Of course, there are medical reasons for such broad recovery times. “If Bruschi was a pro golfer, he wouldn’t have played for three months,” says Dr. Stephen Nicholas, a former New York Jets team doctor and now chief of the Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma. “Playing linebacker doesn’t require the same wrist rotation or stress that being a hitter does. I’d put a linebacker in a hard cast and let him play the next week.” He’d have to. Because an NFL season is a slight 16 games, says Tyer, each contest “is life or death.” And one game missed can be one too many.
