Injuries and high draft picks

[*SHRacerX*]

(06-04-2020, 09:28 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Looking at our draft history it is really incredible the amountof injures we have had to our high picks.  I know every team has injuries,but when you look at just our first and second round picks it really seems like there is a bit of a curse.  

It has been SIX years since we had a 1st round pick play more than 10 games (Dennard 14 in '14).  Four of our last five 1st round picks have missed 11 games or more

2019..1st Jonah Wiliams out entire season
.........2nd Drew Sample out 7 games

2018..1st Billy Price out 6 games

2017..1st John Ross out 13 games rookie season and 24 of first 48 total

2016..1st William Jackson out entire rookie season.  Only played one full 16 game season in 4 years.

2015..1st Cedric Ogbuehi out 11 games rookie season.  Never played a full 16 game season.
.........2nd Jake Fisher heart problems in third season end career

2014..1st Darquez Dennard out 8 games over first two seasons and 10 over last two.

2013..1st Tyler Eifert only played 43 games over first 6 seasons (96 games)

2012..1st Dre Kirkpatrick out 11 games rookie season

2010..2nd Carlos Dunlap out 8 games first two seasons

2009..1st Andre Smith out 19 games first two seasons

2008..1st Keith Rivers out 12 games first two seasons

2007..2nd Kenny Irons preseason injury rookie seasons ends career.

2005..1st David Pollack career ending injury in 16th career start.
.........2nd O'Dell Thurman career ended by addiction and/or missing brain after 15 starts

2004..1st Chris Perry plays only 35 games in 4 seasons (64 games)

It does seem rathe uncanny, doesn't it?  And you could go back further to Ki-Jana Carter missing his entire rookie season and never really being the same guy.

If we are to believe in "The Curse of Bo Jackson", Bo was injured in 1991.  If the curse lasts 30 years, then we are good to go next year.  

I, for one, do not believe in that curse at all.  There was nothing dirty about that tackle.  I just believe that sometimes you unlucky and everything seems cyclical.  Sure, the NFL likes their large market (or large fan base) teams for financial reasons and they have been pretty obvious in some of their officiating, but overall I think it is about to be Cincy's turn.  

Baseball is a different animal.  They have had huge payroll differences.  The NFL is designed for parity.  I will always believe that 2015 team was destined to win it all.  I look at the Denver team that won that Super Bowl and how the Bengals, with McCarron at the helm, damn near beat them in Denver.  But, I digress.  The Bengals used to be fun, innovative, and special.  The league caught up and then moved past them.  Some bad drafts (when a bad first rounder KILLED you financially) doomed this team for a decade.  We had some fun with Palmer, and then a nice run with Dalton....only to derail with more poor drafts (Ogbuehi and Fisher were the killers).  

Fast forward to today:  New QB.  Good talent all around.  Suspect line and LB corps have seemingly been addressed, and they have an innovative offensive mind (supposedly).  I think a lot of this team will come down to the coaching and health (duh, right?).  Can they turn the tide that has seemingly always been turned against them since the 90s?  I am more optimistic than ever that they will be contenders.  Maybe not this next year, but very soon.  Burrow is what the Bengals have needed.  Hopefully, he can do some of what he did for LSU for these Bengals.