By Sean Millington,
CBC Sports
During my last broadcast with CBC, my throat was so raw that I could barely speak. My voice came out as this barely audible froggy rasp; as a result I was benched, so to speak.
The feeling was uncannily similar to being injured when I was playing and it got me to thinking about what a player goes through when he is unable to perform in his usual manner. When one is injured you feel as if you are on the outside looking in, as if you are part of the team in name only; to the driven type A personality, types that are usually players, this is akin to torture.
I chatted with the Lions’ Geroy Simon prior to the game about how he was dealing with his injury. He told me that it was still bothering him, that it was difficult to run and do the things he was accustomed to doing. The frustration in his voice was obvious and what didn’t need to be said because we both already knew it, was just because you are injured expectations don’t go away. Your team still needs you. You are still last year’s MVP and no disrespect to whoever is filling your shoes for the time being, they’re not.
Emotionally it’s tough because to a greater or lesser degree all athletes define themselves by their ability to perform and when that ability is impacted it challenges their view of self and erodes their confidence; even in areas not directly related to football.
Injury also has a much larger scope than just its impact upon the individual who suffers it. Talk to Saskatchewan GM Eric Tillman and he will tell you about the havoc it plays with his job in trying to replace guys who go down. Each successive injury brings the team closer to the tipping point at which the team, for all intents and purposes is now injured and unable to perform at its full ability. Injuries on a team are like cut threads in a rope. A rope can withstand one, two, three, or even more threads being cut and still hold up under load, but cut enough of them and inevitably the rope will fail altogether.
Look at a team like the Lions. They start the year as the undisputed team to beat and backed that reputation up with performance on the field; then the injury bug struck. They lost their number one and two quarterbacks, the quarterback of their defence Javier Glatt and topped it off with injuries to guys like Dante Marsh and Geroy Simon.
They managed to keep winning for a while but each successive injury brought them closer to the brink and finally they went over and started to lose. After a three game winless skid they managed to get back on the winning track, but have yet to regain their former dominance. Coincidentally, some of their top players are still down.
Ask Edmonton head coach Danny Maciocia about his injury situation and watch him grimace. As a head coach trying to game plan without your regular guys on the field is like trying to drive a nail without a hammer, lots of other things give you a shot at getting the job done but none as well as that hammer.
So, where does this leave us? My throat is feeling much better now thank you, and I anticipate a full return to action this weekend. Ultimately that is the only thing that matters when you are hurt; how soon will I be better so I can get back to doing what I do and feeling like a contributing member of the team again.
Sean Millington played 13 years in the CFL with the Edmonton Eskimos, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, B.C. Lions and Toronto Argonauts and has been a panellist on the CFL on CBC since 2003.
(The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily of the Canadian Football League)
