For several seasons we've been complaining on here about our bad luck with injuries. Now football is a rough sport and injuries are part and parcel of an NFL season for every club, but have we been unluckier than most, and is there a trend? Football Outsiders now has a metric to assess this in some way, but my first introduction to this idea was in the 2007 preview, when they noted that the Patriots had a very high DB mortality rate- and so did the Crennel coached Browns. Though there was no obvious reason for this- in tactical/coverage terms- the Patriots connection did make you wonder. So onto this years FO Almanac, and their numbers.

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"Watching" the Lions manhandle us last night, with our gang of so-so linebackers and cardboard cutouts at DE made me think back to Fritz Shurmur's "Eagle" defense for the LA Rams back around 1990. He played a 2-5 with a "nosebacker" position. 

So, what about Rogers & Ruybin on the DL (no one else worth starting) then a left-to-right LB corps of

Gocong-Jackson-Veikune-Fujita-Roth

Bowens backing up Veikune, Maiva backing ILB & Benard backing OLB.

Of course the caveat is the Rams back then had enough quality at LB to field two starting four man units. They were also sorely lacking at DL. Just a thought, like!