Can a Baltimore fan (and ballerina) ask a question?

[Sparkly]

First post in this forum! You are welcome to pity me for being an Orioles fan this season, and it's probably not too early to feel sorry for me for being a Ravens fan after the first few games, and most of the team out with injuries already...

I have a question about injuries. I never played sports, but I was a professional dancer, teacher, choreographer and company director for many years.

First, baseball (I will get to football in a second). I keep wondering about the multiple Orioles pitchers who are out for half a season or much more, for the same elbow ligament. Is it common, and the Orioles just don't prepare enough other pitchers? Or is it something in the way the O's pitchers are coached?

Now football. A huge part of the Ravens team is out with injuries, this early! Other than Madubuike being out for the year from a neck injury (!!) Harbaugh isn't sharing a lot. We do know:
Broderick Washington is out for 4 weeks from an ankle injury; Ronnie Stanley also has an ankle injury, and Ar'Darius Washington injured his Achilles. Marlon Humphrey and Patrick Ricard both have calf injuries. Travis Jones has a knee injury, and three players have hamstring strains or injuries: Roquan Smith, Kyle Van Noy, and Lamar Jackson!.

Other than Madubuike, only one of our injured players is hurt above the knee: Nate Wiggins has an elbow injury.

I never played sports, and this is only my 3rd year watching football. But if I had a group of dancers, and a significant number of them developed any kind of injury, I would definitely examine precisely how we were teaching ('training') them, first of all. Is it normal for this many injuries to occur (especially in their lower legs), and at this rate?? What are other teams doing right that Ravens are doing wrong, or is it just bad luck? Are they not practicing enough at a variety of maneuvers to change direction and avoid hits to their legs?

Thank you to anyone who might indulge me in a real answer!!

[Brother Buzz]

1. Those elbow injuries are common with All pitchers. It used to be a career ending condition

Tommy John surgery changed all that, but the recovery and rehabilitation can take, like a year. Sometimes pitchers come back stronger and better after the surgery.

[usonian]

2. From what I've seen/heard (west coast person)

Pitchers are asked to deliver crazy pitches at high speed. Pitchers who have a "sidearm" kind of delivery seem to last longer. Probably easier on the ligaments.

Football has legislated a lot against head injuries. But I've seen torn ACL, calf, turf toe.

Wild guess is that these injuries are more common when a team is overpowered on offense or defense (like the QB gets hit a lot) or they run a lot. Runners often face a wall of giant defenders, and a safety coming head-on if they get through.

Receivers? Well, most QB's won't throw them the ball unless they are open, giving them a chance to "YAC" (yards after catch)

Varies a lot.

They all protect the ball, whatever that entails.

Experts on this forum probably know a lot better. Just my two cents.

[Sparkly]

4. Interesting.

I wondered about something you've implied here, too -- whether it has something to do with the plays and strategies (I don't know the right terms)... the "choreography," or what they are doing as a group. Could that be a reason Ravens have so many early leg injuries? (Especially if, in training, they aren't training to avoid those specific attacks individually?)

[usonian]

6. I can't speak to training.

A lot of injuries are just bad geometry, I think. Getting twisted the way we weren't designed to be twisted. (At such force)

I am sure that ball carriers are intensely focused on the ball, damn the risk.

Aerial takedowns may vary with the sport. Should be illegal period, but basketball and football let the defender fight for the ball.

I haven't thought of anything more than what I posted. A non-athlete, I know nothing about training. I do believe that the undersize business incurs risk.

No athletes posting here?

Forty Niners have critical injuries. And they vary all over the map. But most fans really wanted bigger/better offensive and defensive liners and backs in the draft/offseason. Two hurt quarterbacks when the linemen get handled.

HTH

[Botany]

3. Football either high school, college, or the pros has very big and strong people hitting each other and these ...

.. men live in the weight room or are running all the time to become quicker (first steps) or faster
in just running and when they hit each other “things happen.” You take a college linebacker who is
6’ 2” tall, 240 lbs, and can bench press 220 pounds @ least 10 times and he hits somebody and
just the physics of it is brutal.

[Sparkly]

5. I can't imagine!

But not all teams lose their line in three weeks... Is it how each of the Ravens are playing, or how they've been playing as a team? I just don't get it.

[Botany]

7. Every player on every team from pee wee to high school to college to the pros is one play away from an injury.

Last edited Tue Sep 30, 2025, 10:51 PM - Edit history (1)

Some teams do lose much of their offensive lines in short time spans too. It is just the
nature of the game. Lots of times linemen both offensive and defensive get hurt by one
of their own teammates.

I remember walking behind the bench of the University of Washington @ an Ohio State
game and a d-lineman had his arm over the back of the bench and his bicep was like a really
big dark colored ham. I couldn’t help but think what it would be like to be hit by that man.

The Ravens should be OK they have one of the best QBs in the league, a great running
back and a solid safety and they have the Browns and Bengals for 4 wins too.

[ProfessorGAC]

8. Some Already Answered

But, a couple more things.
Athletes are more tuned than ever. The fast twitch muscles get to a point where they can apply more force than ligaments & joints can take for long.
Then, they're so reliant on that explosion that they are less effective until they are at least 90% healed.
On the pitching thing, that's been correctly answered already, but pitchers from 12 years old forward, are being taught yo put more & more spin on the ball. That stresses ligaments & tendons especially as they pursue more & more velocity. Also, higher spin requires more grip forces which tightens all the muscles in the forearm, leading to more elbow issues.