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PHOENIX (AP) — Next to torn ACLs http://www.billsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-dawson-knox-jersey , the most time lost for injured NFL players is due to hamstring and lower extremity problems, of which there are far more than the major knee issue.hamstring, groin, foot, ankle and other such injuries, along with its heavy concentration on the knee.While reducing concussions remains the most critical player safety initiative — they were down 29 percent in 2018 — Dr.Allen Sills, the league’s chief medical officer, this week stressed the need to target the lower extremity injuries “the same was as with concussions.”“We are thinking about injury burden,” Sills said. “Not only how many injuries but how long a player missed. We plan by the end of year in hopes of making substantial savings of time lost (for players) with those injuries,” Sills said.Some of those injuries occur because players push too hard when they aren’t in the shape to do so, particularly those who report late to training camp — or not at all, and then come aboard during the season. That’s particularly true of hamstrings; it’s not unusual for observers to wonder how soon, not if, such players will struggle with such problems.“It’s how you train and when and how much intensity you bring to specific times you train,” Sills explained.The league will talk with team trainers and doctors Brian Burns Jersey , with exercise experts and researchers in a push to reduce what often are termed “nagging injuries.”Sills and Jeff Miller, the NFL’s executive vice president of health and safety initiatives, spoke about a variety of injury and player safety topics at the owners meetings. They were most encouraged, not surprisingly, by the decrease in the number of concussions, with one exception: Things were static during preseason practices, when 45 occurred in 2017 and 45 happened against last year. Many of those were incurred by offensive linemen, Sills said, and were specific to blocking.“We’ll be meeting with position coaches to look at how linemen are training in camp,” he said. “We will make all the teams aware of the data we collect.”Factors for the reduction in concussions include enhanced rules prohibiting lowering the helmet, fewer kickoff returns (also due to rules changes); players making adjustments to the new or stricter regulations; and players switching to the highest-rated helmets in a survey conducted by the league and the players union.Miller noted that half of the league has changed helmets and 74 percent of the players now wear helmets in the highest-approved (green) region of the survey and accompanying poster that is hung in every team’s facility. He credited training staffs, medical personnel, players, coaches and team owners.“The posters certainly were able to change player behavior,” he said.Same thing http://www.panthersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-greg-little-jersey , Miller added, regarding lowering the helmet; the number of concussions were down from that act.Concussions on kickoffs were down 38 percent in 2018 compared to the previous three seasons’ average. Indeed, Sills said all injuries on kickoffs went down, and his staff is now doing deep research into injuries on punts, which have been the second-most dangerous play. Ten percent of all major injuries, termed as eight days or more missed, came on punts.The league banned blindside blocks on all plays on Tuesday, a short while after Miller and Sills made their presentation to the owners. There were as many as a dozen concussions annually due to that technique.“As a former player and father of two that play ball, and having the opportunity to coach (youth football),” football operations chief Troy Vincent said, “this particular play, the blindside block, it ends careers, puts people on the shelf.“That particular technique, I was taught that. To have that removed out of our game is significant.”The NFL’s medical and research staffs aren’t limiting their work to what happens within the league Will Grier Jersey , either. They are looking at data from other organizations such as the new spring league, the Alliance of American Football, plus the Canadian Football League and college teams.“With more opportunities to learn and collect data,” Miller said, “it will yield a better outcome for everyone.” EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has had his injured quad examined by a specialist and his status for Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans is uncertain.Beckham went to The Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan on Thursday and returned to the Giants’ facility after getting the second opinion.“It was good. We just went in, got it scanned just to see everything and it’s doing much better than it was,” said Beckham, who did not practice Thursday. “Just taking it a day at a time, that’s really it.”Beckham was hurt when he was leg whipped on the final play of the Giants’ loss to the Eagles in Philadelphia on Nov. 25. He played against Chicago the following week, but missed last weekend’s game against the Washington Redskins after the quad started bothering him on the Friday before the game.Beckham said the quad has been getting better, but it just didn’t feel right.“Just kind of feel like it’s the right thing to do, just check on it,” Beckham said. “You got the resources there, might as well use them.”He said his status for Sunday is uncertain.“That’s a tough question http://www.panthersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-christian-miller-jersey ,” he said. “I don’t even know how to answer that question. Like I said, I wouldn’t have missed last week if I could play, so I don’t specifically know. If I had on pads and a helmet and the game was about to start in five minutes, I don’t know. I’m not in that position right now, so can’t really answer.”The NFL’s highest-paid receiver practiced on a limited basis Wednesday and his movement looked good during the team warmup. He took part in some individual drills.Beckham is second on the team with 77 catches for a team-high 1,052 yards and six touchdowns. He also has thrown two touchdown passes. He missed most of last season after breaking his left ankle in early October.Surprisingly, the Giants (5-8) did well without Beckham, beating the Redskins 40-16 for their fourth win in five games.“It was a lot of fun and that’s exactly the kind of atmosphere and energy I want to be a part of,” said Beckham, who watched on TV.“That’s what I would love to see more from us. I know that we’ve been working very hard coming off 1-7 to where we’re at now, a lot of progress and that’s just the result of it. It definitely would’ve been fun.”