Nate Burleson: Cruz's injury career-threatening

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having torn both my calves (1 year apart) I can tell you it's not a matter of playing through the pain. It's physically impossible to get any kind of explosiveness or jump off a bad calf. You really can't do anything until it fully heals, and after that, the psychological aspect of wondering if it will tear again is frustratingly significant as well

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"not going to be ready for a few weeks" to "career threatening"?

Just media hyperblabble?

Not targeting you Eric... I'm referring to Nate. Let's see how today's MRI goes before we start saying he's suited up for the last time. As of right now, as well know is the dude tweaked an injury.

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In comment 12518697 SwirlingEddie said:

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"not going to be ready for a few weeks" to "career threatening"? Just media hyperblabble?

read the second paragraph, first sentence of quote in OP.

Is it a tear?

If it's a strain then let him rest a few more weeks and he should be fine. No need to push his rear urn. I would be ok if he stayed out till week 8. I just want his calf healed all the way. Plus extra time for the knee is not a bad thing.

A strain is technically a tear.

Calf strains are classified into 3 grades, 1 being least serious, maybe 2 weeks, and grade 3 possibly requiring surgery. Sounds like Cruz had a significant grade 2 strain

and for fuck's sake, when did Nate give Cruz a medical exam?

Nice view catching headline though....

It's less of a radical change in position if you were skeptical of the "just a few weeks" timeline to begin with. That always felt like a best case scenario to me.

exactly, it's NFL Network

but he's right on about overcompensating for other injuries.

the odds are he is not going to ever be close to 2011, or more importantly worth the contract he got.

Paying these players a second contract is a mistake so often. I was adamant that the Giants needed to pay both Cruz and Nicks and retain them long term. I could not have been more wrong.

Got to draft well. Free agency, even retaining your own, is too problematic.

of course he has experienced major injuries and rehab at the NFL level and we haven't, but still, he has no more information at this point than we do.

We just have to ride this out and hope for the best for Cruz.

for Rich from Houston's opinion, thank you very much.

and you also can't just let good players walk out the door when you find and develop them.

The Giants thought they could make their own offensive linemen and TEs from late picks and scrapheap signings. No need to pay for premium talent. We're a draft and develop team.

They were wrong. It's not ever easy or a given. When you find talent that shifts the game for your franchise, you pay them.

In comment 12518724 Randy in CT said:

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for Rich from Houston's opinion, thank you very much.

We're all gonna look pretty silly when the MRI comes back saying its only a little scar tissue and Cruz is running 8 miles on Monday.

would be more career-threatening than the calf. This is complete click bait. Calf injuries are a dime a dozen. A torn patella ends careers.

In comment 12518702 micky said:

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In comment 12518697 SwirlingEddie said: Quote: "not going to be ready for a few weeks" to "career threatening"? Just media hyperblabble? read the second paragraph, first sentence of quote in OP.

I should have been clearer. My critique was not directed to the OP, but rather to Burleson or the article's author who seems to imply that because Cruz is injured now he will continue to be so in the future, apparently on the scant evidence that Burleson himself once had injuries to both legs. Even the trainer quoted in the article about calf injuries said it may mean you have to stay out "an extra week" - not forever.

It may turn out to be true that Cruz never returns to above average form, but I see nothing in this article that makes the case for it.

In comment 12518738 SwirlingEddie said:

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In comment 12518702 micky said: Quote: In comment 12518697 SwirlingEddie said: Quote: "not going to be ready for a few weeks" to "career threatening"? Just media hyperblabble? read the second paragraph, first sentence of quote in OP. I should have been clearer. My critique was not directed to the OP, but rather to Burleson or the article's author who seems to imply that because Cruz is injured now he will continue to be so in the future, apparently on the scant evidence that Burleson himself once had injuries to both legs. Even the trainer quoted in the article about calf injuries said it may mean you have to stay out "an extra week" - not forever. It may turn out to be true that Cruz never returns to above average form, but I see nothing in this article that makes the case for it.

Gotchya.

to beat coverages is certainly a big strain on the legs (he has injured both now). If he cannot do that he will not be very effective anyway. That was his game and how he got separation. Plus the mental aspect of going all out and reinsuring will make you tentative. All bad news if these reports are true.

In comment 12518736 ryanmkeane said:

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would be more career-threatening than the calf. This is complete click bait. Calf injuries are a dime a dozen. A torn patella ends careers.

And we haven't seen the knee in a game yet.

In comment 12518730 okiegiant said:

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In comment 12518724 Randy in CT said: Quote: for Rich from Houston's opinion, thank you very much. We're all gonna look pretty silly when the MRI comes back saying its only a little scar tissue and Cruz is running 8 miles on Monday.

GDI...you owe me a keyboard!

injury I thought he looked a lot slower and not nearly as explosive as 2011, especially in the first few weeks last year, then his kneecap blew out, and now the calf.

So freaking unfortunate, ugh, but I think players like Vic start getting into this habit of trying to constantly get so much bigger and stronger that their natural body no longer bears the weight properly and things start snapping. Lots of athletes get into this chronic mindset of getting bigger, even guys like Michael Jordan, and every time it slows them down and in many cases their body starts to break down.

It's about time someone come out with some measurables as to what your proper weight should be where you can maintain a good amount of strength but also the proper elasticity for your muscles and joints to react as naturally as possible.

slot receiver next off-season or look at drafting one. It's now much needed and I also think Randle could be re-signed if he has a good year, because this will probably be it for Cruz.

In comment 12518724 Randy in CT said:

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for Rich from Houston's opinion, thank you very much.

Let's storm the tick toc diner! Who's with me?

If his career was over.

In comment 12518724 Randy in CT said:

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for Rich from Houston's opinion, thank you very much.

If only Cruz and other NFL players were built with Rich's fortitude

and the news just keeps coming.

In comment 12518758 GiantTuff1 said:

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injury I thought he looked a lot slower and not nearly as explosive as 2011, especially in the first few weeks last year, then his kneecap blew out, and now the calf. So freaking unfortunate, ugh, but I think players like Vic start getting into this habit of trying to constantly get so much bigger and stronger that their natural body no longer bears the weight properly and things start snapping. Lots of athletes get into this chronic mindset of getting bigger, even guys like Michael Jordan, and every time it slows them down and in many cases their body starts to break down. It's about time someone come out with some measurables as to what your proper weight should be where you can maintain a good amount of strength but also the proper elasticity for your muscles and joints to react as naturally as possible.

That was my first thought as well when I saw how huge he got. Tiki Barber is another example who thought he'd add power by gaining weight and it backfired. He admitted it, got back down to his natural weight, and started blowing up on the field.

In comment 12518721 Go Terps said:

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the odds are he is not going to ever be close to 2011, or more importantly worth the contract he got. Paying these players a second contract is a mistake so often. I was adamant that the Giants needed to pay both Cruz and Nicks and retain them long term. I could not have been more wrong. Got to draft well. Free agency, even retaining your own, is too problematic.

Terps, c'mon already. You need to resign some of your own, otherwise you'll always be falling behind.

Are you proposing that OBJ not be retained, when time?

but I said this yesterday how a player comes back from an injury, serious injury, and in order to compensate, more weight is put on another part of the body. I thought this is what has happened to Cruz and Burleson's comments, which i saw last night on NFLN, confirm my thoughts there.

I think it is a natural tendency to do that. Now, is it career threatening, not sure about that. It could be guys try to come back too quickly and that causes these issues. Problem is you tend to focus so much on that injury and strengthening that area that you leave the other parts of your body alone and maybe they are not as strong.

but I assume not.

So let's let this play out in terms of the professionals that actually on the scene, rather than doing all these diagnoses by séance.

doctor.

In comment 12518730 okiegiant said:

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In comment 12518724 Randy in CT said: Quote: for Rich from Houston's opinion, thank you very much. We're all gonna look pretty silly when the MRI comes back saying its only a little scar tissue and Cruz is running 8 miles on Monday.

At 4:15 per mile, no less!

of the 2016 NFL draft the new York Giants pick wide receiver_____________ (fill in the blank)

Statement by burelson. He doesn't know shit about the situation.

I saw him say this on NFL access. Plenty come back from 2 injuries back to back.

.... that JPP could be back on the field before Cruz?

Moving on..

Let's just assume that Cruz ends up injured most of the season and is generally ineffective. Let's also assume that Flowers ends up the real deal at LT.

The Giants COULD decide after the season to cut Cruz, and while that would incur a $3.8M "dead money" cap hit, because his base salary is scheduled to be $7.9M, they would actually GAIN over $4M in cap space.

The Giants COULD also cut Beatty- and incur a $5M "dead money" cap hit, but because his base salary would be $6.625M, the Giants would actually GAIN $1.625M in cap space.

Finally, they COULD cut Scwartz- and incur a $1,916,667 "dead money" cap hit- but because his base salary is to be $3.925M, the Giants would gain about $2M in cap space.

Beason is almost certian to be cut because of the structure of his contract- he is due a whopping $2.2M roster bonus. The Giants will almost certainly cut him before that bonus is due.

Sure, we can say that the Giants will have SIGNIFICANT cap space next year, but as part of having that cap space, it might also be prudent for the Giants to use some of that space to "clean up" the cap for future years.

Of course, such moves would mean that the Giants would open big holes on the right side of their OL and have one top WR and not much else there. However, that is what FA and the draft is for.

The larger point is tht the Giants will have an opportunity after this season to remove players not worth their salary going forward and try to "rebalance" the roster in Fa and the draft with (hopefully) little financial risk beyond Eli.

and shouldn't be linked.

is a nice problem to have

Manningham played 4 years and both were injured during those years. But they played about full seasons. Both hung around for parts of other seasons. Cruz played 3 full seasons although 2013 was only 14 games. His numbers decreased every year. It wouldn't be shocking at all if his career is basically over at this point. It's the nature of the sport. The average NFL career is 3.5 years. But in a way if he winds up on IR it might actually give hm a chance to have a 2nd act that most NFL players don't get. His knee will have time to fully heel. Obviously missing more than a season and half isn't ideal and it may not work out but that's the route I think it's going to go because as people have posted several times the Giants just went through a similar scenario with Berhe. I know it's different players and no two injuries are a like but it's deja vu all over again.

In comment 12518896 arniefez said:

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Manningham played 4 years and both were injured during those years. But they played about full seasons. Both hung around for parts of other seasons. Cruz played 3 full seasons although 2013 was only 14 games. His numbers decreased every year. It wouldn't be shocking at all if his career is basically over at this point. It's the nature of the sport. The average NFL career is 3.5 years. But in a way if he winds up on IR it might actually give hm a chance to have a 2nd act that most NFL players don't get. His knee will have time to fully heel. Obviously missing more than a season and half isn't ideal and it may not work out but that's the route I think it's going to go because as people have posted several times the Giants just went through a similar scenario with Berhe. I know it's different players and no two injuries are a like but it's deja vu all over again.

This is what I'm starting to think...shut him down...ask him to take paycut...give him one more chance in 2016 but don't count on him.

I think people are missing Burleson's point (and I think he phrased it poorly with the 'career threatening' comment). Cruz will need to prove that he has the previous explosiveness and ability - the team cannot assume he will be a starting quality receiver going forward (assuming this injury keeps him out another couple weeks). The idea that players 'compensate' for prior injuries has been perpetuated for some time (I don't know if it's true, but it seems reasonable to me). Burleson's isn't predicting him to retire, but he's raising the possibility of him suffering nagging injuries from here on out - and/or returning as an inferior playe (all thoughts others have raised here).

In comment 12518841 KWALL2 said:

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Statement by burelson. He doesn't know shit about the situation. I saw him say this on NFL access. Plenty come back from 2 injuries back to back.

How many receivers come back from knee and leg injuries back to back? Because many ex-receivers last season acted like Cruz's injury was a career ending one due to the fact that he will be overcompensating for that knee.

The fact that Cruz admitted the day before he tried to practice that he had been overcompensating for that knee and he believes that is what caused his calf injury is alarming as well.

happening when we were hearing reports about how "ahead of schedule" he is. That's usually code for reckless rehabbing.

In comment 12518931 BrettNYG10 said:

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I think people are missing Burleson's point (and I think he phrased it poorly with the 'career threatening' comment). Cruz will need to prove that he has the previous explosiveness and ability - the team cannot assume he will be a starting quality receiver going forward (assuming this injury keeps him out another couple weeks). The idea that players 'compensate' for prior injuries has been perpetuated for some time (I don't know if it's true, but it seems reasonable to me). Burleson's isn't predicting him to retire, but he's raising the possibility of him suffering nagging injuries from here on out - and/or returning as an inferior playe (all thoughts others have raised here).

All fair points, none of it excuses the shitty click bait headline. But that's par for the course in today's media so my complaint is useless.

The meat of the article was far better than the headline. And unfortunately everyone is responding to the headline and not the actual content (and I believe the title is picked by the editor not the writer, but could be wrong).

In comment 12518791 BillKo said:

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In comment 12518721 Go Terps said: Quote: the odds are he is not going to ever be close to 2011, or more importantly worth the contract he got. Paying these players a second contract is a mistake so often. I was adamant that the Giants needed to pay both Cruz and Nicks and retain them long term. I could not have been more wrong. Got to draft well. Free agency, even retaining your own, is too problematic. Terps, c'mon already. You need to resign some of your own, otherwise you'll always be falling behind. Are you proposing that OBJ not be retained, when time?

When that day comes he is going to cost an unbelievable amount of money, assuming he maintains his level of play and stays healthy.

IMO the odds are he won't be worth the next contract he gets. That's not necessarily a knock on him, it's just reality. This is especially true for a guy that relies heavily on his rare speed and explosion. Those are traits that get chipped away after years of being hit, straining muscles, etc.

Shit just look at Cruz. Even before the injury last year he didn't seem like the same explosive force we saw in 2011. And look at Nicks's rapid decline.

Beckham right now is a ridiculous force. Will he be that for the next six years? If we look at the examples set by Cruz and Nicks, the answer is that it's unlikely.

the Giants have mis-managed this once again. Walking into the season thinking Cruz would be back on the field without any real replacement was simply careless. It shows a true lack of understanding as to what the realities of these injuries are. OR... a total blindness to the talent level on the rest of your roster.

Cruz is hurt and unable to start the season and potentially may miss a significant part of it with no guarantee that he will ever play again. So, if that happens, we are comfortable with ________________ as our slot receiver.

isn't destined to have OBJ and Cruz on the field at the same time.

Seems like these calf injuries are happening all over the place, right now; even to players who are not trying to overcome the effects of other injuries.

Mr. Burleson, you comments are appreciated (ESPECIALLY as related to your own experience), but in this situation, your attempt to correlate sound futile.

You "career ending" pronouncements are, at this time, premature.

In comment 12518908 Eric from BBI said:

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In comment 12518896 arniefez said: Quote: Manningham played 4 years and both were injured during those years. But they played about full seasons. Both hung around for parts of other seasons. Cruz played 3 full seasons although 2013 was only 14 games. His numbers decreased every year. It wouldn't be shocking at all if his career is basically over at this point. It's the nature of the sport. The average NFL career is 3.5 years. But in a way if he winds up on IR it might actually give hm a chance to have a 2nd act that most NFL players don't get. His knee will have time to fully heel. Obviously missing more than a season and half isn't ideal and it may not work out but that's the route I think it's going to go because as people have posted several times the Giants just went through a similar scenario with Berhe. I know it's different players and no two injuries are a like but it's deja vu all over again. This is what I'm starting to think...shut him down...ask him to take paycut...give him one more chance in 2016 but don't count on him.

I am there too, and it hurts. This is the smart play though. Take the pressure away from Cruz. Another offseason could make a difference, and I worry that he is pushing himself far too hard and too fast.

In comment 12518931 BrettNYG10 said:

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I think people are missing Burleson's point (and I think he phrased it poorly with the 'career threatening' comment). Cruz will need to prove that he has the previous explosiveness and ability - the team cannot assume he will be a starting quality receiver going forward (assuming this injury keeps him out another couple weeks). The idea that players 'compensate' for prior injuries has been perpetuated for some time (I don't know if it's true, but it seems reasonable to me). Burleson's isn't predicting him to retire, but he's raising the possibility of him suffering nagging injuries from here on out - and/or returning as an inferior playe (all thoughts others have raised here).

I think Brett pretty much nails it here. He's not saying Cruz's career is over. He's saying it threatens whether he'll ever be the same player, which is fair. He did go through something somewhat similar. And Cruz admitted earlier this week his belief that overcompensation led to the injury.

I'll wait for those before panicking. Guys have associated inujries when rehabiing a major surgery. They unconsciously favor it with their gait etc and cause a separate problem. That could be all this is. Victor may be trying to rush it a little and exacerbated the problem. Until I hear a diagnosis of a tear or compartment syndrome I'm expecting Cruz back sooner than later.

"It's deja vu, all over again"

Yogi, your words will live forever !

for WR's are killer. And it skews opinions. Look how many people here think Hakeem Nicks somehow didn't want to play - yet the guy is trying to catch on with team after team on one leg.

A guy in a contract year supposedly dogged it because of lack of enthusiasm instead of injuries.

In comment 12518721 Go Terps said:

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Paying these players a second contract is a mistake so often. Got to draft well. Free agency, even retaining your own, is too problematic.

I was thinking along these lines the other day, except it's impossible to maintain a roster with just draft picks. A team just doesn't have enough of them. You have to sign free agents. There's no way around it. You can't have a roster with a majority of its players on rookie contracts.

And even if a franchise routinely hits big on draft picks, they're only going to have each star or superstar for a few short years before letting them go to the high bidders. Or if they want to get something back for these stars to help draft replacements, they'd have to trade a player before his contract year, further limiting the star's time on the team.

The problem boils down to -- as it always does -- how the hard salary cap penalizes franchises for successful drafting. Until and unless the NFL transitions out of a hard-cap system, I don't see this changing.

Note Burleson is way off base? this is scar tissue from the original calf injury, Cruz will be back after bye and it's probably a blessing in disguise to have him for the playoff run healthy

You ask him to take a pay cut and have him fight it out in camp.

We're probably going to have to spend significant resources on 2 WRs and maybe a TE. We might HAVE to bring back Randle.

Affect his guaranteed money?

if he breaks down like the rest of our receivers have broken down over the years. Harsh maybe, but it's the reality of this team for whatever reason. It's perhaps saved us from several overpays.

Well, we'll be shopping for a new
Simms11 : 2:02 pm : link : reply
slot receiver next off-season or look at drafting one. It's now much needed and I also think Randle could be re-signed if he has a good year, because this will probably be it for Cruz.

Have we not learned enough about Randle? Have we not learned our lesson about signing players with medical problems? The guy has tendonitis in the knees....it's not going to get better.....he also seems to be a head case....I think the first two games were the norm for him, and the third was an aberration....this vaunted WR trio, never got off the ground this year....

It doesn't look like Cruz will ever be the Cruz of old......and Randle's knees won't let him get that next big contract....

Whatever the reason, we have just had bad luck with WR's.......as I write this, I am watching the ancient mariner on the Ravens, still making catches....

has already been paid...

As far as a pay cut goes. low base pay plus incentives for games played...

Adriian Petersons injury? How is he now? Can we stop the impending doom shit and wait to see how he plays when he does?