Miami Dolphins, Jaguars week 2 injury report

Tomorrow the Miami Dolphins will kick-off week two of the NFL season with a 4:00 start. The late start will give a couple of Dolphins players a few extra hours of healing time. The final injury reports were released on Friday and the Dolphins have a couple of players battling some hamstring injuries.

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The push for a healthier NFL by both the league offices and the NFLPA have forced teams to change the way the do practices. In the past teams were not saddled by the rules that took away the opportunity to conduct more two-a-day practices. Now teams are only allowed “X” amount of full contact practices throughout the season and “X” amount of two-a-day practices through training camp.

Some believe there is a direct correlation between the rash of injuries suffered by players in this modern era of the NFL. Still others believe that players spend more time in the off-season working out alone or with the teams that the injuries remain just another facet of the game. While torn achilles and ACL injuries likely have not bearing on the amount of practices a team conducts, conditioning injuries may be a result of those rules.

Prior to changes made in the latest CBA teams were able to conduct full pad or scheme practices with the first session and then work on conditioning in the 2nd. Or vice versa. Nowadays teams are so limited that they need to work harder at implementing systems that the conditioning of players may not be what it once was. This could be why we are seeing more hamstring and muscle pulls.

Two weeks ago John Offerdahl spoke with me and my crew from On the FinSide and talked about how he is against pre-season football. His opinion, and one I agree with, is that pre-season doesn’t really tell the coaches anything new from what they have seen from players. As he pointed out, there are no pre-season games in high-school and none in college. Why not just scrimmage once or twice and get into the season?

He stressed his point by stating that teams are putting their players at risk for unnecessary injuries.

Cameron Wake, Reshad Jones, and even Derrick Shelby didn’t sustain their injuries in pre-season but you do have to wonder if the changes to league mandated practice schedules have made it more difficult for players to properly prepare their bodies for the season. Last week the Washington Redskins lost DeSean Jackson for a few weeks with a hamstring pull. It’s something that the NFL and NFLPA need to examine and there is talk of reducing the pre-season schedule but that comes with the addition of an 18 week schedule. In the end it all comes down to money.

With all that rhetoric being spewed by me, here is this weeks injury report for the 2nd weekend of football.

Reshad Jones and Cam Wake are both listed as questionable with hamstring injuries. Both participated in practice on Friday. Wake will likely see less snaps this weekend as the Dolphins need him healthy for the Bills game a week later. Chris McCain has been taking defensive snaps at defensive end all week and could see an increase in playing time at the position. He was inactive in week one.

Derrick Shelby is also listed as questionable with an eye issue resulting from being poked in the eye last week at Washington. Rounding out the Dolphins injury report is Dion Sims who has no timetable for return as of yet. He is in the leagues concussion protocol. The Dolphins signed Jake Stoneburner from the practice squad and he will be active on Sunday.

For Jacksonville defensive end Andre Branch, knee, CB Dwayne Gratz, ankle, Sen’Derrick Marks, knee, and tight-end Julius Thomas, hand, will all be out on Sunday. Running back Toby Gerhart is suffering an abdominal issue and safety Johnathan Cyprien is battling a finger and calf issue. Both players are doubtful. Tackle Luke Joeckel is questionable with an ankle injury. He has not practiced this week.

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