Alshon Jeffery misses practice with his third different injury of the season, and whom do you think of?
Derrick Rose.
That’s probably not fair to anybody – not to the Bulls guard, who has had far worse luck, nor to the Bears receiver, who isn’t in Rose’s injury league yet and doesn’t make head-scratching statements. But there it is.
Jeffery missed Thursday’s practice after hurting his groin the day before, and, as of yet, no one is sure if he’ll be able to play Sunday against the Rams. This season has had a Rose feel to it for Jeffery and for Bears fans. In training camp, he had what the covert Bears called a “mild calf strain,’’ so mild that it forced him to miss all four preseason games. Then he sat out Weeks 2-5 with a hamstring injury. And now this, whatever this is.
Compared to Rose, who has had three knee surgeries, Jeffery has starter-set injuries. Another difference between the two athletes: Rose got his big money before his body started failing him. Jeffery is up for a new deal, one that will pay him a lot of money for the first time, provided nothing catastrophic occurs. He has put together three straight 100-yard receiving games, and that’s what so tantalizes the Bears and their fan base. But you had better believe the team will bring up his inability to stay healthy when the two sides negotiate.
There are things you want to be remembered for, and things you don’t. Tommy John is known for a surgery, not for his pitching career, and that’s a nice thing. Montezuma is known more for his gastrointestinal revenge than for his Aztec empire. That’s probably closer to Rose’s legacy in progress.
Injuries are normally nobody’s fault. No one should question Jeffery’s toughness, just as no one should question Rose’s. You don’t know the extent of someone’s injuries until you limp in their shoes.
But if Jeffery keeps this up, he’s going to end up with the tag of someone who can’t stay healthy. Just like You Know Who.
