Depth delivers

I'd be curious to see how our injury situation compares with the rest of the league. I know Seattle, for example, has been ravaged by injuries as well, but unlike the Patriots, they have not been able to adjust.

Any chance of finding out how we compare to the rest of the league in injuries, either in terms of man games lost or players placed on IR? Thanks!

I heard someone say that you don't win the Super Bowl with your first 22 players. You win with the other 32 (or 40 including practice players). Having as little drop-off as possible between your 1st, 2nd and 3rd string is critical to long-term success in this league. That's also why the Patriots don't draft for need. They pick the best player available that fits their system even if it means loading up at one position.

Didn't Lamont Jordan miss a bunch of games?

Back in the day, when the QB was injured, he would be on the sideline with a clipboard. Has there been a rule instituted that disallows those players on IR from doing that, or has there always been a difference between just being injured and missing a couple games and being on season ending IR?

I was trying to find the rule on the internet, but couldn't locate anything.

Lamont Jordan missed 8 games, did he not ?

David Thomas missed a few games ?

Antti - hmmm, it would be interesting to see an injury "index" and compare that to teams records.
But would we really learn more than we know now?
- all teams suffer injuries, today's NFL season is more brutal than ever
- planning for and managing player attrition may be the single most important aspect of team-building and regular season coaching

At some point, the quantitative analysis gives way to the qualitative: who is hurt, and what is their relative "worth". Any widespread attempt to measure the value of each individual across multiple teams gets murky real fast - we're back to opinions.

Besides, MikeR's done enough work providing the Pats breakdown!

The list is for players who have been in the starting lineup at some point this season. In the intro paragraphs, I tried to make mention that accounting for just starting players doesn't provide a full picture, but it is reflective of how banged up a team can be.
--Mike

Didn't Wilhite miss some games with the flu?

Interesting post...thanks Mike. Hats off to BB, Pioli and the entire staff for continuing to field a competitive team in the face of injuries to so many key personnel...2008 has certainly been one of their best efforts so far..

This is an absurd breakdown - practically useless (especially when it includes Aiken and Wheatley as starters). It would be much more interesting to see total games missed by all the players due to injuries, and see how it compares to the rest of the league.

I have coached at the high school level for over thirty seasons; generally athletes at this level experience injuries caused by activity or lack-of-conditioning. Most of the injuries that the Patriots have endured this season are performance related. Brady's injury, for example had nothing to do with conditioning; he took a helmet to his knee as his leg was in an awkward position, similar injuries were experienced by Harrison, Bruschi and Thomas. I have read some skepticism which suggests that the Patriots injury bug this season is partly attributed to poor conditioning. I believe a more accurate trail to quarry is that in a couple of cases these players are more susceptible to injuries due to their advance age and the manner in which they have sacrificed their bodies in pursuit of championships. Also the veteran players, on this team, have played longer seasons than other veterans throughout the league
due to the Patriot's success, reason suggests that they are more prone to trauma-type injuries due to their increased schedule of activity. In this day and age of high-performance training, especially in the NFL, it is ludicrous to suggest that injuries ( to the extent that the Patriots have sustained this season) are derived from inadequate conditioning.

Michael Melanson, this isn't aimed at you so much as it is to everyone who keeps asking the same question you just asked in about ever comment page. Why isn't Brady on the sideline with a clipboard? Because he is recovering from a serious knee injury. Think about it, would you want to stand for three-to-four hours in what is probably cold weather with a hurt knee? And would doing that prolong the recovery process? Brady has been a close advisor to Matt Cassel this whole season and we can see the fruits of that. That should be enough. If Bill thought that Brady standing on the sidelines would be helpful I'm sure you'd already be seeing that. So if Bill Belichick, the great coach, doesn't think it would help, why would you?
As for other players standing on the sidelines while hurt, it is very rare that a player placed on IR does that. For example, in 2001, Bledsoe was on the sidelines for most of the games, but he wasn't on the IR list. If a player on IR does stand on the sidelines, it is usually for one (home) game and rarely for anything more, and you're not likely to see him with a clipboard.
Brady is doing the right thing. Please, just let it go.

Wow - observations like "..Didn't Wilhite miss some games with the flu?" - I thought I paid attention to player personnel, but I don't think MikeR counts Wilhite, L. Jordan, etc. as "starters".

I may be stating the obvious, but the receiver corps health ((knock on wood) has been a big factor in the Pat's relative success so far. Throwing to Welker and Moss consistently has benefited Cassell's development mightily, along with his free market value. Kevin Faulk's reliability's been a big plus, too.

Best 1-2 receiver duo in the league, although vs. Cardinals we'll see 2 guys who might have something to say about that.

Let's see how well they all play in the snow Sunday!

#13, Wihite started the last two games and Sam Aiken is listed..

I agree with Hugh's (-> 11.) opinion but especially because of his explanation i'm questioning the coaches decision to often let the starters play almost every snap (including special teams plays), no matter what the score or the the opponent looks like until they are finally on IR or have to play hurt throughout the season. Furthermore i would be interested to know how much emphasis the Pats put on durability and health issues when drafting players or acquiring free agents.

Response to #4:

1) The sideline is not a safe place to keep somebody with a knee injury and/or limited mobility. And it is crowded enough there already.
2) Due to Tom's celebrity, he would be an unneeded distraction, ESPECIALLY before Matt had taken complete control of the offense.
3) If you think that Brady is not 100% committed to the success of the team, 100% supportive of Matt, or if Belichick will not require everyone to do what is best to help the team win the game, then you have not been paying attention.

Oh and I almost forgot the last one:

Kraft already hired a bunch of cheerleaders. He isn't spending $10 million to have an extra one. Right now Tom's job is to rehabilitate his injury and be ready for 2009, not cheer the team or hold a clipboard. The #2 QB is supposed to do that.