ACL tears by NFL teams across last ten seasons

[MightyGiants]

[uconnjack8]

A lot to unpack here.  Other than noticing the Giantsbat the top of the list,  couldn't help the teams at the bottom mostly have turf at their home field.

[Thin Blue Line]

10 ACL tears for the GIANTS over the past 2 seasons is a truly staggering number!  According to the above chart 14 NFL teams didn't reach that number over the past 10 seasons. 

[bldevil]

Stunning chart. I had no idea it was this bad.

If the turf is the problem, why is there no correlation with the Jets? In fact, the Giants' best year coincided with the Jets' worse year.  The Giants' worse years, the last two years, coincide with pretty low years for the Jets.

[UncannyGfan]

The "when it rains it pours" trend I see at a glance standsout.  Carolina and LA having 5 and 8 in singles seasons with zero prior and post seems hard to explain by just chance.  Likewise for the top 3 teams. 

[DaveBrown74]

10 ACL tears for the GIANTS over the past 2 seasons is a truly staggering number!  According to the above chart 14 NFL teams didn't reach that number over the past 10 seasons. 

Incredible. And yet some profess that it's all just the luck of the draw and that there is nothing that can be done.

[Philosophers]

It's the Gmen's rate relative to other teams that is distressing.

[madbadger]

Looking at the top 10 and bottom 10 is interesting. Out of the 10 teams with the highest numbers of torn ACL's seven play on grass and only three (Giants, Jets and Chargers play on turf). The opposite is true for the the teams with the least number of ACL injuries. In that case six play on synthetic turf and four play on grass.

I am not so sure the players union has much to stand on when in their war on turf when it comes to knee injuries. Other injuries might be more common on turf than grass, so there's that.

I guess it boils down to bad luck, deficiencies in the strength and conditioning program or the medical staff clearing players too early from a different injury that might make a player more susceptible to a torn ACL. Who knows. It just sucks that we're always up there.

[MightyGiants]

10 ACL tears for the GIANTS over the past 2 seasons is a truly staggering number!  According to the above chart 14 NFL teams didn't reach that number over the past 10 seasons. 

This is an astute observation.  Combined with the observations from @UncannyGfan and the change in turf does not seem like the solution to a major problem.

[kartanoman]

Well, Rich @MightyGiants, this only validates the current surface, put in during the Gettleman era, was a direct cause for those injuries. The surface was installed prior to the 2020 season, correct?

The current regime have wasted no time and have taken corrective action, in replacing the field next season, as a risk mitigation plan in response, at least in part, to this chart. The players, no doubt, are giving them a round of applause for their endeavor  .

Peace!

[MightyGiants]

Well, Rich @MightyGiants, this only validates the current surface, put in during the Gettleman era, was a direct cause for those injuries. The surface was installed prior to the 2020 season, correct?

The current regime have wasted no time and have taken corrective action, in replacing the field next season, as a risk mitigation plan in response, at least in part, to this chart. The players, no doubt, are giving them a round of applause for their endeavor  .

Peace!

The current surface was put in in May 2020

Here are the Giants and Jets numbers with the new surface

Jets

2020 0
2021 1
2022 1

Giants

2020 1
2021 5
2022 5

Do these numbers suggest the current surface is the issue?

[HondurasGiants]

The current surface was put in in May 2020

Here are the Giants and Jets numbers with the new surface

Jets

2020 0
2021 1
2022 1

Giants

2020 1
2021 5
2022 5

Do these numbers suggest the current surface is the issue?

Turf or no turf is NOT an issue.

Some of the "top" teams play on grass...some of the lucky ones play on turf...

Luck, imaging, conditioning...

Here's to hoping we get "lucky" this year...sure seems like we're due 

[AZGiantFan]

The current surface was put in in May 2020

Here are the Giants and Jets numbers with the new surface

Jets

2020 0
2021 1
2022 1

Giants

2020 1
2021 5
2022 5

Do these numbers suggest the current surface is the issue?

Just curious, did these all occur in home games or were they split between home and away games?

[Sem]

Is there a link for this?

[kartanoman]

Is there a link for this?

I wasn't able to find one but put a list together from gathering the names:

2022 New York Giants ACL Injuries:
Sterling Shepard (torn ACL @ Metlife)
Wandale Robinson (torn ACL @ Metlife)
Marcus McKethan (torn ACL @ Metlife "scrimmage")
Darrian Beavers (torn ACL @ Metlife "pre-season")
D.J. Davidson (torn ACL @ London)

In addition, other teams suffered season-ending injuries at Metlife; most notably the Baltimore Ravens against the Jets in the opening week of the 2022 season. So, needless to say, there will be much rejoicing throughout the NFL with a new turf being fielded at the Sardine Can and, I have just learned, that the Tennessee Titans are pulling out their grass field and going with an artificial turf field for the very first time in 2023:

Titans switch to new synthetic turf at Nissan Stadium

I found it very interesting to learn of the high number of lower-body injuries their team had incurred in recent years. But if this is the path towards gravitating the NFL towards a more uniform surface which represents the safest on the market, I suspect it can only be a good thing going forward and good on the teams, and the players' union, for speaking as one voice to eventually get there in the name of player safety.

Peace!