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Potential IR change could have helped Crable

Email|Link|Comments (3) Posted by Mike Reiss, Globe Staff May 19, 2009 07:00 AM

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla -- One of the hot topics of discussion at the NFL's spring meeting will be the possibility of playing a 17- or 18-game regular season in the future. In speaking with Houston Texans owner Bob McNair for a piece in Tuesday's Boston Globe, he brought up the point that the league's rules for injured reserve could potentially be changed if the regular season is expanded.

Instead of having players who are on injured reserve lost for the season, would the NFL consider a baseball-like disabled list?

It is an intriguing thought.

The possibility had me thinking about an example from the Patriots' 2008 season that might apply, and outside linebacker Shawn Crable fit the bill.

Crable had a shin injury and was placed on season-ending IR on Nov. 5, a move made to create space on a different part of the roster. But if the Patriots had the option of placing Crable on a four-game disabled list, it is possible that he could have returned in December when the Patriots were ravaged by injuries at the position and had to summon Junior Seau off his surfboard and Rosevelt Colvin off his couch.

In the past, I think part of the reason the NFL hasn't had a disabled list is that it could be used as a way to stash players.

But if owners could find a way to regulate that -- perhaps a team can only have one or two players on a disabled list at one time -- it might change some opinions on the possibility of a longer regular season.

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3 comments so far...

As actually practiced, the injured reserve list sometimes has little to do with injuries. Crable made the list partly because he was a rookie and was almost useless to the Patriots in 2008, but had good potential for 2009 and especially for 2010. He was stashed. Similarly, I feel sorry for McKenzie tearing his ACL, but from a Patriots point of view he'll be on the injured reserve list, not taking up a valuable roster spot, while he gets good.

Posted by PaulK May 19, 09 08:48 AM

This is one topic that will needed to be addressed..it works other ways as well..in 03 Johnson and Washington spent weeks on the 53 while they healed serious injuries..If they had a disabled list the team could have brought in help while they healed. With an extended season things like this and an expanded roster will be needed. I like the idea..but with anything there will be uses to the limit..I remember when there were only so many players allowed on IR..or if a team wished a player to come back from IR they would have to clear waivers. Not likely what any good player could do.

Posted by StanJ May 19, 09 09:50 AM

I give up a third-round pick for this guy. He will come in as a situational pass rush kind of guy like Taylor was going to be.other people have said that he is injury prone but let's not forget that Taylor wasn't necessarily an iron man. wasn't he injured for a good portion of last year too this guy could be a beast if used correctly and I think Bill Belichick knows how to do that.

Posted by jman0916 May 19, 09 12:00 PM

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Mike Reiss, Christopher L. Gasper and the rest of the Globe team provide regular updates –and a behind-the-scenes look– on the daily happenings of the Patriots.

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