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This is what I wrote on my site, linked here, after going to training camp back on August 6th:
So, a few points now:
1. If some fan/media member roaming the sidelines one time for one practice can notice this so definitively, why can't coaches, trainers, and other personnel? And if they did, why is it such a "shock" to them now? And why was he not taking the necessary days off to let it heal or rehab it? Josh Reed has a stiff back and they sit him out for about two weeks....yet our starting linebacker has a knee injury and is participating full-go in individual and team drills like he's a rookie trying to make the team?!?! Doesn't make sense to me.
2. I don't believe for one second that this guy did this on purpose to screw the team. He was genuinely playing through pain when I saw him that day. You don't risk your health and millions of dollars by practicing in training camp, only to know or decide NOT to do the same thing when the real bullets fly. Knowing what I saw and the way this stuff works, I think Crowell's biggest sin here was simply thinking this problem was minor and would go away, probably because he is in his contract year and didn't want to let it be known how bad it was. Like I said, he probably tried to ignore it and didn't even want to know himself.
3. I'm waiting for the full report to decide if they really made the right call to put him on IR. If it is an injury that requires even half a season of rehab, I understand why they'd do it. You can't play 7,8,9 games with only 5 LBs on the roster. Those guys will get physically beaten up and worn down, and pretty soon you may be down to 4 guys. You also have to have bodies to play special teams. You can' ask guys like DiG or Ellison to play that many snaps at LB and stay on special teams, too. If the injury is really only a 2-3 weeker, then they should have been able to get by without him by trimming another position and signing someone else until he was ready. We have six DEs and 5 Safeties right now. Bryan Copeland or Bryan Scott would be expendable in that kind of situation. I don't believe the Bills would put anyone on IR just to spite them. Especially a guy they let London Fletcher walk for and gave the keys to the defense and has given them five solid seasons.
But a lot of people need to answer for a lot of questions here.
Originally posted by CoachC.'s Training Camp Notes
1. If some fan/media member roaming the sidelines one time for one practice can notice this so definitively, why can't coaches, trainers, and other personnel? And if they did, why is it such a "shock" to them now? And why was he not taking the necessary days off to let it heal or rehab it? Josh Reed has a stiff back and they sit him out for about two weeks....yet our starting linebacker has a knee injury and is participating full-go in individual and team drills like he's a rookie trying to make the team?!?! Doesn't make sense to me.
2. I don't believe for one second that this guy did this on purpose to screw the team. He was genuinely playing through pain when I saw him that day. You don't risk your health and millions of dollars by practicing in training camp, only to know or decide NOT to do the same thing when the real bullets fly. Knowing what I saw and the way this stuff works, I think Crowell's biggest sin here was simply thinking this problem was minor and would go away, probably because he is in his contract year and didn't want to let it be known how bad it was. Like I said, he probably tried to ignore it and didn't even want to know himself.
3. I'm waiting for the full report to decide if they really made the right call to put him on IR. If it is an injury that requires even half a season of rehab, I understand why they'd do it. You can't play 7,8,9 games with only 5 LBs on the roster. Those guys will get physically beaten up and worn down, and pretty soon you may be down to 4 guys. You also have to have bodies to play special teams. You can' ask guys like DiG or Ellison to play that many snaps at LB and stay on special teams, too. If the injury is really only a 2-3 weeker, then they should have been able to get by without him by trimming another position and signing someone else until he was ready. We have six DEs and 5 Safeties right now. Bryan Copeland or Bryan Scott would be expendable in that kind of situation. I don't believe the Bills would put anyone on IR just to spite them. Especially a guy they let London Fletcher walk for and gave the keys to the defense and has given them five solid seasons.
But a lot of people need to answer for a lot of questions here.
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