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Vikings: Former strength coach strikes again with Browns

By Dan Zinski

Dec 27, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Charcandrick West (35) carries the ball against Cleveland Browns defensive end Desmond Bryant (92) and outside linebacker Paul Kruger (99) in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City won the game 17-13. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 27, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Charcandrick West (35) carries the ball against Cleveland Browns defensive end Desmond Bryant (92) and outside linebacker Paul Kruger (99) in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City won the game 17-13. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Minnesota Vikings replaced strength and conditioning coach Evan Marcus this offseason after players suffered a rash of torn pectoral muscles.

Not being familiar with the ins-and-outs of NFL conditioning programs, I am not qualified to judge whether it’s fair to blame a strength and conditioning coach any time a team suffers a rash of injuries.

I just think it’s interesting that for two years, Evan Marcus was strength and conditioning coach for the Vikings, and during that time five different players suffered pectoral injuries. And then Marcus was fired by the Vikings and went to Cleveland, and on Wednesday this news came across the wire:

If you’re keeping score, that’s six pectoral injuries in three years. Not great.

I don’t know the nature of Cleveland’s program, but when Marcus joined the Vikings, the team shifted away from machines to free weights and power-lifting.

Incidentally, in addition to the five players – Carter Bykowski, Brian Robison, Phil Loadholt, Josh Robinson and Brandon Fusco – who suffered pectoral injuries of varying degrees of severity under Marcus, two players – John Sullivan and Jerick McKinnon – developed back problems while lifting.

Of the people listed above, McKinnon, Loadholt, Bykowski, Robinson, Fusco and Sullivan all missed significant playing time, while Robison escaped with a strain that only knocked him out for a short period in camp.

Maybe it had nothing to do with the injuries but the Vikings this offseason replaced Evan Marcus with former Chiefs assistant Brent Salazar. Mike Zimmer has said the Vikings will continue using free weights, so clearly he’s fine with that approach. He was not fine with seven of his players suffering injuries apparently related to lifting.

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Again, I have no idea if it’s fair to blame Evan Marcus for all this, but there does seem to be a troubling trend here. It appears that if you hire Marcus, you are putting your players in jeopardy.

NFL teams clearly believe that Marcus is a solid guy or they wouldn’t keep hiring him. I wonder what Desmond Bryant thinks.

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