07-20-2020, 07:11 PM
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.”
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.”
