The Bernstein Brief: Bears Move To Address Injury Plague
By Dan Bernstein--
670TheScore.com senior columnist
(670 The Score) Bears general manager Ryan Pace told us that stemming the tide of injuries was his responsibility, knowing that the success or failure of new coach Matt Nagy -- and, in turn, Pace's own legacy -- could hinge on health.
It has been a dubious record run for this team, having put up back-to-back seasons of man/games lost that undercut any effort at improvement. Getting hurt is part of life in the NFL, but nobody has been doing it at quite the rate the Bears have. Broken bones and torn ligaments have been a greater headwind for them despite efforts to figure out what they're doing wrong, so now they are going to give some new people a chance to figure it all out.
The team has hired Andre Tucker as its new head trainer and Jason Loscalzo as strength and conditioning coach, as reported by the Chicago Tribune on Wednesday. Out are trainer Nate Breske and strength coaches Jason George and Rick Perry.
Whether a regime change in those offices is enough remains to be seen, with so many factors seeming to contribute to a rash of problems beyond any one malady. The attrition has been both traumatic and chronic, occurring in games and in practices and across all positions and levels of talent. One rough year could be dumb luck, but two in a row is reason to think something must be done better.
In all, 37 players have ended up on injured reserve in the past two seasons, and it will be up to the new hires to stop that miserable trend.
Dan Bernstein is a co-host of 670 The Score's "Bernstein and Goff Show" in afternoon drive. You can follow him on Twitter @dan_bernstein and read more of his columns here.