The Aikman List - A Detailed Analysis

A question was asked a few days ago concerning a comment from that known Green Bay hater former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman about the rash of injuries the Packers has suffered this year possibly being the result of Head Coach Mike McCarthy holding a Saturday practice instead of taking Saturday off and practicing on Friday.

It was implied that the Packers players were more susceptible to injuries during the Sunday games because they didn't have adequate time to recover while other teams had a day to recover.

First, I could find no reference to the Packers practicing on Saturday and injuries except for Aikman's comment. Second, the NFL doesn't even recognize that the Packers practice on Saturday because their official injury list only lists practices on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, including the Packers. Third, there cannot be much of a practice since Saturday is also travel day.

Well after doing an exhausting search of immense proportions I couldn't find a single article or reference, for that matter, concerning McCarthy's Saturday practice or even the Packers travel plans. So what follows is speculation, but living in a Trump World speculation or alternative facts the Trump Administration likes to call their announcements is better than actual facts. So here we go.

Week 1: the Packers listed four players out because of injuries, Chris Banjo, Jayrone Elliott, Trevor Davis and Josh Hawkins. All, but Davis (shoulder) had hamstring injuries, the injury du jour of any Packers season since McCarthy became head coach. All, but Elliott, occurred before the Friday/Saturday practice. Elliott appeared on the injury list after the Fri/Sat practice and before the game. So I chose not to consider Elliott a Saturday effect since it happened before the game.

Week 2: During the first game Sam Shields suffered a concussion, but that didn't have anything to do with the Saturday practice. Shields was lost for the season. Elliott and Hawkins also missed week 2 as did Jeff Janis, who appeared on the injury report the week before because of a broken hand suffered during training camp. I don't think his inactivity had anything to do with the Saturday practice.

Week 3: Morgan Burnett, Letroy Guion, Clay Matthews and Datone Jones all were inactive after suffering injuries in the Week 2 game. Burnett suffered a groin injury while Guion and Jones had knee injuries and Matthews an ankle injury. There is a possibility that Burnett's injury was a result of muscle fatigue. So living in a Trump World we will say with certitude that any soft tissue injury is result of the Saturday practice making Burnett Aikman No. 1.

Week 4: Jared Cook and Damarious Randall were inactive after being injured during the Week 3 game. Cook went down with an ankle injury and Randall a groin. Applying the Trump/Burnett Rule Randall becomes Aikman No. 2.

Week 5: Aaron Ripkowski appeared on the injury list, but didn't miss any practice or the game. I couldn't find what injury he had, but applying the Trump Rule that anything unexplained should be considered I will have to list him as Aikman No. 3.

Week 6: Chris Banjo and James Starks were inactive. Starks suffered a knee injury on Friday the story says, but since McCarthy doesn't practice on Friday then he must have a suffered it on Thursday or Saturday, so he is not a candidate for an Aikman. Banjo suffered a hamstring injury during the game, so under the Trump Rule he is Aikman No. 4.

Week 7: Jared Abbrederis, Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins were new to the inactive list. In the Week 6 game Abbrederis suffered a quad injury while Randall and Rollins had groin injuries. I couldn't tell if Abbrederis was hit on the thigh or pulled it, but the Trump Rule states, "when in doubt, error on the side of the extreme" so Abbrederis, Randall and Rollins are Aikman No. 5, No. 6 and No. 7.

Week 8:  Ty Montgomery was inactive with what was called illness. It turned out to be related to sickle-cell. The Trump Administration told me to add him to the Trump (Aikman) list, but I refused. I am not in hiding. Randall Cobb and Clay Matthews were also added to the inactive list with hamstring injuries, so they became Aikman No. 8 and No. 9.

Week 9: JC Tretter was added to the list and ended up missing the rest of the season with a knee injury. A knee injury even in a Trump World can't be considered an Aikman.

Week 10: Christine (not Christian like Aikman and Joe "50-cent (half a Buck)" Buck were calling him) Michael was added to the injury list for the Fri/Sat practice. I found no mention of what his injury was. He didn't miss the game and since he was added to the list for the Fri/Sat practice he isn't Aikman worthy. Otherwise, no new injuries, but a lot of old ones.

Week 11: T.J. Lang and Jake Ryan sat out after suffering injuries the game before. Lang had a broken foot and Ryan an ankle injury. Can't add them to the Aikman count.

Week 12: Blake Martinez and Demetri Goodson were injured in the game before. Martinez and Goodson both suffered knee injuries. Goodson would be lost for the season and Martinez would miss several games and never regain his starting job. Rookie linebacker Kyler Fackrell suffered a classic Trump injury a hamstring, so he became Aikman No. 10.

Week 13: No new injuries.

Week 14: Nick Perry suffers a hand injury in the game before and is inactive. Even a limited Trump Effect can't add him to the Aikman count.

Week 15: No new injuries.

Week 16: In the game before Randall Cobb suffers an ankle injury and Jayrone Elliott a hand injury. James Starks returned, but then suffered a season-ending concussion in a car crash. The Trump Administration told me to add Starks, but I didn't so no new Aikman's this week.

Week 17: No new injuries.

Wildcard Weekend: Quinten Rollins suffered a gruesome neck injury during the Lions game. He was the only new injury so no knew Aikman's again.

Divisional Weekend: Jordy Nelson suffers a fractured ribs and again the Trump Administration took credit, but also again I didn't agree so no new Aikman. I can here the Jackboots on the paving stones getting louder.

Conference Championship: No new injuries.

So let's add it up. 75 games lost because of injury or illness with 10 on the Aikman list for a Saturday Effect percentage of 13.3%. Without spending a week analyzing the percentage of Friday practice that resulted in injuries in the Sunday game I would say 15% would be a good guess.

So I can state without fear of contradiction (like a good Trumper would do) that practicing on Saturday didn't add to the usual and I mean season in and season out rash of injuries the Packers always go through. But, of course, I could be wrong, but I guess Troy Aikman didn't do a detailed analysis before uttering his statement, so (like a good Trumper again) I think I am right.