"Coach Jim Grobe has a word of advice for anybody planning to drop by BB&T Field today to watch Wake Forest's football scrimmage, scheduled for 10 a.m.
Don't be late.
"We might only get to go for about 30 seconds if we don't get more people healthy,'' Grobe said Thursday.
The quote above comes from Dan Collins most recent article about the Wake Forest football team. There have been a ton of injuries on the team, and Jim Grobe is not very happy about it.
Click through for more on spring football for Wake Forest
The defense has dominated the offense so far in spring practice, but it is hard for anybody to get a good feel for the team because of the injuries that are piling up for the Gridiron Deacs. There have been a high amount of hamstring injuries, and to me, that brings up a few questions.
- Why are we having so many injuries, particularly hamstring injuries?
- Does it have to do with the off-season training (or lack thereof) that the team is involved in?
- Is the coaching staff working the team too hard? (This is a rhetorical/joking question really).
Basically the team needs to toughen up and get out on the field to get better. It seems like softness has been a problem the past two years and the players have a sense of entitlement that they have not really earned. Coach Grobe has noticed, and has utilized the media to air his grievances. There is no doubt in my mind that he has already talked to the team about this.
There is a difference between being "hurt" and being "injured". If you are injured then you cannot play...these are things that take time to heal and you don't need to rush back from if you are not ready. Hamstring problems can certainly be an injury that will linger and be a problem in the future, but if it is simply tightness then the players need to be out there doing all they can.
It is difficult to install an offensive set (or 12 in the case of our offense the past few years) when the starting players, or even the backup players are on the training table instead of out on the field. I completely agree that Coach Grobe needs to make a stand about this now and let players understand what he expects of them. They were recruited to be out on the field, not sitting on the wall watching practice.
I for one, hope that this injury bug is not a bad omen for the year, because I see a lot of young talent and promise on the team.
Head out to BB&T Field tomorrow and support the Deacs at 10:00 AM for one of the last scrimmages (if not the last one) before the Spring Game on April 16th.
