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The NFLs injury epidemic began even before any preseason games were played, with the likes of Sean Lee and Kiko Alonso going down. Clyde Drexler Blazers Jersey .Since then, big-name players (RG3, Robert Mathis, Knowshon Moreno, Sam Bradford, B.J. Raji, DeAngelo Hall, Chris Long, Ike Taylor) have been sidelined, and entire units such as Atlanta and Philadelphias offensive lines and Carolinas backfield have been ravaged.What gives? ACLs, Achilles tendons and shoulders, among other things.Consider what has happened to the Vikings, who lost quarterback Matt Cassel (broken foot), and right guard Brandon Fusco (torn pectoral muscle) for the season. Tight end Kyle Rudolph (sports hernia surgery) will miss about six weeks.That almost makes linebacker Chad Greenways hand and rib problems from which he will soon return seem tame. Almost.I never envisioned that, but its a part of football, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said after all of those injuries occurred in one game. Last year in Cincinnati we lost our best defensive tackle, our best corner, one of our best linebackers, a very good defensive end. Things happen in the NFL, so this is a survival of the fittest game, its always a marathon.Marathon or sprint, its difficult a€” sometimes impossible a€” to stay on track with so many players getting hurt. Although injured reserve numbers are not significantly different at this point from recent seasons (39 in-season through four weeks last year, 41 this year), they remain alarming.Going back to the summer, a total of 262 players have gone on injured reserve, with only 21 of them designated to return this season.Many of those players who went on IR before the season might not have made teams anyway.Judging only by IR numbers, according to STATS, linebacker far and away is the most vulnerable spot to injuries with 54 already in 2014.That includes such critical members of their defences as Lee in Dallas, Alonso in Buffalo, Sean Weatherspoon in Atlanta, Derrick Johnson in Kansas City, Jarvis Jones in Pittsburgh, Nick Roach in Oakland, Danny Trevathan in Denver, and Zach Brown in Tennessee. Not all of them are on IR, but their lengthy absences are damaging.Detroit saw LB Stephen Tulloch suffer the weirdest of all injuries, tearing his ACL while doing a mocking celebration after a sack of Aaron Rodgers.More troubling is when the likes of Hall and Johnson are sidelined with Achilles tendon tears even though they are not involved in contact when they get hurt.There are like 14 of these in the National Football League right now, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said of Achilles injuries. Three teams are in double digits with them (players on IR). So its out there and people are examining it to try to figure it out.Running back and wide receiver have the next highest numbers on IR, 34 and 33.Injuries are unavoidable in such a violent sport, and football on all levels has been criticized for how head trauma and concussions were handled for years. The NFL has instituted some rules, particularly those protecting defenceless players, that it hopes will cut down on injuries.Still, with the players bigger, faster and in better shape than ever, and with equipment that, at times, can become weapons, football never will be injury free. Or anything close.So teams try to adapt. But when they get racked at the same positions or units, it often is a critical blow to their chances for success.Under the salary cap, and with the large gap between starters and backups a€” particularly outstanding starters and inexperienced backups a€” injuries often are decisive.Carolina won the NFC South last season and got off to a 2-0 start in 2014. But with their backfield a wreck, the Panthers were drubbed the past two weeks as Pittsburgh and Baltimore could concentrate on stymieing QB Cam Newton.The injuries that have plagued our running backs is almost hard to believe, says tight end Greg Olsen, referring to losing for the short term DeAngelo Williams (ankle), Jonathan Stewart (knee), and Fozzy Whittaker (hamstring), and for more than half the schedule, Mike Tolbert (hairline leg fracture, on IR/designated to return).You talk about having four active running backs on Day 1 of the season and every single one of them gets injured. I mean, what are you going to do? Its a crazy thing. You can go years without having a running back get hurt and we have our top four guys out.But thats the NFL. There are a lot of teams banged up and we have to find a way to get through.Yes, thats the mentality. The season is a battle of attrition, and it might not always be the most talented teams that prosper, but the healthiest.With health being relative, measured perhaps by having the fewest major injuries.I think you want to be at full strength, Broncos coach John Fox says. Unfortunately in this league not everybody is, and so I mention it every year: You need some good breaks and injuries are part of those good breaks a€” being healthy. Like I mentioned a year ago, we had seven guys on IR that were starters and we made it to the Super Bowl.So you just knock on wood and try to remain healthy.___AP Pro Football Writers Dave Campbell and Arnie Stapleton and Sports Writers Steve Reed and Dave Skretta contributed to this story.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Bill Walton Jersey . The CFL will help tackle womens cancers by playing four special "CFL PINK" games this weekend. Zach Collins Blazers Jersey ., will experience this week. A year in which the Canadian curling championship has been pushed forward a week to accommodate the Winter Olympics was deemed the perfect chance to stage the event in Montreal for the first time since 1979. http://www.blazersteamofficial.com/Gary-Trent-Jr-Blazers-Jersey/ . The victory strengthened Liverpools position in the top four after Tottenham lost 1-0 at Norwich in the days late kickoff, cutting the north London club six points adrift of fourth place and the final Champions League slot for next season.Chelsea settled for a 1-1 draw with title rival Manchester City to protect its Premier League lead Saturday, and Real Madrid won big without the suspended Cristiano Ronaldo to stay on top of the Spanish standings.Chelsea appeared content with the stalemate that kept Jose Mourinhos side five-points clear of City, which now has neighbour Manchester United just five points behind after it beat Leicester 3-1.Karim Benzema filled Ronaldos void by scoring twice to lead Madrids 4-1 thrashing of Real Sociedad, ensuring it stayed in front of Barcelona for another week.Here is a look at Europes major leagues:___ENGLANDAlthough Chelsea dropped points for the first time at home this season, the leaders defensive-minded approach in the second half suggested they were satisfied with the draw.Chelsea was without suspended striker Diego Costa, but Lioc Remy stepped in to give the hosts the lead in the 41st minute after latching onto Eden Hazards volley across the face of goal.A City counterattack before halftime led to the leveler, with David Silva completing the move by turning in Sergio Agueros shot.Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao rediscovered their scoring touch for United, whose victory was wrapped up before halftime through Wes Morgans own goal.Tottenhams Harry Kane scored twice in a 3-0 win at West Bromwich Albion, while Liverpools Daniel Sturridge scored in his first match after five months out to seal a 2-0 victory over West Ham.Jermain Defore got his first goal for Sunderland in a 2-0 win over Burnley; Stokes Jonathan Walters scored a hat trick in a 3-1 win over Queens Park Rangers, and Everton won 1-0 at Crystal Palace.SPAINRonaldo watched from the stands at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium as he served the first of a two-game ban for kicking a Cordoba player last weekend.Madrid didnt miss him, though, hitting right back after Sociedads Aritz Elustondo scored 36 seconds into the match.James Rodriguez headed the hosts level in the third minute. SSergio Ramos scored before halftime, and Benzema struck twice in the second half. Zach Collins Jersey. adrid opened a four-point gap over Barcelona and defending champion Atletico Madrid. Barcelona hosts Villarreal on Sunday.Atletico stayed in contact with its crosstown rivals before the two clash next week, after Mario Mandzukic also grabbed a brace of early goals following Antoine Griezmanns opener its 3-1 victory at Eibar.Celta Vigo beat Cordoba 1-0 for its first win in 11 rounds, while Granada ended a 16-round winless streak by edging 10-man Elche 1-0 to provisionally escape from last place.ITALYRoma was held 1-1 at home by relegation-threatened Empoli, and the title hopeful looks set to lose more ground on Serie A leader Juventus.Romas fourth consecutive league draw left it six points behind Juventus, which visits Udinese on Sunday.Genoa also drew 1-1 at home to Fiorentina.GERMANYBayer Leverkusen held Borussia Dortmund to a scoreless draw to leave the 2011 and 2012 champion bottom of the Bundesliga after Freiburgs 4-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.Nils Petersen scored a hat trick on his debut as Freiburg came from behind to beat Frankfurt and climb off the bottom to 13th place.Moenchengladbach moved into third place with a 1-0 win at Stuttgart.Schalke defeated Hannover 1-0; Mainz routed promoted Paderborn 5-0 at home, and Marcel Risse scored twice in the second half for Cologne to win 2-0 at Hamburger SV.FRANCEAndre-Pierre Gignac scored from the penalty spot early in the second half for second-place Marseille to beat Evian 1-0 and keep the pressure on French league leader Lyon.Lille could not bounce back after two consecutive losses and was held to 1-1 at Nantes.Bastia drew 1-1 at struggling Lens, extending its unbeaten league run to six matches.Sixth-place Montpellier was held to a goalless draw at Lorient; Toulouse downed Reims 1-0, and last-place Metz failed to win for an 11th straight league match in a 0-0 draw with Nice. 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