Giants hire the strength and conditioning coach from the team with more injuries

[MightyGiants]

than the NY Giants     

https://x.com/clt_ny/status/1757559862320390507?s=20

Frank Piraino is in his fifth season with the Titans and his second year as director of sports performance. He joined the Titans in 2019 as strength and conditioning coach after 16 years developing athletes in the collegiate ranks.

Piraino was a part of three winning seasons and three playoff teams during his first four seasons with the club. In 2021, the Titans earned their third consecutive playoff appearance. They captured the AFC South title for the second consecutive season and earned the conference's top playoff seed with a 12-5 record in the regular season. 

In 2020, the Titans won their division with an 11-5 record in the regular season, claiming their best record and first division title since going 13-3 in 2008. It followed a 2019 campaign in which they advanced to the AFC Championship Game for the first time since 2002. 

Piraino joined the Titans after serving as head strength and conditioning coach for football at Boston College, where he spent six total seasons (2013-18). 

Piraino joined head coach Steve Addazio at Boston College after spending two seasons (2011-12) as his head strength and conditioning coach at Temple and one year as the head strength and conditioning coach for football at Marshall (2010).

He served on the strength and conditioning staff at the University of Florida for five years (2005-09), during a stretch when Florida won a pair of national championships (2006 and 2008) under head coach Urban Meyer.

Piraino also spent time at Notre Dame (2004), Michigan State (2003-04) and Walsh Jesuit (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) High School (2000-03), as well as an internship with the Cleveland Guardians (2000-01). 

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Piraino earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Akron and later earned a master's degree from Michigan State. 

He and his wife, Evan, have one son, Milo, and one daughter, Micah.

Frank Piraino's Coaching Timeline:

2022-23: Director of Sports Performance, Tennessee Titans

2019-21: Strength and Conditioning, Tennessee Titans

2013-18: Head Strength and Conditioning, Boston College

2011-12: Head Strength and Conditioning, Temple

2010: Head Strength and Conditioning, Marshall

2005-09: Strength and Conditioning, Florida

2004: Strength and Conditioning, Notre Dame

2003-04: Graduate Assistant, Michigan State

2000-03: Assistant Coach, Walsh Jesuit (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) High School

Piraino is a 2002 graduate of the University of Akron with a bachelor's degree in sport and exercise science. He earned his master's degree in sport administration from Michigan State in 2004.

[MightyGiants]

Head of Strength and Conditioning Frank Piraino Not On Brian Callahan's New Titans' Staff
Frank Piraino
  Frank Piraino
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Frank Piraino was bound to go. After three years where the Titans used at least 85 players a season because of an onslaught of injuries, the strength and conditioning coach, who became director of sports performance along the way, paid the price.

His three assistants remain behind on Brian Callahan's new staff, the bulk of which was announced Tuesday. Brian Bell, Tyler Rouse and Haley Roberts are likely to be judged by Piraino's replacement, running the weight room for players who are  working at team headquarters.

Is the strength and conditioning program likely a piece of what has been wrong for the Titans? Sure.

Is this alone the fix? Don't bet on it. When Colton Dowell runs down the sideline and on a special teams play double-teamed, gets tangled up and winds up with a torn ACL, that's not a strength and conditioning issue, no matter how much fans want to gang up with torches and pitchforks and holler Piraino's name.

There are many factors mixed with a great dose of bad luck involved in what's gone on.

But a new head of the department will bring a new approach and hopefully better luck too. Mike Vrabel wanted a particularly physical style of play and that, combined with the training methods of Piraino, were part of what created problems.

While vice president of sports medicine Todd Toriscelli has big awards and accolades and has sent three people onto high ranking jobs, I think he and his department should have been looked at too.

Getting players back into action is different than injury prevention, but looking at everything is looking at everything. Instead the Titans involved him on some level in the search for Callahan. They didn't examine that department at all.

Word is Toriscelli can basically choose his retirement date, which will likely be after next season.

https://www.paulkuharsky.com/news/head-of-strength-and-conditioning-frank-piraino-not-on-brian-callahan-s-new-titans-staff

[MightyGiants]

Frank Piraino and Brian Bell have been on this staff since 2019 & 2018 respectively. Piraino came from Boston College where Vrabels son played during his tenure and Bell comes from Houston while Vrabel was the DC.

In that timespan, we've led the league in injuries twice and are on pace to repeat that feat for a third straight year.

Listen, I don't know xxxx about xxxx when it comes to strength and conditioning. But if you're at the bottom of your respective field in any other business for a year let alone three, you get fired. But instead, we've rewarded this mediocrity with promotions.

I'm not a Vrabel hater, but this is the kind of xxxx that got Mularky and Munchak fired. Just reeks of nepotism.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Tennesseetitans/comments/17n1idz/how_are_these_guys_still_employed/

[MightyGiants]

https://x.com/clt_ny/status/1757562601133760532?s=20

https://x.com/ManGamesLostNFL/status/1617604238770569216?s=20

[LennG]

Why am I not surprised?

How is he related to some one in the Giants organization?

[DaveBrown74]

Just a basic question:

When a team has constant injuries, do you look to the strength and conditioning guys or to the training and medical people?

I'm not suggesting the former have no impact -- clearly they do. But if we're looking to dole out blame, wouldn't the most obvious recipient be the latter?

[kartanoman]

https://x.com/clt_ny/status/1757562601133760532?s=20

https://x.com/ManGamesLostNFL/status/1617604238770569216?s=20

I love the Man Games Lost site as they collect the KPIs which tell the story. You have to pay for the data they collect, but even at the 30,000 foot level, these two charts summarize your argument clearly, Rich @MightyGiants .

This is good stuff; however, unless an effective cause tree is built to flesh out the "why's" which lead to the root cause, or one or multiple direct causes, it will be an exercise in futility to implement effective corrective and preventive actions, with KPIs tracking Measures of Effectiveness, and the wheels will continue to spin endlessly in the mud.

Step one (if I am John Mara and Steve Tisch) is acknowledge you have a problem. Step two is making an honest commitment to a vision, or desired future state. Step three is look in the mirror and ask yourself if you are willing to do whatever it takes to be part of the solution, instead of remaining ignorant to the truth.

If I were one of the owners, I would put aside my pride and make some calls to my peers who have demonstrated how to build and sustain excellence in their programs, to include, among other things, a risk mitigated approach to player injuries. What would I ask and what would I look for? Do I focus on the field type, both practice and gameday fields? What professionals do I hire which offer me a competitive advantage over my peers? What types of players should I draft, avoid? What should my Operations look like to give the product on the field the best chance for success? What other investments should I make in my team's infrastructure? How much should I show my players how much I care for them, their families and their overall well-being?

I can go on and on. But the more questions I write down, the more the answer who models as close to the ideal owner who was all that and more, was Edward J. DeBartolo Jr., an owner who ran the 49ers like a family business, yet kept his focus on his players which created the most unique player-owner relationship in sports history. The five Super Bowl championships are a testament to Eddie's philosophy.

But John Mara is not Eddie
DeBartolo; not by a longshot. John Mara still has nearly infinity to go before he can even be mentioned in the same breath as his father. But it doesn't mean it's too late to learn and, if he could synthesize any conclusions about his team from the charts above, he should realize he's not doing all he can to bring the very best of the best in to remedy what is a perennial issue. What's more, he doesn't even need a subscription to Lost Man Games to figure this out.

Peace!

[kartanoman]

Just a basic question:

When a team has constant injuries, do you look to the strength and conditioning guys or to the training and medical people?

I'm not suggesting the former have no impact -- clearly they do. But if we're looking to dole out blame, wouldn't the most obvious recipient be the latter?

You do a disciplined root cause analysis and you don't blame; you flesh out every possibility until you uncover the root cause, or one or multiple direct causes. You then analyze them, and identify solid corrective / preventive actions with measures of effectiveness (KPIs) to validate the correct actions were taken to eliminate the causes of the issue(s).

Any other method is spinning your wheels in the mud. Case in point what Rich is trying to point out for us.

Those Lost Man Games Due To Injury metrics are pretty damning if your name is John Mara.

Peace!

[ozzie]

Seems like a step backwards to me.
Business as usual....

[MightyGiants]

Just a basic question:

When a team has constant injuries, do you look to the strength and conditioning guys or to the training and medical people?

I'm not suggesting the former have no impact -- clearly they do. But if we're looking to dole out blame, wouldn't the most obvious recipient be the latter?

The reduction in the loss of player snaps due to injury is a team approach with various entities all playing a role.

Strength and Conditioning staff-  they are the front line in injury reduction.  They are the ones who develop the personalized strength and flexibility training for each player on the team.   They are most responsible for the reduction in soft tissue injuries.

Doctors and Training staff-  They are responsible for how quickly and completely players recover from their injuries (and any relapses that occur).  Their job is to treat the injured and rehab them back to full health as quickly as possible.  This group is also responsible for deciding which players to sign and/or keep based on how injury-prone they are.   If they fail to identify and help the team avoid injury-prone players, the whole program can be short-circuited.

Nutritionist-  Proper nutrition is another important aspect of injury prevention and recovery.   A proper diet can help reduce inflammation as well as allow quicker and better recovery of the sort of micro-tears that lead to bigger season-ending tears.

Sports Science-  They tend to develop programs that decide how best to practice and when to practice to allow proper recovery time.  They work to prevent fatigue in players and often can assist other parts of the program with the latest technology and techniques.

[MightyGiants]

You do a disciplined root cause analysis and you don't blame; you flesh out every possibility until you uncover the root cause, or one or multiple direct causes. You then analyze them, and identify solid corrective / preventive actions with measures of effectiveness (KPIs) to validate the correct actions were taken to eliminate the causes of the issue(s).

Any other method is spinning your wheels in the mud. Case in point what Rich is trying to point out for us.

Those Lost Man Games Due To Injury metrics are pretty damning if your name is John Mara.

Peace!

Chris,

I tend to have jobs that require a more pragmatic approach.   As such, while I wouldn't object to a root cause analysis, I wouldn't need one.  I would take the approach of tackling the problem from every angle. I would look to improve every aspect of the player health program, including:

Strength and Conditioning
Player injury-prone screening
Rehab program
Nutrition
Sport Science
Field conditions
protective equipment

Do better in all aspects, and you will likely solve the problem.  In reality, I suspect there isn't a single cause but a series of lesser causes.

[BluesCruz]

Im not sure you can mitgate injuries very much

Stretching as much as power lifting seems prudent.

You need adequate back ups ultimately as injuries in football are inevitable

Johnny Parker had a system he picked up from the Russians of lifting in ways that simulated football moves.  If I recall properly he also used Ballet training movements

[kartanoman]

Chris,

I tend to have jobs that require a more pragmatic approach.   As such, while I wouldn't object to a root cause analysis, I wouldn't need one.  I would take the approach of tackling the problem from every angle. I would look to improve every aspect of the player health program, including:

Strength and Conditioning
Player injury-prone screening
Rehab program
Nutrition
Sport Science
Field conditions
protective equipment

Do better in all aspects, and you will likely solve the problem.  In reality, I suspect there isn't a single cause but a series of lesser causes.

Thank you, Rich @MightyGiants . You've just listed the main branches in the cause tree to which the next step is to analyze the underlying causes in each branch. You then eliminate the less probable and build on the higher probable.

I think we're doing the same thing except talking slightly different methods of reaching the same destination. The intent is in the right place and that, in the end, is the most important part.

Peace!