Did Brian Billick Take Belichick Route on Injuries?

Todd Heap, Jonathan Ogden, even former Ravens running back Jamal Lewis are just a few of the names that have been synonymous with injuries over the years. But did former head coach Brian Billick play off the severity of these injuries?

There isn’t much the Baltimore Sun does right, but this recent blog entry from Sun sports columnist Mike Preston goes into detail about players having major surgeries and injuries that were often depicted by Billick as manageable pains that the players could possibly play through. We know that its a growing trend to downplay injuries, so that opposing teams have a more difficult time in their game planning. In the process, players were often perceived as not being able to play through what was reported as minor aches and pains. Check the quote from defensive coordinator Rex Ryan.

About two weeks ago, defensive coordinator and assistant head coach Rex Ryan told me how cornerback Chris McAlister played most of the first half of last season with ligament damage in his knee, and how McAlister withstood a great deal of pain to play in the game against the New England Patriots.

“He couldn’t go any more during that last series they had the ball,” said Ryan. “After that game, he never played again during the season. He was shot.”

I don’t know what’s more painful, what these guys played through, or how Billick made it sound in the media.