Warren Moon: Injuries will happen even if NFL preseason is shortened

Warren Moon views NFL players in the same way as he does a Ferrari or Porsche: finely tuned and seemingly always broken down.

The Hall of Famer weighed in on the preseason-shortening debate and the cluster of ACL injuries while speaking with “Justin and Gee” Friday on 710 ESPN Seattle.

Moon said NFL athletes are “fine-tuned machines” just like those luxury vehicles that sometimes seem to be broken more than they are fixed. The reason, he said, is “because they are so highly tuned and a lot of times they just break and you don’t know why they break.”

“That’s the same way in football,” Moon added. “Things snap sometimes when you land wrong or whatever, but injuries are going to happen in football and I don’t think the number of preseason games has anything to do with it.”

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers and other top players have commented recently about cutting the preseason down from four games to limit the number of injuries that occur during “meaningless games.” According to the ACL Recovery Club, there have been 25 reported ACL injuries during the preseason so far, 10 of which have happened in preseason games. The Club said there were 22 ACL tears prior to the start of the 2014 season and 31 in 2013.

The injury bug has been relatively docile in Seattle thus far, with the most notable setbacks coming to WR Chris Matthews and backup quarterback Tarvaris Jackson in the first preseason game. Both are expected back before the season starts. The Seahawks waived Kona Schwenke last week after the backup tackle reportedly tore his ACL against the Chiefs.

Moon said major injuries are common every preseason — from ACL to Achilles tears — but that they’re all part of the game.

“Every preseason there’s always injuries and in football there’s going to be injuries,” he said. “I think everybody is making all this to-do about nothing with too many preseason games and that. Well, if you only had two preseason games all these same guys would still be hurt because all they’ve played is two preseason games. So how do you cut back on the injuries?”

Moon pointed specifically to Rodgers’ teammate Jordy Nelson, the Pro Bowl receiver who tore his ACL last weekend without being touched.

“You can’t protect against those things,” Moon said. “Football is a collision sport, it’s a contact sport.”

The Seahawks are set to play their third preseason game, commonly known as the “dress rehearsal” game, Saturday against the Chargers. Although most coaches rest their starters in the fourth game, Moon told “Justin and Gee” that he always preferred to play in that final tune-up, rather than sitting for a couple weeks in a row.

“That’s how a lot of injuries happen early in the season, because they aren’t ready for the snaps and are fatigued,” he said. “I always wanted to play in the fourth game just to keep that same rhythm going right into the season, but so many coaches now are worried about guys getting hurt in that fourth game that they don’t want them to play. But guys end up getting hurt anyway because they haven’t played. So it’s a slippery slope.”

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