steelers injury report

steelers injury report

The Importance of the Steelers Injury Report

1. Introduction

It might have been playing through something minor or hiding something severe, but these players were warriors who fought for their team till the end. In weekly press releases to the media, the Steelers organization releases an official injury report for each game. What they did not know is the importance this injury report has, as it relates to public knowledge and information available to Steelers fans and its effect on Las Vegas betting trends in relation to the point spread of NFL games. This is something that Stephen J.B. Kozar, Richard G. Schroeder, and James J. Le of California University of Pennsylvania wanted to investigate in the fall of 2007.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team known for their intense competition and game strategies which mirror their home city’s personality. Pittsburgh, known for its blue collar hardworking residents, is a city built on steel. The Steelers have established themselves in the National Football League as those who play through pain. Fans respect players who can suffer an injury and still perform at a high level if it means helping the team win. Throughout the history of the Steelers, they have had their own share of star players who have done just that. Jack Lambert, Terry Bradshaw, Hines Ward, and James Harrison are players who have played through their injuries over their successful careers with the Steelers.

2. Understanding the Steelers Injury Report

Not only is it vital for fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers to take a look at the injury report, but also it is very helpful for fantasy football players, gamblers, and simply those who follow the NFL and the Steelers closely. According to the National Football League, the Steelers’ injury report gives an overview of the injured players, what their injuries consist of, and their status for the upcoming game. The statuses of players are defined as “out” (not going to play in the current game), doubtful (25% chance of playing in the current game), “questionable” (50% chance of playing in the current game), or probable (75% chance of playing in the current game). If a player’s status other than “out” is upgraded over the course of the week, he does not need to be listed again on the injury report. If a player suffers an injury in the game not related to one he suffered in the past, it does not have to be listed on the injury report. This report is very helpful for fans because it gives them an idea of who may not be playing in the next game and who to look for playing or perhaps making a comeback from injury. Unfortunately, the NFL does not currently require teams to put injury reports throughout the season, but it is a good thing to keep a lookout for or an easier way is to sign up for the Steelers’ E-mail News Service to have the report sent directly to you every week. This certainly does make things easier, especially when a player is a game-time decision to play.

3. Impact of Injuries on Team Performance

A team’s injury report has long been regarded as somewhat of either a casual interest, a league requirement, or an annoyance to coaches and executives. Although some fans seem overly concerned with the injury listings, it has been apparent that they do, in fact, have a serious impact on the game and its outcomes. In recent years, a number of studies have been conducted in an attempt to gauge the exact nature of the significance of the report; while not all have been accredited, most have come to the conclusion that there is a positive correlation between a team’s injury situation and its game performance. In an age where speculation in professional sport is an industry in itself, the findings discussed here can be used as a tool to provide some insight into one of the variables of competition in the NFL. The implications the injury report has on betting odds and game predictions are obvious. Looking beyond this, the report can offer comprehensive analysis into performance trends of teams and their capabilities in dealing with adversity, pun intended. Most studies focus on comparing the win/loss records of teams and the number of players listed on the report. While it’s noble to acknowledge that a wounded team may fall victim to a string of bad luck, it is also reasonable to claim that certain injuries will weaken a team’s potency and therefore affect their chances of winning. This can be backed up by further analysis into identifying a team’s key injured players and comparing their performance stats to their replacements and to the rest of the league. An example can be found with the 2009 Colts and the loss of safety Bob Sanders. While Sanders’ history of injuries may preclude this from becoming a valid study in his own instance, it is known that he is an impact player on a defense that was rated number one in the regular season. His absence in this particular year saw the Colts lose relative defensive form and ultimately come short of the Super Bowl.

4. The Role of the Steelers Injury Report in Decision-Making

The true importance of the Pittsburgh Steelers weekly injury report lies in the effect it has on decision-making across many facets of the organization. While still fallible, the NFL prides itself on fairness and information so as to continue upholding the quality of the product displayed. Teams, with the weekly itinerary posted by the Steelers in mind, expect that an accurate representation of the status of banged up players will prevent any surprises from the league injury report the following day. Certain injury designations may prevent squad members from practicing, thus, in a league paying closer attention to health danger, a player out on a Wednesday afternoon may just sit out the entire week of preparation. This means that by Sunday, the injured players may be significantly less prepared in terms of game-plan comprehension and recollection. Coaches expect consideration in these situations and an injury report essentially gives a heads up if this consideration will occur. If a hurt player does in fact practice on Friday or have an unexpectedly good week of healing, coaching staffs recognize the potential gamesmanship involved in whether or not to reveal the status of an improved player. “I bet they won’t list him as questionable” is a common statement in the coaching community regarding a player on the verge of health who may slip under the opponent’s radar come game time. A now accurate injury report will nullify most of these assumptions and considerations, as the status of player will clearly indicate what is felt to be gained or lost by that player seeing action. With consideration and assumptions eliminated, coaches and front office personnel of both teams can plan more thoroughly to face an expected reality barring further injury. In simple terms, every team wants to know who will be playing for the potential strategic advantages gained when facing different personnel match-ups. The highest quality information provided by an injury report increases the likelihood of decisions made actually coming to fruition on the field. A versatile injury report’s impact on game competitiveness and fairness can apply to division of rivals or even teams trying to make headway in the standings when facing an upcoming Steelers contest. An ideal situation is having both teams at full strength and information as to the talent level of various rosters can influence management in personnel moves or continued development of players high on potential. This analysis of own team or foes often leads decision-makers back to the initial issue of player health and status. In the NFL, anything less than full strength is assumed to be a built-in excuse and a now increased likelihood that same competitiveness and fairness can exist on the field is seen as a change for the better.

5. Conclusion

This paper offers two main contributions. The first is that the pattern of behavior by NFL teams suggests they withhold injury information from the media and public. This is important to the public for the reasons explained earlier. Sports betting has become a popular social phenomenon in which many people participate thanks to a perceived slight edge in information. Though sports betting is often correlated with problem or pathological gambling, most participants are motivated by the challenge of an intellectual test and the allure of proving his/her superior judgment against peers (Ladouceur and Mireault, 1988). Knowledge of an injury to a starting player, or an injury that may affect a team’s chances of victory may be the difference between a win and a loss on the betting line. The second and more important contribution is showing how this disingenuous behavior by teams can be harmful to their players. By examining fluctuations in betting lines and game outcomes, we can infer that revealing an injury through the game status report has a direct effect on a team’s chances of victory. This can lead to players being suggested to play through injuries that they would otherwise not play through. The example of Ben Roethlisberger in the playoff game against the Washington Redskins can be used here. After taking a hard hit in the previous game, it was revealed by a teammate later in the week that “Big Ben” was showing symptoms of a concussion but never reported it to the team. He subsequently played in the game still denying his head injury (the nature of this behavior will be saved for another paper) leading a team victory, though it is a playoff game and was deemed fairly irrelevant to report for the Redskins it could be inferred that it influenced a game outcome. Any injury deemed game changing by a team’s staff could have similar spurious effects.