Georgia Football: Can Bulldogs survive loss of Zamir White?

Note on ACL Tears

Zamir White’s ACL tear was not due to contact. White was simply running down the field to cover the punt while being shadowed by a blocker on the return team when the injury occurred. Year after year we hear about these “freak accidents” where players have season ending  ACL tears with out even being touched. Well, they aren’t all actually “freak accidents”. There is a lot that can cause an ACL tear.

ACLs get torn when a player plants their foot and attempts to change direction, but the ligament on the outside of the leg is overstretched. And when the ACL is gone, the player can still walk off the field, and even run straight if necessary. However, they have no lateral movement.

One of the biggest causes of ACL injuries is turf fields. As of the 2013 season, 65 percent of college football fields are artificial grass. These fields do not have the “give” when a player makes a cut like grass fields do. Therefore, it is possible a player’s foot gets stuck while planting and the ACL moves outside of its normal motion and tears.

Nearly every college team gives its players two types of cleats to wear. One for grass and one for turf. However, not every team can practice on grass if they’re playing on a grass field that week. Therefore, players do not break in their grass cleats and do not wear them on gameday. Turf cleats have longer spikes which will dig deeper in the grass when a player makes a cut. Again, the foot can get stuck in the grass and damage the ACL.

Lastly, fatigue and off season conditioning plays a large role in the prevention of ACL tears. Obviously, at the end of training camp, players are tired and more susceptible to injury. However, the type of offseason conditioning plays a role in strengthening the ACL. Doing straight-away sprints, like a 40-yard spring, may get the players in shape, but does nothing to condition the ACL, nor is it practical for football players other than wide receivers.

Players need to condition for position specific movements and the changing of direction in the offseason in order to prepare for the types of movements that are done in football. Many old-school strength and conditioning coaches do not hold workouts that focus primarily on the changing of direction, which leaves their players at risk, especially in times of significant fatigue, like the end of the season or training camp. The details of White’s situation are fuzzy, but the net effect is one less weapon for the Bulldogs this fall.