Metlife Stadium - Image sourced from Unsplash - Photo By Myron Mott
On the fourth snap of the Jet's season opener against the Bills, star quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles after an awkward hit from Buffalo Bills star Defensive End Leonard Floyd. This injury upset many fans after a highly anticipated season, with Rodgers getting traded last offseason to the Jets after spending 18 years playing for the Green Bay Packers. Surprisingly, injuries like this are fairly common in a high-contact sport like American Football. Football players go down constantly, with 38% of the NFL suffering some sort of injury every year.
An Achilles tear is a pretty serious injury. Usually, an athlete who suffers a tear will be out for a season, with rehab during the offseason to help prepare them for the next. However, Aaron Rodgers is 39 years old, an above-average age for an NFL player. Recovery from an injury like this can take many months of rest and serious rehab, which concerns fans wondering about the longevity of Rodgers’ career.
“[When] I tore my Achilles tendon, it took 6 months of rehab to get back to semi-normal. I still have strength deficiencies in my left calf and it gets tired so much faster than my right," said Eric Breitenstein, WHS educator and the offensive line coach of the Watauga Football team.
Even though an athlete can begin walking after a couple of months, the short-term effects of a torn Achilles don't accurately reflect the long-term results of the injury. Everyday functions, even long after tearing an Achilles, can often be difficult.
“I can still do what I want to. I can jump on the trampoline with my daughter and go hiking and biking,” Breitenstein said. “I can still run, but it was certainly a challenge in those first few months. If it hadn't been for my scooter, the school [day] would have been next to impossible.”
Injuries like these are not only apparent on the national level, but are very real in high school. Even if the level of play isn't equal, the risks players take when they step onto the football field are all the same.
“The Aaron Rodgers injury was bad,” said senior linebacker Peyton Ash. “I felt bad of course. However, players know the risk they are taking when they step onto the football field. At any point during a game, I know the risk I am taking when I play the game I love, and I'm sure Rodgers does too.”
Due to many football and sports injuries, controversy is prevalent about the issue of whether grass or turf fielding is optimal. Many players have claimed that grass fields would decrease the amount of injuries suffered in a single season, also claiming that grass fields are easier and safer to play on.
“On one hand, turf allows football to be played all over the country on nicer and, honestly, safer fields. A quality turf field is better than a hard-packed dirt field, in my opinion, or a field that is completely mud,” said Breitenstein. “High schools simply don't have the budget to wheel out a whole new field every other week like an NFL team does. I like that turf opens up football, soccer, lacrosse, [and] field hockey to more people in more places. But I do feel like it has different qualities than regular grass. It can get very slick and very hot and, just like regular grass, injuries can happen.”
The Aaron Rodgers injury should be an example to players around the world of the risks one takes when stepping onto the football field. However, walking and throwing during warm-ups only a month after his injury, Rodgers should also be an example to players everywhere on how to come back from an injury.
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