Almost no one escapes unscathed. Play long enough, and you're going to get hurt. Sometimes, even a play or two is long enough. Raymont Harris, the veteran running back recently waived by the Patriots, missed virtually all of the 1995 season when he broke his collarbone on the second play from scrimmage in the first game that year. Harris also missed half the 1998 season with a stress fracture of his left leg, and sat out all of last year while rehabilitating the injury.
Injuries can end more than just a player's season.
They can effectively put an end to a team's season. That was the case for the Patriots in 1989, a season that was over before it started when Andre Tippett, Ronnie Lippett and Garin Veris all were lost for the year with season-ending injuries suffered in the final preseason game against the Packers. Jacksonville had been expected to once again challenge the Titans, Colts and Bills for AFC supremacy, but a devastating series of injuries could make it difficult for the Jaguars to even slip into the playoffs this season. New York Giants safety Sam Garnes will have a post-concussion evaluation today to determine whether he can play this weekend against Philadelphia. Garnes was knocked out for about 30 seconds after colliding with teammate Jessie Armstead trying to break up a pass in the fourth quarter of the Giants' 21-16 victory over Arizona on Sunday.