Kevin Boss
Steve Smith
Jake Ballard
Hakeem Nicks
Victor Cruz
David Wilson
Sterling Shepard
Saquon Barkley
The injury to Saquon yesterday really put this into focus. I always felt this explained a lot of the back half of Eli's career here but obviously the negative impact of these injuries has killed this franchise overall. You are talking about premium draft picks, guys who had just signed that big second contract, franchise type players. Who knows how much production or how many pro bowls/all-pros have been left on the table with this group, but it's a lot.
Additionally, Chad Jones, Terrell Thomas, Kenny Phillips and JPP were all either cut short or struck down before they ever got started.
I know football is a tough sport but this is ridiculous, as were some of the non-football accidents our guys suffered through as well.
Eh, wasn't his best season his rookie campaign in '02? After that, he was such a nuisance/constant bitching about Eli not looking @ him. I loved him in '02, but I wasn't sad to see him go after we traded him.
Barkley's injury is just so "gut wrenching" cause he truly had special talent. Just have to hope he can heal and return to form.
But is the list of injured guys really that much longer than say the average team over same period? Don't know, but may not be that much worse if you look.
I think if you really look back at these injuries, you can see how it affected the draft and FA. Nicks and Cruz and Manningham/Randle/Smith and a David Wilson, or whoever was suppose to be the cornerstone of the franchise. JPP, Linval Joseph, Hankinson, Tomlinson.
so true. maybe a 3rd down specialist.
Even with OBJ's major injury his career has already spanned the number of productive seasons those guys made combined here.
JPP was another obviously huge freak accident. If he'd been the perennial DPOY candidate he looked like in 2012 there would have been a few more playoff appearances between '13 and now. He had true HOF ability.