The New York Giants appeared to fake injuries on Monday night against the Rams in an attempt to slow down the hurry-up offense. Deon Grant was adamant throughout the week that his knee injury was legitimate, but it looked suspicious when two Giants players went down at the same time. The NFL issued a memo to teams telling them not to fake injuries. The league appears to be cracking down on the issue.
Some teams have tacitly indicated that they coach players to fake injuries. Even the Giants defensive coordinator didn’t deny that he teaches the practice. Heck, even Reggie Bush says his team used to do it in New Orleans.
“We actually had that before in New Orleans,” Bush said, referring to the fake injury play. “It’s just one of those things when you get those hurry-up offensive teams. I mean, it’s legal. They haven’t made any rules yet to say it’s not legal.
“… For the most part you’re supposed to have a designated guy for that. It’s not supposed to be four or five guys falling on the ground at the same time. Obviously that looks real bush league.”
Even if there isn’t a specific rule against feigning injuries, it’s probably not the best idea to brag about employing the practice. The competition committee discourages coaches from encouraging players to fake injuries, and now the NFL plans to issue fines, suspensions, or remove draft picks if teams are caught doing it. Let’s hope the Saints are no longer encouraging the practice.
