The Bernstein Brief: Are Bears Just Being Cautious With Injuries?
By Dan Bernstein--
CBSChicago.com senior columnist
(CBS) The unending spate of Bears injuries has been maddening for those who want to see them using the limited practice time they have to get better. It's hard to do with almost a quarter of the roster either sidelined or limited, with new names added to the medical report each day.
But outside of the obviously serious ones, we have to allow for the possibility that this is just the new normal in large part, as it has become more accepted for players to not have to prove their toughness by ignoring pain. NFL teams' understanding of medicine and training has advanced, and it may be that caution in the preseason is the default setting.
In considering this, note again what Bears coach John Fox told the Boers and Bernstein Show two weeks ago in Bourbonnais.
"There is a fine line between pain and injury, and a lot is going on in our league with the protocols and with some of the injury stuff," Fox said. "It's different. It's changed. You want to have resources for them, you want to earn their trust as far as what's best for them. I tell my coaches: That's somebody's son -- treat him like yours."
An optimist interprets these words from an old-school coach as an indication that returns to action could be seen across the board well in advance of their first game on Sept. 11.
Dan Bernstein is a co-host of 670 The Score's "Boers and Bernstein Show" in afternoon drive. You can follow him on Twitter @dan_bernstein and read more of his columns here.