The Denver Broncos have been dropping like flies in training camp, and soft tissue injuries are the problem.
The Denver Broncos are trying to manage a series of training camp injuries, and coach Sean Payton isn’t happy about it, according to a report from Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk that referenced additional reporting from the Denver Post.
Most of the injuries have been of the soft-tissue variety, which is somewhat less discouraging, but the list of players going down is getting long and scary. It includes receivers Jaylen Waddle and Marvin Mims Jr., with running back J.K. Dobbins being the latest to suffer a soft-tissue issue yesterday, and that’s a lot of star power to have on the sidelines.
“We’ve got to get a handle on some of the soft-tissues,” Payton said, via the Denver Post. “We’ve had a couple either strains, hamstring or groins. We continue to fight through that.”
Payton said he didn’t want to blame the heat, which makes sense given that every team has to deal with it right now, but he also mentioned pre-practice routines as a crucial factor in preventing these injuries.
“You always try to look at your pre-practice routine,” Payton said. “Your hydration, obviously. And it’s incumbent on the player. It’s hard for anyone to know your soft tissue. I’m always looking at maybe what we did leading up to the period when a guy had a strain.”
What Payton is conveniently ignoring is the man in the mirror. He’s long had a reputation for going six days a week in training camp, sometimes even a full seven, and with this particular group there’s a question of whether that’s necessary. The Broncos went 14-3 last season, and Denver has a tough veteran group that knows how to take care of business.
The Dobbins injury was particularly amusing, as he’s been talking throughout the offseason about how healthy he’s going to be this season. He won’t back off after going down, though, because that’s not in his nature, so he’ll inevitably have some explanation or excuse for his situation, along with the standard rejoinder about this being training camp.
The larger question here is whether Payton will back off. He’s been grudgingly giving ground with several of his long-standing coaching practices, with the most prominent being his insistence on calling plays. That’s been handed over to new offensive coordinator Davis Webb, but Webb won’t have a lot to worth with if a good chunk of the Broncos’ star power is standing on the sidelines or peddling stationary bikes.
