Just weeks into the National Football League's preseason, three Pro Bowl defenders are badly injured, and one is out for the season. The NFL preseason is just too long - and kind of unnecessary.
Newly acquired Washington Redskins defensive end Jason Taylor, San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawn Merriman and the New York Giants' Osi Umenyiora are already injured before the season has started.
After tons of "Dancing With the Stars" hype and drama with new Miami Dolphins Vice President Bill Parcells, Taylor needed to get out of Miami. His prayers were answered when the Redskins made a move and the Dolphins decided to ship him up north. Taylor, a seasoned veteran, still has plenty of energy and is one of the elite pass rushers in the last six years, with 77.5 total sacks over that span.
In a preseason game, Taylor sprained his right knee and could be out for up to two weeks. The danger in knee injuries is they tend to be nagging and can stay with players all year long. Worst case, they can lead to more damage.
Just ask Merriman.
Merriman is one of the most dominant pass rushers in today's game, and he does it from the linebacker position. While Merriman tested positive for steroids in 2006 and was suspended for four games, he still finished the season leading the league in sacks, and he made the Pro Bowl.
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He brings it on every play, but after sustaining a torn LCL and PCL in the preseason, he has something scary to mull over.
Merriman has three options:
He can have season-ending ligament surgery, which will all but guarantee a healthy return for next season to one of the best teams in football. However, the Chargers would lose their best defensive player for the year. He could have a less-invasive arthroscopic surgery and be back in December, but he wouldn't be 100 percent for the games he'd play in.
His final option is to play on the injured knee, but it could mean the end of his career. The Chargers organization needs to make Merriman sit out for the season, or they risk losing one of the NFL's best players forever.
The final critical defensive injury of the preseason was to Osi Umenyiora, who tore his lateral meniscus in his left knee against the New York Jets.
Umenyiora was an invaluable part of the Giants' Super Bowl win last season. With 13 of the Giants' league-leading 53 sacks coming from Umenyiora, it is impossible for the Giants to regain the same success they achieved last season.
Every NFL team plays four preseason games, with the exception of the Redskins and the Indianapolis Colts, who also played in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game to start the preseason. The preseason can be beneficial in many ways, but it is detrimental to teams when they lose their stars for nothing.
The NFL needs to cut the preseason down to two games. It'll cut down the risk of injury while still giving coaches and players a good feel for their plays in action. Coaches can still make their necessary cuts, and it would place a little greater importance on all the preseason games.
