C.J. Beathard was injured on a play that never should happened. Seattle defensive end Michael Bennett was off-sides on the play and either never heard the whistle, or couldn’t stop himself in time before he hit Beathard. Luckily, Beathard wasn’t injured seriously.
Nevertheless, the 49ers put two more players on season-ending injured reserve. Eric Magnuson (foot), who started for the injured Trent Brown (shoulder) was hurt himself in pregame warm-ups, and Raheem Mostart, the team’s special teams core player and backup running back, who tore his medial collateral knee ligament.
The 49ers’ injured reserve list is now 19 names long, which is most in the league. But the 49ers aren’t the only team decimated by injuries. Many of the league’s top stars this year missed significant time, including Houston defensive lineman J.J. Watt, Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson, Arizona running back David Johnson, and Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rogers.
According to profootballoutsiders.com, from 2002 to 2014 the rate of injuries has steadily risen, and this year is expected to be more injury-plagued season ever. This has become a huge problem for the 49ers and the NFL
that no one is talking about. The league seems more concerned with national anthem protests then injuries to it’s highly compensated employees.
Fans are more likely to turn off a game that doesn’t feature quarterbacks Watson or Rogers, than turn it off because a few players are taking a knee before the game even starts.
For the 49ers, they would likely have won two or three more games if they hadn’t lost wide receiver Pierre Garcon, safety Jaquiski Tarrt, safety Jimmie Ward, defensive end Arik Armstead, defensive end Tank Carradine and defensive tackle D.J. Jones to significant injury.
Tight end George Kittle, linebacker Reuben Foster, defensive end Solomon Thomas, wide receiver Trent Taylor and fullback Kyle Juszczyk have also missed games.
At this stage, the 49ers don’t have the depth to overcome these issues. Hence that’s why they’ve claimed and signed a bevy of players this year.
General manager John Lynch is concerned. He said he and his staff will do a “deep dive” into the issue during the off-season to figure out how they can stay healthier.
What they need is help from the league. Some are making the ridiculous observation that less playing time is leading to more injuries. As former 49ers linebacker Chris Borland said, football is violent. And the less you play it, the healthier you are going to be. Borland famously retired after his rookie season because of concerns about his brain.
It’s more a matter of simple math. Players are getting bigger, stronger and faster. The 40-yard dash times at the combine are getting lower, bench press reps at 225 pounds are getting higher. Speed and mass are moving at higher speeds, making the collisions more violent. What also happening is ligaments, bone thickness and cartilage is probably staying about the same.
So, unfortunately, the league has to step in with more rule changes. Like in college, the NFL should
suspend a player one game for targeting. Nothing says, “stop it” than losing a game check. The NFL might also want to institute a rule legislating proper tackling technique.
While we all love the body slams, every player should make an attempt to wrap up on every play, and the league should crack down on the use of the helmet anywhere on the field, whether it’s an offensive or defensive player.
Additionally, the NFL has to have a meeting with everyone, players, coaches, and general managers about the importance of keeping quarterbacks from injury. The old AFL knew if Jets superstar quarterback Joe Nameth was injured, they would all suffer, and consequently pass rushers sacked Nameth delicately. That sounds antithetical to the game itself, but needs to be done.
Also, the play in which Beathard was injured should never happen. Once the whistle blows, defenders have to stop their rush. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said it happened three times in Sunday’s game where the Seahawks were off-side and the whistle blew, and yet they didn’t stop.
Heavy penalties should be issued for violating that rule, including possible suspensions. Also, Shanahan believes Bennett hit Beathard low, below the so-called “strike zone” of where to hit the quarterback, which is above the knee and below the head.
Some will say that the NFL is getting soft. But better soft than non existent. The league can no longer
afford to lose its star players, particularly when so many other things are diverting the attention of younger fans.
Also by protecting quarterbacks and receivers who are often vulnerable when they can’t see the hit coming, the NFL will be reducing the diabolical nature of the game. With cage fighting for example, at least the combatants are of a similar weight, and they are facing each other.
In football, a quarterback or receiver can’t protect themselves because they are either looking down field or concentrating on the ball in the air. And in most cases, with quarterbacks, they are getting pummeled by much larger players who have a running start.
Those advantages to defenders allow defenses to catch up with offenses. But they also get the game’s most high profile players injured. And while older fans and players might say the game isn’t as tough as it once was, they were never hit by the likes of Jadeveon Clowney. He’s listed at 270 pounds, but is now probably closer to 280 pounds and he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds.
The physics of the game are outpacing players’ ability to withstand they hits they deliver to one another. And, unfortunately, something has to be done about it.