Entering season number two, Leonard Floyd is out to take that next step and stay healthy for an entire season.
Floyd’s Reality Check
Vic Fangio’s rating of Leonard Floyd’s rookie season was an “incomplete” due to “little injuries” of his shoulder, calf, and hamstring (Mayer). But these three issues were not the reality Floyd had to face – he had to accept the fact that he accumulated two concussions within 34 days.
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At the end of the 2016 season, he was ordered by the Bears staff “to take it easy and not begin working out again until he felt 100 percent” during the offseason (Wiederer). This 100 percent didn’t happen until two months after the Dec. 24 first quarter incident where he meant to tackle Washington Redskins’ running back Rob Kelly, but instead, smacked into the wall of a midsection belonging to defensive tackle Akiem Hicks.
With the dawn of preseason and under the guide of Fangio, Floyd is focusing on protecting his body. He had been working on strategically placing his hands and head using blocking sleds.
Floyd admitted, “The crown of my helmet was too low. I definitely have to be aware because I don’t want to get another concussion” (Dickerson).
Risk Worth Reward?
Even if his skills were not as well-honed as they should have been, even with continued conditioning, aren’t concussions part of the risk when playing a high contact sport?
In Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru’s League of Denial (2013), they explore the effects of chronic impacts, starting with the infamous center Mike Webster’s brain. Webster prided himself on “playing six seasons without missing a single offensive play” (3). Even his friend, former Bear and running back Merril Hoge had his fair share of spending time in the concussion fog, but insisted that he was fine to play the very next week during the 1994 season.
The impact on a player’s head goes beyond blindness, blackouts, headaches; they forget simple facts like their daughter’s name or their current location. With each additional collision, more and more damage occurs taking an irreversible turn.
Yes, these athletes are some of the toughest around. The strongest. The most devoted. No one should question these qualities. But when does building an athlete’s train-like physique backfire?
Linebacker Jerrell Freeman acknowledged Floyd’s commitment, “He really likes to listen. He’s not a prima donna out there. He’s absorbing everything out there still. … It’s good to have a guy out there who’s so willing to learn and willing to do what it takes to be that big-time player” (Wiederer).
But what might the expense be for Floyd to be a ‘big-time player’? When do dedication and perseverance become a liability at the cost of a man’s life?