The Chicago Bears injury luck is rotten. Terrible. Horrific. Bad. There are only so many ways to put it. Some NFL analysts have shied away from referencing the health issues this team has had. They don’t want to use it as a crutch for their problems. It sounds too much like an excuse. Well yeah. Of course it’s an excuse. A damn good one as it turns out.
Experts love to say the cliche things. Winning in football is about execution. It’s about a team playing together as one. Sure, those things are important but not the big imperative. Remember that this is one of the most brutal sports played on the planet. It takes a serious tole on the body. Especially if it’s played the wrong way. Execution and chemistry? No the biggest obstacle to success in this league is health.
Not having key players on the field to go against the opposing key players of another team is the fast track to losing a lot of games in the NFL. Those that are able to navigate this minefield tend to go far. Don’t believe it?
Chicago Bears injury luck showcased in numerical form
Hearing the news that wide receiver Cameron Meredith hurt his thumb ligament with 2017 having barely begun has to feel deflating. He’s expected to be a vital part of the Bears’ new-look offense. Now he loses valuable practice reps getting himself right. It’s more of the same from last year. For those who need a quick recap, here it is.
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By the end of the 2016 season, the Bears had 21 players listed on Injured Reserve. For those wondering, the currently recognized record in this category is 22. That’s how banged up the team was. Not just a regular assortment of players either. There were a ton of big names on that list including:
- Danny Trevathan
- Eddie Goldman
- Kyle Long
- Zach Miller
- Kyle Fuller
- Jay Cutler
All of those men were key starters on the roster. This isn’t counting the time missed by players who managed to avoid IR either. Josh Sitton missed three games for various problems. Leonard Floyd suffered two concussions and some other problems. Bryce Callahan dealt with persistent hamstring issues. It was a mess.
Just look at the playoffs
So what about some comparisons? Often the best way to showcase how impactful injuries can be, here is a rundown of the Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers. The four teams that participated in the NFC and AFC championship games back in January.
- Falcons ending year on IR: 8
- Patriots ending year on IR: 11
- Steelers ending year on IR: 11
- Packers ending year on IR: 12
So wrap the head around this. Combined the four teams in the conference title games had 42 players on injured reserve by the time they played that weekend. Remember that the Bears had 21 by the end of the regular season. So that means they, one team, suffered half the number of total season-ending injuries of FOUR OTHER TEAMS.
That is insanity personified. How can anybody expect a team to win football games when something like that happens. One could argue it’s a minor miracle the Bears won even three games. There’s a reason GM Ryan Pace and head coach John Fox made injury prevention one of their primary offseason research topics. They want to win but know that’s not possible if the players they’ve chosen to help do that aren’t on the field.
