I just read this on The Enquirer.  Thought you all might enjoy it.  https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/nfl/bengals/2020/07/20/cincinnati-bengals-aj-green-ankle-rex-bradberry/5474760002/

Cincinnati Enquirer - Charlie Goldsmith

When former University of Georgia strength and conditioning coach Rex Bradberry saw A.J. Green step into the weight room his freshman year in 2008, Bradberry said he immediately knew Green would play in the NFL. Then when Bradberry saw Green’s work ethic up-close, he said he knew Green would last a decade or longer in the league.

But over the last twelve years, Green hasn’t been an invincible wide receiver – he’s missed 23 of the Cincinnati Bengals last 24 games because of an injured toe and an injured ankle.

Bradberry was Green’s strength coach for three seasons and has a Master's degree in kinesiology with a focus on injury prevention. Bradberry told The Enquirer that Green’s injuries have been “out of his control.”

“Receivers’ bodies just start to break down, and the psychological effects come when your body can’t do what it once did,” Bradberry told The Enquirer. “Now, you have to adapt the way you train, the way you recover and the way you eat. (Green’s) not as young as he once was, and you have to be a continual learner.”

After Green signed the one-year franchise tag with the Bengals on July 17, Cincinnati’s star wide receiver said he has four great years left in him. But having another All-NFL caliber season this year might be one of the greatest challenges of Green's career.

Green suffered torn ankle ligaments during the 2019 preseason, and Bradberry said that’s a particularly difficult injury to recover from. After many outside the Bengals organization wondered why Green missed as many games as he did last season, Green revealed Friday that the injury was more serious than the media understood at the time.

“I wasn’t ready to play (last season),” Green told reporters. “Everybody knew I wasn’t ready to play then. Maybe the media didn’t know I wasn’t ready to play, but my ankle wasn’t where it needed to be to go out there and play at a high level.”

Bradberry explained the long recovery process for an injury like Green’s ankle. He said the ankle is a vulnerable part of the body for a football player because in one small area there are so many ligaments, tendons and bones.

After a football player tears ankle ligaments, Bradberry said it’s difficult to make a quick full recovery, especially for a receiver who has to change directions and accelerate to create space against a cornerback.

“You’ve got a lot going on in a really little area in the ankle, and all of your weight goes through there,’ Bradberry said. “Any time you plant, jump, cut or change directions, you’ve got a lot of force generating through there.”

As soon as Green was able to get back on his feet, Bradberry said he would have had Green do simple exercises to regain full range of motion in his ankle. First, Bradberry, would have had Green kick marbles with his toes to activate those ligaments in a low-stress situation.

That would build up to Green picking up marbles with his toes, and eventually Bradberry would have had Green doing cardio in a pool and in the sand to build strength in the injured ligaments.

By the end of this process, Bradberry said the injured ankle is often stronger than it was before the injury.

“You have to evolve and adapt because you’re not 22 years-old anymore,” Bradberry said. “But knowing (Green), he’s going to be really active in his recovery and be able to play as long as he wants.”

Watching Green play over the last twelve years, Bradberry said there’s no reason to believe Green couldn’t play four more seasons. But there is no track record for a wide receiver with Green’s experience coming back from a season-ending injury.

No wide receiver in NFL history with more than 8,000 career yards has ever missed an entire season due to injury. Green, who has 8,907 career yards, will be the first NFL receiver with that much experience to come back from a fully missed season.

Even though no receiver has done what Green will attempt to do in 2020, Bradberry said he’s confident Green can be just as productive over the next four seasons as he was earlier in his career.

“He works with the same constant determination,” Bradberry said. “That’s helped him stave off injuries as long as he has and to be able to excel at such a high level for so long.”

(07-20-2020, 07:11 PM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: By the end of this process, Bradberry said the injured ankle is often stronger than it was before the injury.

Steve Austin type stuff. Love it!

Just so everyone is clear this guy had nothing to do with Green's re-hab and has no real knowledge of the extent of the injury or the recovery process last year.

(07-20-2020, 07:30 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Just so everyone is clear this guy had nothing to do with Green's re-hab and has no real knowledge of the extent of the injury or the recovery process last year.

I mean, isn't that clear just by reading the article?

(07-20-2020, 07:30 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Just so everyone is clear this guy had nothing to do with Green's re-hab and has no real knowledge of the extent of the injury or the recovery process last year.

Thanks Fred.

(07-20-2020, 07:30 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Just so everyone is clear this guy had nothing to do with Green's re-hab and has no real knowledge of the extent of the injury or the recovery process last year.

Unless, of course, he has talked to his former student.....

(07-20-2020, 07:38 PM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: I mean, isn't that clear just by reading the article?

I could see where some people might be confused.  Especially the part where it skips directly from green saying the injury was worse than the media knew about to this guy talking about how to treat the injury he had.

If the Bengals and Green knew how serious the injury was from the start then they would have IR'd Green.  I believe there were actually complications they did not foresee in the recovery.

(07-21-2020, 10:07 AM)fredtoast Wrote: I could see where some people might be confused.  Especially the part where it skips directly from green saying the injury was worse than the media knew about to this guy talking about how to treat the injury he had.

If the Bengals and Green knew how serious the injury was from the start then they would have IR'd Green.  I believe there were actually complications they did not foresee in the recovery.

Unless they kept it quiet because they were hoping to trade him in the off season...... (which I don't think is the case, but could be)

(07-21-2020, 10:07 AM)fredtoast Wrote: I could see where some people might be confused.  Especially the part where it skips directly from green saying the injury was worse than the media knew about to this guy talking about how to treat the injury he had.

If the Bengals and Green knew how serious the injury was from the start then they would have IR'd Green.  I believe there were actually complications they did not foresee in the recovery.

You mean like when they IRed Palmer with the torn elbow ligaments? Or like when the Bengals IRed Braham with his bone bruise?

(07-21-2020, 10:15 AM)oncemoreuntothejimbreech Wrote: You mean like when they IRed Palmer with the torn elbow ligaments? Or like when the Bengals IRed Braham with his bone bruise?

I don't remember if Braham ever went on IR, but I know palmer actually played a game after he injured his elbow.  It would have been crazy to play him because 2008 was a wasted season, but he could have played if needed. 

I honestly don't think any team would not IR a player if they did not think he would be able to recover and play at some point in the season.  Just like with Braham and Palmer the recovery did not go as planned with Green.

(07-21-2020, 10:25 AM)fredtoast Wrote: I don't remember if Braham ever went on IR, but I know palmer actually played a game after he injured his elbow.  It would have been crazy to play him because 2008 was a wasted season, but he could have played if needed. 

I honestly don't think any team would not IR a player if they did not think he would be able to recover and play at some point in the season.  Just like with Braham and Palmer the recovery did not go as planned with Green.

Palmer’s partial tear wasn’t diagnosed until after the Giants game. Once they knew he had a partial tear, the chance of him playing the season was slim to none. Same with Braham’s tibial plateau fracture. The only reason why we even know Braham had a tibial plateau fracture is because he told the media after he announced his retirement. Same when Dalton broke his finger before the playoffs. There wasn’t enough time for the injury to heal to allow him to play.