Injury: Bad Luck or Just Part of the Game
September 10th, 2007 | by aaron |I just wrote an article for FIO entitled “The Correct Decision: Don’t Blame it on Luck”. The entire premise of the article is to come prepared, make the correct decisions, finish strong, and never blame your poor decisions on bad luck.
If any of you have read my previous rants about how great Brandon Jacobs will be this season and how nobody in the NFL wants to tackle him, then you probably already know how I feel about what a great runner he will be in the NFL.
As it stands, thinking that Jacobs is an elite runner may have been an incorrect assumption considering he is sidelined for several weeks. Did I listen to all of the blogging critics who said Jacobs was a knee injury away from being sidelined in 2007? That his upright running style and his willingness to take punishment are his biggest weaknesses? Of course not! Therefore, I cannot blame his injury on bad luck because every player in the NFL is only six seconds away from never playing another NFL snap. Injury: Bad Luck or Just Part of the Game.
Anyway, even though I didn’t need him to produce in this weekends fantasy mathup, by the time he finds is way back onto the field in 3-5 weeks he will face a bye week which means owners will be without him for 4-6 weeks of the regular season. Depending on the extent of his injury, we could be without Jacobs until after week nine.
Is it time to panic by cutting him loose and acquiring his real backup Derrick Ward? Maybe, if Jacobs is your #2 runningback and if you don’t have any depth on your bench, but that’s only if you have the opportunity to get Ward through free-agency. If not, don’t panic.
Jacobs will be back down the stretch and just in time for fantasy playoffs, but that’s if you remain in the playoff race. One player should not dictate whether you make the playoffs or not, especially a 2nd or 3rd round selection. If so, you had a poor draft and your chances of making the playoffs didn’t exist anyway. If you have any depth you could ride it out because in November and December when the Giants only play one indoor game and the weather conditions favor his style of running, Jacobs will be a major asset. If they have him out 3-5 weeks look for him to return at or around the 10th week when the Giants face Dallas at home on the 11th of November. If you keep him, great!
I still have not given up on Jacobs because with his size and punishing run style defenses simply don’t want to tackle him. Dallas came in pumped up, but as you saw Jacobs still managed over 4 ypc in his short time on the field. With that in mind, when Jacobs returns he will be fresh, running with a purpose, and playing with something to prove.
My suggestion is to keep Jacobs on your roster and drop a different scrub in hopes to acquire Derrick Ward, his real backup.
Remember, these types of injuries normally come with a “worst case scenario” prognosis. Jacobs could find his way back onto the field in a much shorter period of time. Therefore, make sure you keep him and if you make the mistake of letting him go don’t blame your poor decision on fantasy football being luck, or should I say ”bad luck”.
One Response to “Injury: Bad Luck or Just Part of the Game”
By jdub on Sep 10, 2007 | Reply
Nice article about Jacobs. I disagree with your assessment on Jacobs though - he’s an extremely talented guy but there is a reason why big backs like him have never had success in the NFL.
Sure small big backs (like Natrone Means, Jerome Bettis and dozens of others) have had success but Jacobs is 6′4″ meaning he has a lot of leg exposed to hits from smaller, more powerfully built tacklers that put a LOT of pressure on his legs. Which is why I really like Jacobs as a situational back but I think the Giants are quickly realizing that he needs a more traditional back to be paired with.