Guest Blog: Hometown Report, Oft-Injured Croyle
(Ethan Jaynes of NESW Sports and SEC Football Blogger was nice enough to do a guest post on Brodie Croyle. Considering his proximity to the situation, this is good stuff. Thanks, Ethan. Definitely check out his blogs. - Adam)
The nice guys @ Arrowhead Addict asked me to do an impromptu guest blog post as soon as they heard that I lived in Etowah County, Alabama. They were not interested in hearing about my Carnell Williams Stories ( Etowah high school ). They were interested in what I might know about Brodie Croyle.
Brodie went to Westbrook High School, which is a Christian school that I think his family puts a good deal of money into. His dad, John Croyle, played at Alabama under Bear Bryant. He had injuries and now owns Big Oak Boys ranch. It is a very cool place where he takes in underprivileged kids etc… Brodie grew up playing with all the boys that his Dad was taking care of. Some say that is where he learned to be a leader and a great football player.
That is all the good stuff I know about him. I have never met him. I have no animosity towards him. I am not jealous at all, because I am not that kind of person. This is not like a story line from Varsity Blues. I only knew he played in the same county and because it is a small county, I heard a lot about him.
When he was injured in high school, it sent shock waves around the area. Everyone was talking about it. He was about to set more state records and then he missed a whole season when he injured his ACL. I was told by a man that was at that game, that Croyle was not even touched. He was trying to miss a guy and he fell and hurt himself. That may be disputed by some, but I can only tell you what the very trustworthy man told me. That is when my eyebrow started to rise.
Over the years, I heard that his mother was athletic and she had sports injuries. ( I could not find it on Google so that is hearsay, and I am deeply sorry if it is not true ) I have seen his sister play volleyball. She was a monster, she also played basketball at Alabama. She had sports injuries as well. I believe it was her knees. ( I did not find that on Google, but I have heard that countless places)
His father also had injuries. This link shows that in the Bear Bryant book “Career in Crisis” John Croyle was described as “Oft-injured Croyle“. I actually think that might be a better nickname for Brodie.
I know that is not the best family injury report, but it just what I have come across in this small county. After I saw all of his injuries stacking up, and I heard about the family history, I came to the conclusion that he’s from a very athletic family, but his health will always be an issue.
I was very surprised that he made it to the NFL. I was happy for him, but I cringed for Chiefs fans. When Herm Edwards called him the starter, I cringed for him. It is not a question of if Croyle will get hurt, it is a question of when.
Look, I am not trying to hurt him in any way. I say all of this with few substantiated facts, a lot of hearsay, and I am an Auburn fan. I have not seen his career through Crimson colored glasses, like a lot of people from around this area. Take it for what it is worth. If I said anything untrue, I am deeply sorry. I actually thought these things were well known till I looked at Google.
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Wow. Thanks for the post. Have to say all that raised my eyebrows a bit too. Perhaps Herm was more serious than we all realized when he said he had find out whether Thiglet could be #3, #2, or . . . #1???
September 19th, 2008 at 4:31 pmSo we’re going off alot of he-said-she-said stuff, and blaming all Brodie’s injuries on genetics? Or it could have just been the fact he got slammed into the ground -HARD- by an All-Pro, 260+ lb linebacker.. Wait, what am I saying? That couldn’t have been it for sure.. Honestly I’d rather have another post about Thigpen than this post about Brodie… it has absolutely no info in at all.. I live in a small ‘town’ (ten miles outside of a town of 2500 or so,) so I know the small-town intricacies, and this is something that is talked about at a barbecue or when hanging with friends, not something that should be a featured post.. It could just be me, but I’m not into the gossip-girl junior high type stuff, I’d rather have something intriguing or factual to read. This was sadly lacking in both categories.
Can the next post have some factual tidbits in it, please?
And by the way, I liked the ‘I came to the conclusion that he’s from a very athletic family, but his health will always be an issue.’ line.. Like we’re all too dumb to realize that when you start 7 games, and get injured in 3 of them, your durability is questionable. De dee dee.
September 19th, 2008 at 4:32 pmHey xxxlp, lighten up a bit. I’ve been wanting to see Croyle succeed and blaming the OL as the main reason he hasn’t had the opportunity to do so for quite a while now. I have to say this angle suggests to me there might a chromosone or two out of whack. I hope not but still.
September 19th, 2008 at 4:37 pmEthan, don’t worry about xxxlp, as he’s our resident complainer. I really enjoyed the piece and thought it made a very compelling argument against the Brodie Believers who contend that Brodie’s injuries could have happened to anybody.
September 19th, 2008 at 4:45 pmInjury-prone or not, Croyle, by default, gives us the best chance to win some games this season.
September 19th, 2008 at 4:48 pmlol go XXLP!
September 19th, 2008 at 4:49 pmi mean xxxlp!
September 19th, 2008 at 4:50 pmAdam said: I really enjoyed the piece and thought it made a very compelling argument against the Brodie Believers who contend that Brodie’s injuries could have happened to anybody.
Please point me in the direction of the post that made a compelling argument… I could talk about how I heard rumors that some guy brought up one time at a party, that his cousin’s sister, who was married to the uncle of a secretary, heard from said secretary, that she overheard Bill Billachek (sp) talking to his wife on the phone, telling her that she shouldn’t worry, the NFL was buying his story about ‘Oh I didn’t know it was against the rules to film the other teams’ signals..” That doesn’t make it true, or very much compelling. Like I said, it’s he-said, she-said type of stuff, and while mildly entertaining, doesn’t provide jack in the form of facts/compelling arguments/and/or Brodie evaluations. So you’re telling me because his sister’s KNEES gave out (SUPPOSEDLY! There’s no proof on that! (ooh la la, compelling!) in a volley-ball game, that that’s the reason Brodie’s SHOULDER got hurt? Psssh. And thanks Crane
September 19th, 2008 at 5:05 pmAnd indeed, I have taken on the mantle of ‘resident complainer’, as Seanbecool has been MIA for a month or so. Someone’s got to have a bit of sanity around here, lol.
September 19th, 2008 at 5:06 pmEtahn thanks for the article and info.
Brodie may always be a mystery to us Chiefs fans.
The reason: is that he may not play for at least another two weeks, and do we really think he will come in and light it up after the time off (Herm Edward’s offense)? He is already 0-7 as a starter.
If Thigpen wins this week, and plays well in Croyle’s absence, what does Herm do? He already said he would bring in Croyle no matter what. That could be a mistake ala Gannon/Grbac.
I am not saying that Thigpen is going to be great. I don’t know. But he is the only healthy young guy. Are QB needs continuity. So I wish him well.
Either way, we have to draft a QB next year. If we get one in the first or second round, he is going to play.
We have nothing really invested in Croyle except time and a third round pick.
I say move on, and only bring him back if Thigpen is playing absolutely horrid. I hate to say it, because it is just bad luck for Croyle, but he has to be available. He may be a solid back-up for us in the future.
THE BETTER QUESTION IS: IS HERM EDWARDS(DICK CURL) A QB KILLER? HE HAS NEVER HAD A GREAT QB. HE NEVER LETS THEM PLAY/THROW. HE JUST WANTS THE QB TO NOT LOSE THE GAME.
I agree with Adam, iot seems as if Herm Edwards is the real problem.
Dear Herm:
This is 2008, you have to throw to get the lead, and run to protect it. Not the other way around.
September 19th, 2008 at 5:15 pmWell, women are 8-10 times as likely to blow out their knees, but it is still somewhat relevant (he blew his knees out, too…both, right?). I mean, my dad has had both of his knees operated on, and so has his son (me). The exact same operation! The John-Brodie stuff especially is very, very valid. Genetics matter. Look at the Mannings. The father really only got hurt once despite playing behind a laughingstock line during his decade with the Saints. He started nearly every game every year. Brodie hasn’t got hit any more than he did. And Peyton leads the league in consecutive starts while Eli played the week after sustaining basically the same injury Brodie has this year. It may sound overly simplistic, but it is extremely relevant.
I’m just pulling your chain, too. You know I think you’re one of our finest commenters.
September 19th, 2008 at 5:17 pmChiefs starting DEs Tamba Hali (knee) and Turk McBride (spleen) will both be game-time decisions against the Falcons in Week 3.
Expect Michael Turner to rebound after last week’s unproductive game. The Chiefs could use DT Alfonso Boone in McBride’s place and late-round rookie Brian Johnston at right end in place of Hali if the two starters are out.
September 19th, 2008 at 5:18 pmSource: Kansas City Star
Oh I know Adam, that’s why I’m taking it in stride :), I’m just saying, when you start using lines like :
that I think his family puts a good deal of money into. (I think is never good in a post, unless it’s an opinion. When you say I think, and then put out a fact (or what you perceive as a fact) it’s just generally a no-no.)
Some say that is where he learned to be (Some say? That’s factual.)
I have never met him. (We know that, we assume that, just don’t say it. Lol.)
I heard a lot about him. (Again, he/she-said.)
I was told by a man that was at that game///That may be disputed by some, but I can only tell you what the very trustworthy man told me. (Ooooh, compelling stuff, lol. And on a sidenote, something my pops told me long, long ago… If you have to tell us exactly how trustworthy the guy is… he’s probably not trustworthy.)
Well I’m already tired of copying and pasting (damn you lazy gene, that must have been passed down from father/mother to son!) so that’s enough of that, but to say that post was a compelling read is to say that George Bush, while being a horrible president, was at least compelling. It’s just wrong on so many levels.
If this wasn’t called, the Hometown Report, and more aptly named; Brodie and the Croyles: A Theoretical Malfunction in the Genes of the Fallen, or some such business, it’d be super swell. (Rofl, what the hell, did I teleport back to the 60’s there for a second?) And now all I can think about is the ‘lipstick on a pig’ comment that has been floating around the media for awhile now.
And great, both starting DE’s could be out? How the F are we supposed to contain Micheal Turner? (Although we’ve done a decent job in the past; albeit, not for a full game.) This year our DE’s were playing well against the run (up until the Raiders game) but this will be a great test for our whole defense.
September 19th, 2008 at 5:38 pmThanks, Jeremy. I saw that and kind of shook my head. However, I wouldn’t mind seeing Turk and Johnston play together. Maybe a little more speed with Brian?
September 19th, 2008 at 5:53 pmI thought this article brought up a rather good idea with the whole genetics deal. I mean Croyle has been injury prone since high school. The ACL tear mentioned in th article, then in college when he had a decent line to protect him he suffered two cracked ribs, a separated shoulder twice and tore his other ACL. So can we really blame his injuries on the Chiefs O-line?
September 19th, 2008 at 6:23 pmI was a huge Croyle supporter last year. Obviously, his injury issues are always going to be a concern until proven otherwise. I’m more skeptical now, but I agree with Double D … looking at who we have on the roster, I’m begging for Croyle to get back in the game, brittle glass bones or not.
September 19th, 2008 at 6:58 pmI am glad some of you liked the post.
As far as I am concerned those are all facts, but I did not have a link to substantiate them. Around here we do not talk about this stuff around a campfire. (xxxlp)
Everything I heard was from someone that knows. It is the same thing as asking someone what was in the paper.
Like I said, take this for what it is worth. I am sorry I could not find the articles to link to but I believe it is all correct. At the very least you know for a fact that John Croyle was called Oft-injured, and I had to search for that link
If you do not think any of the family history and him being injured since the age of 17 has anything to do with each other that is up to you.
Thanks again guys. If I find out more I’ll be sure to let you know.
September 20th, 2008 at 1:43 amThanks, Ethan. I am eternally grateful to you for the “Oft-Injured Croyle” find. Money.
September 20th, 2008 at 1:52 am