Why are the Florida Gators Suffering So Many Pre-Season Injuries?

What the heck is going on in Gainesville?

Brendan Beal, Cornelius Ingram, Dorian Munroe, Jim Barrie and John Curtis have all torn their ACLs and will miss the 2008 season. All five have had surgery. Three of the five were on the defense, a sore spot for the Gators last year.

While two were starters, the other three were expected to see significant action as key back-ups. These losses are devastating to the Florida Gators, and although they have a lot of depth in most of the positions, losing SS Dorian Munroe puts the already suspect secondary in a huge pickle.

Going through the list of the injured is hair-raising. Beal was the second string MLB behind Brandon Spikes, Barrie is an OG, Ingram is a TE, and Curtis is a FS, but was listed as a SS in the spring.

Senior Cornelius Ingram had eight starts last season with 888 reception yards, and is a huge loss. When you consider the Gators, prior to the preseason practice, returned eight starters, losing one of their offensive starters is a huge ding.

So what's the reason for all of these losses?

The first thought that comes to mind is Meyer has them hitting hard in practice, and the injuries are a result of guys just flying to the ball. The loss of OG Barrie was probably due to getting rolled up on, and Ingram was hurt during one-on-one pass-blocking drills.

But the other three injuries to Munroe, Ingram and Curtis occurred during non-contact drills. It is here where the concern lies.

While the Gators have suffered a rash of similar injuries in the past, Meyer is still puzzled. "We're following pretty much the same routine," Meyer said. "Last year, we had the high ankle sprains. Two years ago it was the shoulder. It's frustrating when guys are hurt."

This week, Meyer had to push back a scrimmage because nine players who needed the reps couldn't take the field, including frosh SS Will Hill (concussion) and soph CB Moses Jenkins (concussion).

WR Percy Harvin did participate in some practice drills early in the week, but did not participate in the re-scheduled practice.

If the majority of the torn ACLs aren't a result of contact, then there are three other possible reasons.

The first is equipment problems. Could their cleats be too long for the turf's conditions? The long cleats can grip the turf and prevent the player's shoe from releasing quickly on a cut. Unsteady footing is a common denominator for knee injuries.

The second problem could be the actual field conditions. Long grass or over-watered grass can cause the same problems as cleats that are too long. The cleats dig in to the underturf and if it's dry, there is no friction, so a quick release happens. On soggy under-turf, the exact opposite effect happens. It's like trying to cut in quicksand.

The third, and most likely explanation for the injuries is simple: bad luck.  The good news to all of this is that the Gators' injuries happened pre-season, giving the team time to jell with the replacements and give the promoted reserves more reps. 

Already, OG/OT Marcus Gilbert has been named one of the most improved players on the team. He had been projected to backup senior RT Jason Watkins, but might get some drills in the left guard position with the loss of backup LG Jim Barrie.

Should the Gators fans be worried? Yes and no.

The Gators were ranked 98th in passing defense last season, 46th in scoring defense and 41st in total defense. Passing on the Gators last year was not a tall order. Losing a starting safety and a key back-up safety just doesn't help the confidence of a secondary who gave up a lot of points last season.

The good news is that the Gators were ranked 10th in rushing defense, so playing a team like Georgia with Knowshon Moreno in the backfield should give them confidence to stop the run.

Then there's this; the Gators have Superman and Harvin to put up the points, and Emmanuel Moody as the RB to keep the D honest.

Yes, the Gators may get burned a little in the secondary if the new players don't step up to the plate. Then again, it may not matter.

Tebow's "anything you can do, I can do better" performances may produce some high-scoring games with the overs at around 90 points.

So what if the Gators give up 40 points? Tebow will put up 45.

Bet on the Chompin' Gators in every game's overs and you can thank me in January when the SEC champs play in the title game.