

 

[Britney Spears]

please close this thread. it is retarted.

LOL, Wow.

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

Yes, anyone can be injured at any time. Yet, you have to wonder how the likes of LT, Jerry Rice, Barry Sanders, and Michael Jordan in basketball have avoided significant injury. In the past, some have said that there is something intangible and/or otherwise inperceptible that causes them to land and move in certain ways and otherwise avoid injuries. I can't rule this in or out.

Rice had a few significant injuries.As for Tomlinson, he played through a groin injury in 2004 and a cracked rib in 2005 that may have sidelined some other guys. (The rib didn't happen during the play. It was at the bottom of the pile after the play.)

BTW, I sometimes see it written that Tomlinson has "only missed one game due to injury in his career," but that's incorrect. He's never missed a game due to injury. He played only 15 games in 2004, but that's because Tomlinson, Brees, and Gates all sat out the week 17 game after the Chargers had already clinched the division. Nothing to do with injury.

 

[notapplicable]

Yes, anyone can be injured at any time. Yet, you have to wonder how the likes of LT, Jerry Rice, Barry Sanders, and Michael Jordan in basketball have avoided significant injury. In the past, some have said that there is something intangible and/or otherwise inperceptible that causes them to land and move in certain ways and otherwise avoid injuries. I can't rule this in or out.

Rice had a few significant injuries.As for Tomlinson, he played through a groin injury in 2004 and a cracked rib in 2005 that may have sidelined some other guys. (The rib didn't happen during the play. It was at the bottom of the pile after the play.)

BTW, I sometimes see it written that Tomlinson has "only missed one game due to injury in his career," but that's incorrect. He's never missed a game due to injury. He played only 15 games in 2004, but that's because Tomlinson, Brees, and Gates all sat out the week 17 game after the Chargers had already clinched the division. Nothing to do with injury.

MJ also missed about 65 games one year with a broken foot...These guys play so much ball, and are in potential injury situations all the time, so I would just chalk it up to luck for the most part.

 

[Neil Beaufort Zod]

When he tears his ACL this weekend, I'm going to drive to your house, ring your doorbell, and punch you in the ear.

Seriously, I think this is a good thread topic. Obviously there's luck involved, but LT knows when to go out of bounds and preserve himself. You don't see him going Mike Alstott on defenders and plowing into them all the time. He also seems to know how to get tackled. I'm not sure what that entails, but when he gets tackled it rarely looks awkward or puts him in a weird position. Not knowing exactly what all that comes down to, I'll chalk it up to "fundamentals"-- the kinds of things coaches tell players but they don't instinctively remember in the heat of the moment. LT not only remembers, he's made it second-nature.

 

[Neil Beaufort Zod]

Yes, anyone can be injured at any time. Yet, you have to wonder how the likes of LT, Jerry Rice, Barry Sanders, and Michael Jordan in basketball have avoided significant injury. In the past, some have said that there is something intangible and/or otherwise inperceptible that causes them to land and move in certain ways and otherwise avoid injuries. I can't rule this in or out.

Rice had a few significant injuries.As for Tomlinson, he played through a groin injury in 2004 and a cracked rib in 2005 that may have sidelined some other guys. (The rib didn't happen during the play. It was at the bottom of the pile after the play.)

BTW, I sometimes see it written that Tomlinson has "only missed one game due to injury in his career," but that's incorrect. He's never missed a game due to injury. He played only 15 games in 2004, but that's because Tomlinson, Brees, and Gates all sat out the week 17 game after the Chargers had already clinched the division. Nothing to do with injury.

The one I remember best was when he was dragged down in Tampa on a reverse-- not the kind of play he normally runs and definitely outside his normal duties. I think Rice was a guy who likely avoided injury by the way he played. A reverse is a weird play where unusual things could happen, like if LT was sacked trying to throw and he fell on his shoulder or something. Maybe he had a buch of injuries I'm not remembering, but for most of his career I thought he was pretty durable.

 

[Lemmiwinks]

because he's god

 

[Jackstraw]

Turner owner. Just stopped by to say

 

[Sinrman]

He lives in a bubble. They only let him out for games...

 

[jim k]

As stated earlier in a response, he has been injured.

He played with a broken rib in 2005, although his production dropped after the injury.

The biggest reason he has remained football healthy is that because of his running style, he doesn't take a lot of hits to his knees.

His combination of luck, size, speed, quickness, vision and power allow him to get through holes quickly, react quickly and avoid the knee injuries that befall normal running backs.

 

[smcindoe]

This has probably been posted before, but seems appropriate:

http://www.theonion.com/content/infograph/...inian_tomlinson

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

LT was significantly slowed down by a groin injury (I have a suspicion it was partially torn) and a rib injury (broken cartilage between a rib and his sternum) in 2004 and 2005. He played through the injuries, but he wasn't himself, not even close.

 

[Da Guru]

It is just a numbers game, you play RB in the NFL you will get injured..sooner or later.

 

[Steeler07]

LT is very good at avoiding unnecessary contact.

 

[pinda]

please close this thread. it is retarted.anyone can get injured at any time.he probably conditions very well, is very tough with minor injuries and has been lucky. case closed

I finally found a quote worthy of being my signature

 

[pinda]

Yes, anyone can be injured at any time. Yet, you have to wonder how the likes of LT, Jerry Rice, Barry Sanders, and Michael Jordan in basketball have avoided significant injury. In the past, some have said that there is something intangible and/or otherwise inperceptible that causes them to land and move in certain ways and otherwise avoid injuries. I can't rule this in or out.

Rice had a few significant injuries.As for Tomlinson, he played through a groin injury in 2004 and a cracked rib in 2005 that may have sidelined some other guys. (The rib didn't happen during the play. It was at the bottom of the pile after the play.)

BTW, I sometimes see it written that Tomlinson has "only missed one game due to injury in his career," but that's incorrect. He's never missed a game due to injury. He played only 15 games in 2004, but that's because Tomlinson, Brees, and Gates all sat out the week 17 game after the Chargers had already clinched the division. Nothing to do with injury.

The one I remember best was when he was dragged down in Tampa on a reverse-- not the kind of play he normally runs and definitely outside his normal duties. I think Rice was a guy who likely avoided injury by the way he played. A reverse is a weird play where unusual things could happen, like if LT was sacked trying to throw and he fell on his shoulder or something. Maybe he had a buch of injuries I'm not remembering, but for most of his career I thought he was pretty durable.

Rice broke his knee cap after coming back back to early from a torn ACL i think it was in his last 2-3 years in San Fran, cant remember exactly which year.ETA: Gotta love Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Rice

During the season opener of the 1997 season he tore the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his left knee. The injury broke his streak of 189 consecutive games played. Fourteen weeks later he made his return, much earlier than doctors wanted him to. He scored a touchdown, but when he came down with the catch, he cracked the patella in his left kneecap.

Back from a torn ACL in 14 weeks

 

[Tanner9919]

When he tears his ACL this weekend, I'm going to drive to your house, ring your doorbell, and punch you in the ear.

you know he's bound to get hurt at some point,nothing like talking about his injury-free career, to get the bad karma rolling

 

[bonesman]

please close this thread. it is retarted.anyone can get injured at any time.he probably conditions very well, is very tough with minor injuries and has been lucky. case closed

I finally found a quote worthy of being my signature

I'm pretty sure ######ed w/ a D in the middle doesn't make it through the language filter... so it's not as ironic as you might think

 

[SSOG]

It might not be a popular answer, but I'm going to say dumb, blind luck. I mean, sure, lots of RBs get hurt, but the odds are strongly in favor of many RBs making it through their entire career without a significant injury. Tomlinson has just had the blind luck to be one of those RBs. You might think it's a coincidence that the best RBs in history have a tendency to get lucky and avoid injury, but I think a lot of that is just because the RBs who get lucky and avoid injury put up better numbers, making us consider them some of the best backs in history. Who knows what George Rogers would have done if he'd been blessed with Tomlinson's good fortune, for instance? And who doesn't think that Terrell Davis would have rewritten all of the record books if he played 10+ injury-free seasons?

 

[EBF]

It might not be a popular answer, but I'm going to say dumb, blind luck. I mean, sure, lots of RBs get hurt, but the odds are strongly in favor of many RBs making it through their entire career without a significant injury. Tomlinson has just had the blind luck to be one of those RBs. You might think it's a coincidence that the best RBs in history have a tendency to get lucky and avoid injury, but I think a lot of that is just because the RBs who get lucky and avoid injury put up better numbers, making us consider them some of the best backs in history. Who knows what George Rogers would have done if he'd been blessed with Tomlinson's good fortune, for instance? And who doesn't think that Terrell Davis would have rewritten all of the record books if he played 10+ injury-free seasons?

Is luck a factor? Sure. Is the luck the sole factor? No.When a guy stays relatively healthy over hundreds and thousands of carries you have to think it's more than just luck at work. You know those crash tests that they do with cars? The cars with the strongest composition will perform the best. It's the same thing in the NFL. Playing running back is like exposing your body to endless crash tests. The bodies with the strongest composition will perform the best. If you used a computer program to design the perfect RB, it would look a lot like LT. He's short and stocky. All of his weight is in his legs. What this means functionally is that he doesn't take a lot of big hits (because he's so short that it's hard for defenders to get low on him) and he's very good at absorbing the hits he does take because he has such a strong base. Plus, he's very elusive and extremely good at avoiding unnecessary contact. I believe that there is a prototypical body type for an NFL RB (5'9"-5'11" and 215-225 pounds). In my opinion, it's not a coincidence that LaDainian Tomlinson, Edgerrin James, Curtis Martin, Marshall Faulk, Shaun Alexander, and Emmitt Smith (arguably the best RBs of the last 15 years) are almost the exact same size. I think part of the reason these guys were successful is because they possessed the ideal body type to be durable NFL RBs. Consider the injury woes of the taller backs in the league. Deuce McAllister has shredded two knees. Steven Jackson had a minor knee surgery after college and is already showing signs of wear in the NFL. Chris Brown can't stay healthy. Brandon Jacobs can't stay healthy. Fred Taylor has had multiple season-ending injuries. Ronnie Brown shredded a knee. The only tall back who had exceptional durability was Eddie George. Even he had a shorter shelf life than his shorter colleagues. Granted, there are also some "ideal" guys who have had injury problems. Frank Gore and Cadillac Williams both fit my short and squatty mold pretty well. They've both dealt with injuries for most of their careers. Kenny Irons shredded his knee. Kevin Jones has had injury problems. Same with Brian Westbrook.I think part of this contradiction can be attributed to playing style. It's important for a RB to have the ideal build, but it's also important for him to avoid big hits. Guys like Emmitt Smith and LaDainian Tomlinson did that better than Cadillac Williams and Kevin Jones (who routinely get rocked). Finally, you do have to acknowledge the role of luck. There's no doubt that luck is a factor and even the sturdiest player can suffer an injury if he encounters the perfect storm of physical stimuli. Nevertheless, I don't buy the notion that luck alone determines who gets hurt. Common sense says certain body types are better equipped to handle intense impact and certain playing styles are better at avoiding intense impact. I think LT is great in both categories. He has the ideal build to absorb contact and the ideal playing style to avoid contact. That's why he's been virtually invincible while guys like McAllister have succumbed to the rigors of the job.

 

[SSOG]

It might not be a popular answer, but I'm going to say dumb, blind luck. I mean, sure, lots of RBs get hurt, but the odds are strongly in favor of many RBs making it through their entire career without a significant injury. Tomlinson has just had the blind luck to be one of those RBs. You might think it's a coincidence that the best RBs in history have a tendency to get lucky and avoid injury, but I think a lot of that is just because the RBs who get lucky and avoid injury put up better numbers, making us consider them some of the best backs in history. Who knows what George Rogers would have done if he'd been blessed with Tomlinson's good fortune, for instance? And who doesn't think that Terrell Davis would have rewritten all of the record books if he played 10+ injury-free seasons?

Is luck a factor? Sure. Is the luck the sole factor? No.When a guy stays relatively healthy over hundreds and thousands of carries you have to think it's more than just luck at work. You know those crash tests that they do with cars? The cars with the strongest composition will perform the best. It's the same thing in the NFL. Playing running back is like exposing your body to endless crash tests. The bodies with the strongest composition will perform the best. If you used a computer program to design the perfect RB, it would look a lot like LT. He's short and stocky. All of his weight is in his legs. What this means functionally is that he doesn't take a lot of big hits (because he's so short that it's hard for defenders to get low on him) and he's very good at absorbing the hits he does take because he has such a strong base. Plus, he's very elusive and extremely good at avoiding unnecessary contact. I believe that there is a prototypical body type for an NFL RB (5'9"-5'11" and 215-225 pounds). In my opinion, it's not a coincidence that LaDainian Tomlinson, Edgerrin James, Curtis Martin, Marshall Faulk, Shaun Alexander, and Emmitt Smith (arguably the best RBs of the last 15 years) are almost the exact same size. I think part of the reason these guys were successful is because they possessed the ideal body type to be durable NFL RBs. Consider the injury woes of the taller backs in the league. Deuce McAllister has shredded two knees. Steven Jackson had a minor knee surgery after college and is already showing signs of wear in the NFL. Chris Brown can't stay healthy. Brandon Jacobs can't stay healthy. Fred Taylor has had multiple season-ending injuries. Ronnie Brown shredded a knee. The only tall back who had exceptional durability was Eddie George. Even he had a shorter shelf life than his shorter colleagues. Granted, there are also some "ideal" guys who have had injury problems. Frank Gore and Cadillac Williams both fit my short and squatty mold pretty well. They've both dealt with injuries for most of their careers. Kenny Irons shredded his knee. Kevin Jones has had injury problems. Same with Brian Westbrook.I think part of this contradiction can be attributed to playing style. It's important for a RB to have the ideal build, but it's also important for him to avoid big hits. Guys like Emmitt Smith and LaDainian Tomlinson did that better than Cadillac Williams and Kevin Jones (who routinely get rocked). Finally, you do have to acknowledge the role of luck. There's no doubt that luck is a factor and even the sturdiest player can suffer an injury if he encounters the perfect storm of physical stimuli. Nevertheless, I don't buy the notion that luck alone determines who gets hurt. Common sense says certain body types are better equipped to handle intense impact and certain playing styles are better at avoiding intense impact. I think LT is great in both categories. He has the ideal build to absorb contact and the ideal playing style to avoid contact. That's why he's been virtually invincible while guys like McAllister have succumbed to the rigors of the job.

I don't think that luck alone determines who gets hurt, but I think it plays a far larger role than most people would like to admit. A huge percentage of injuries in the NFL are just fluke things. Terrell Davis's career was ended as he was trying to make a tackle on an interception. Tatum Bell dislocated his thumb when he got it caught in someone's jersey as he was being tackled. Brett Favre is pretty much the gold standard for NFL Iron Men, and a lot of that has to do with his ability to avoid sacks (he and Peyton Manning are the two least-sacked QBs in the league, and they're also the two QBs with the most consecutive starts- not a coincidence)... but a lot of it also has to do with the fact that his offensive linemen have never accidentally rolled a 300 lb DT over the back of his leg.Tomlinson has the ideal combination of factors to prevent injury during the normal course of performing his job, but it's only dumb luck that's protecting him from the myriad of fluke injuries which he could be afflicted with.

 

[DeCleater]

It might not be a popular answer, but I'm going to say dumb, blind luck. I mean, sure, lots of RBs get hurt, but the odds are strongly in favor of many RBs making it through their entire career without a significant injury. Tomlinson has just had the blind luck to be one of those RBs. You might think it's a coincidence that the best RBs in history have a tendency to get lucky and avoid injury, but I think a lot of that is just because the RBs who get lucky and avoid injury put up better numbers, making us consider them some of the best backs in history. Who knows what George Rogers would have done if he'd been blessed with Tomlinson's good fortune, for instance? And who doesn't think that Terrell Davis would have rewritten all of the record books if he played 10+ injury-free seasons?

Is luck a factor? Sure. Is the luck the sole factor? No.When a guy stays relatively healthy over hundreds and thousands of carries you have to think it's more than just luck at work. You know those crash tests that they do with cars? The cars with the strongest composition will perform the best. It's the same thing in the NFL. Playing running back is like exposing your body to endless crash tests. The bodies with the strongest composition will perform the best. If you used a computer program to design the perfect RB, it would look a lot like LT. He's short and stocky. All of his weight is in his legs. What this means functionally is that he doesn't take a lot of big hits (because he's so short that it's hard for defenders to get low on him) and he's very good at absorbing the hits he does take because he has such a strong base. Plus, he's very elusive and extremely good at avoiding unnecessary contact. I believe that there is a prototypical body type for an NFL RB (5'9"-5'11" and 215-225 pounds). In my opinion, it's not a coincidence that LaDainian Tomlinson, Edgerrin James, Curtis Martin, Marshall Faulk, Shaun Alexander, and Emmitt Smith (arguably the best RBs of the last 15 years) are almost the exact same size. I think part of the reason these guys were successful is because they possessed the ideal body type to be durable NFL RBs. Consider the injury woes of the taller backs in the league. Deuce McAllister has shredded two knees. Steven Jackson had a minor knee surgery after college and is already showing signs of wear in the NFL. Chris Brown can't stay healthy. Brandon Jacobs can't stay healthy. Fred Taylor has had multiple season-ending injuries. Ronnie Brown shredded a knee. The only tall back who had exceptional durability was Eddie George. Even he had a shorter shelf life than his shorter colleagues. Granted, there are also some "ideal" guys who have had injury problems. Frank Gore and Cadillac Williams both fit my short and squatty mold pretty well. They've both dealt with injuries for most of their careers. Kenny Irons shredded his knee. Kevin Jones has had injury problems. Same with Brian Westbrook.I think part of this contradiction can be attributed to playing style. It's important for a RB to have the ideal build, but it's also important for him to avoid big hits. Guys like Emmitt Smith and LaDainian Tomlinson did that better than Cadillac Williams and Kevin Jones (who routinely get rocked). Finally, you do have to acknowledge the role of luck. There's no doubt that luck is a factor and even the sturdiest player can suffer an injury if he encounters the perfect storm of physical stimuli. Nevertheless, I don't buy the notion that luck alone determines who gets hurt. Common sense says certain body types are better equipped to handle intense impact and certain playing styles are better at avoiding intense impact. I think LT is great in both categories. He has the ideal build to absorb contact and the ideal playing style to avoid contact. That's why he's been virtually invincible while guys like McAllister have succumbed to the rigors of the job.

I don't think that luck alone determines who gets hurt, but I think it plays a far larger role than most people would like to admit. A huge percentage of injuries in the NFL are just fluke things. Terrell Davis's career was ended as he was trying to make a tackle on an interception. Tatum Bell dislocated his thumb when he got it caught in someone's jersey as he was being tackled. Brett Favre is pretty much the gold standard for NFL Iron Men, and a lot of that has to do with his ability to avoid sacks (he and Peyton Manning are the two least-sacked QBs in the league, and they're also the two QBs with the most consecutive starts- not a coincidence)... but a lot of it also has to do with the fact that his offensive linemen have never accidentally rolled a 300 lb DT over the back of his leg.Tomlinson has the ideal combination of factors to prevent injury during the normal course of performing his job, but it's only dumb luck that's protecting him from the myriad of fluke injuries which he could be afflicted with.

LT has been able to avoid taking big hits to this point in his career. When he loses that edge he will begin to take more injury producing hits. That will lead to injuries at some point. Look back at the careers of Tony Dorsett and OJ. Both were relativily healthy when they were young then as age caught up with them the injuries started to happen. Age gets everybody (except George Blanda and Vinny Testaverde).

 

[Da Guru]

It might not be a popular answer, but I'm going to say dumb, blind luck. I mean, sure, lots of RBs get hurt, but the odds are strongly in favor of many RBs making it through their entire career without a significant injury. Tomlinson has just had the blind luck to be one of those RBs. You might think it's a coincidence that the best RBs in history have a tendency to get lucky and avoid injury, but I think a lot of that is just because the RBs who get lucky and avoid injury put up better numbers, making us consider them some of the best backs in history. Who knows what George Rogers would have done if he'd been blessed with Tomlinson's good fortune, for instance? And who doesn't think that Terrell Davis would have rewritten all of the record books if he played 10+ injury-free seasons?

Is luck a factor? Sure. Is the luck the sole factor? No.When a guy stays relatively healthy over hundreds and thousands of carries you have to think it's more than just luck at work. You know those crash tests that they do with cars? The cars with the strongest composition will perform the best. It's the same thing in the NFL. Playing running back is like exposing your body to endless crash tests. The bodies with the strongest composition will perform the best. If you used a computer program to design the perfect RB, it would look a lot like LT. He's short and stocky. All of his weight is in his legs. What this means functionally is that he doesn't take a lot of big hits (because he's so short that it's hard for defenders to get low on him) and he's very good at absorbing the hits he does take because he has such a strong base. Plus, he's very elusive and extremely good at avoiding unnecessary contact. I believe that there is a prototypical body type for an NFL RB (5'9"-5'11" and 215-225 pounds). In my opinion, it's not a coincidence that LaDainian Tomlinson, Edgerrin James, Curtis Martin, Marshall Faulk, Shaun Alexander, and Emmitt Smith (arguably the best RBs of the last 15 years) are almost the exact same size. I think part of the reason these guys were successful is because they possessed the ideal body type to be durable NFL RBs. Consider the injury woes of the taller backs in the league. Deuce McAllister has shredded two knees. Steven Jackson had a minor knee surgery after college and is already showing signs of wear in the NFL. Chris Brown can't stay healthy. Brandon Jacobs can't stay healthy. Fred Taylor has had multiple season-ending injuries. Ronnie Brown shredded a knee. The only tall back who had exceptional durability was Eddie George. Even he had a shorter shelf life than his shorter colleagues. Granted, there are also some "ideal" guys who have had injury problems. Frank Gore and Cadillac Williams both fit my short and squatty mold pretty well. They've both dealt with injuries for most of their careers. Kenny Irons shredded his knee. Kevin Jones has had injury problems. Same with Brian Westbrook.I think part of this contradiction can be attributed to playing style. It's important for a RB to have the ideal build, but it's also important for him to avoid big hits. Guys like Emmitt Smith and LaDainian Tomlinson did that better than Cadillac Williams and Kevin Jones (who routinely get rocked). Finally, you do have to acknowledge the role of luck. There's no doubt that luck is a factor and even the sturdiest player can suffer an injury if he encounters the perfect storm of physical stimuli. Nevertheless, I don't buy the notion that luck alone determines who gets hurt. Common sense says certain body types are better equipped to handle intense impact and certain playing styles are better at avoiding intense impact. I think LT is great in both categories. He has the ideal build to absorb contact and the ideal playing style to avoid contact. That's why he's been virtually invincible while guys like McAllister have succumbed to the rigors of the job.

I don't think that luck alone determines who gets hurt, but I think it plays a far larger role than most people would like to admit. A huge percentage of injuries in the NFL are just fluke things. Terrell Davis's career was ended as he was trying to make a tackle on an interception. Tatum Bell dislocated his thumb when he got it caught in someone's jersey as he was being tackled. Brett Favre is pretty much the gold standard for NFL Iron Men, and a lot of that has to do with his ability to avoid sacks (he and Peyton Manning are the two least-sacked QBs in the league, and they're also the two QBs with the most consecutive starts- not a coincidence)... but a lot of it also has to do with the fact that his offensive linemen have never accidentally rolled a 300 lb DT over the back of his leg.Tomlinson has the ideal combination of factors to prevent injury during the normal course of performing his job, but it's only dumb luck that's protecting him from the myriad of fluke injuries which he could be afflicted with.

LT has been able to avoid taking big hits to this point in his career. When he loses that edge he will begin to take more injury producing hits. That will lead to injuries at some point. Look back at the careers of Tony Dorsett and OJ. Both were relativily healthy when they were young then as age caught up with them the injuries started to happen. Age gets everybody (except George Blanda and Vinny Testaverde).

I agree, Emmitt Smith was the same way, but it caught up to him.

 

[Neil Beaufort Zod]

Yes, anyone can be injured at any time. Yet, you have to wonder how the likes of LT, Jerry Rice, Barry Sanders, and Michael Jordan in basketball have avoided significant injury. In the past, some have said that there is something intangible and/or otherwise inperceptible that causes them to land and move in certain ways and otherwise avoid injuries. I can't rule this in or out.

Rice had a few significant injuries.As for Tomlinson, he played through a groin injury in 2004 and a cracked rib in 2005 that may have sidelined some other guys. (The rib didn't happen during the play. It was at the bottom of the pile after the play.)

BTW, I sometimes see it written that Tomlinson has "only missed one game due to injury in his career," but that's incorrect. He's never missed a game due to injury. He played only 15 games in 2004, but that's because Tomlinson, Brees, and Gates all sat out the week 17 game after the Chargers had already clinched the division. Nothing to do with injury.

The one I remember best was when he was dragged down in Tampa on a reverse-- not the kind of play he normally runs and definitely outside his normal duties. I think Rice was a guy who likely avoided injury by the way he played. A reverse is a weird play where unusual things could happen, like if LT was sacked trying to throw and he fell on his shoulder or something. Maybe he had a buch of injuries I'm not remembering, but for most of his career I thought he was pretty durable.

Rice broke his knee cap after coming back back to early from a torn ACL i think it was in his last 2-3 years in San Fran, cant remember exactly which year.ETA: Gotta love Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Rice

During the season opener of the 1997 season he tore the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his left knee. The injury broke his streak of 189 consecutive games played. Fourteen weeks later he made his return, much earlier than doctors wanted him to. He scored a touchdown, but when he came down with the catch, he cracked the patella in his left kneecap.

Back from a torn ACL in 14 weeks

Wasn't the original injury the Tampa game? I do remember him getting injured on that TD, too.

 

[Boxer]

In a word: Luck.

His day is coming. The severity of it is unknown. He will get injured before his career is over. Can't expose your knees 30 times a game 16 times a year in the NFL without it happening sooner or later.

 

[Da Guru]

In a word: Luck.His day is coming. The severity of it is unknown. He will get injured before his career is over. Can't expose your knees 30 times a game 16 times a year in the NFL without it happening sooner or later.

I agree. I have a gut feeling LT was going down this year. Probably because I have him for the first time ever.

 

[Synthesizer]

In a word: Luck.His day is coming. The severity of it is unknown. He will get injured before his career is over. Can't expose your knees 30 times a game 16 times a year in the NFL without it happening sooner or later.

People have been predicting a serious LT injury for the past 5 years. Way to go out on a limb there.