Washington Commanders Chase Young was to play about 16 snaps against the 49ers, so why did he end up playing twice as much?
After a few weeks of anxiously awaiting when Young would officially be active for a Commanders game, Young saw his first action Saturday in the Week 16 contest at San Francisco.
We had heard defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio remaining cautious concerning Young being pressed early, wanting Young to simply do his job and be wise in how he was used. Head coach Ron Rivera had also more than once declared Young would be on a pitch count analogous to pitchers being closely monitored in concern for their short and long-term health.
Once Young reached his 16-play limit, he continued to play. Why?
Imagine Stephen Strasburg returning from a major injury and being instructed he will be limited to 40 pitches in his first appearance. The trainer and pitching coach inform Strasburg in the dugout that he has reached 39 pitches, so he will not be taking the mound in the fourth inning. “But I feel really good,” responds Strasburg.
How should a knowledgeable and wise training and coaching staff respond? “Oh, you feel really good? Oh, you really sure you want to go back out there for another inning or two?” How much respect would you have for that training and coaching staff?
Chase Young was supposed to play up to 16 snaps Saturday. So why was Young playing 30 snaps in his first action? I mean, if he wasn’t ready last week to play against the Giants, why was he in on 30 snaps this week when leadership said he would play up to 16?
“That was my choice,” Young told reporters after the game. Excuse me? Your choice? Since when is it Young’s choice for him to play twice as much as the announced 12-16 snaps he would play?
Chase Young says he told Rivera he could play more than 12 to 16 snaps: pic.twitter.com/GDgJWXvUfS
— Matthew Paras (@Matthew_Paras) December 25, 2022
Yes, Young is an explosive athlete, but who relinquished their authority and handed it over to Young?
Young was thinking only about that game, playing well in (and more plays) in that one game. Doesn’t sound leadership think about long-term health?
Wouldn’t it be more thorough and wise for the organization to formulate a plan, based upon the knowledge of human anatomy, the science of human recovery and rehabilitation and for the coaching staff to effectively stick with such a plan these last two weeks?
