On Players' Health: Luck vs. Skill

[dadmg]

Originally Posted by Roy P

Discussing Cushing, Drew Boylhart believes that if Cushing played MLB that he'd be less likely to get injured.

He states, '{Cushing} will take the angle more when tackling a player and this will allow for a hard hit, but not such a jarring hit that hurts him. It might take Brian a little time to get comfortable at that position, but I also feel that he will eventually show his leadership skills better from that position. The key is to keep Brian healthy and on the field and if you keep him at OLB he will just meet the sweep or the off tackle, run head on and continue to get hurt. At MLB, he will be moving forward with an angle towards the player and tackle with movement."

I'm not sure if I buy into it, but there may be something to how he makes impact.

That's a bit of an odd analysis from Boylhart - kinda goes against conventional wisdom. Based on purely anecdotal evidence, I've always believed that MLBs, especially slightly undersized ones or weakside backers that have been moved to the middle, have a tendency to have a hard time staying healthy. Dan Morgan's one that comes to mind (especially with the insane news today that he's unretiring), but then again Morgan's pretty much a poster boy for the "health is a skill" argument - is there any part of his body that he didn't sustain a substantial injury to during his career?