Sn Diego Chargers – Athletic Training Today

Article reposted from The San Diego Tribune
Author: Michael Gehlken

James Collins is one of the most established names in his industry, having been elected last year to president of the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society. He also oversaw a Chargers department that PFATS named the NFL Athletic Training Staff of the Year in 2009.

But following a season overwrought by injury, changes were expected this offseason.

His position will be affected.

A source said Friday that, while currently inaccurate to characterize Collins as having been outright dismissed, a restructuring in the athletic training room is certain to affect his role with the club. Collins, a longtime fixture in San Diego, was notified to that effect Friday morning. He first joined the franchise as an intern in 1986 and has been with it consecutively since 1999.

What, if any, role Collins will have moving forward has yet to be determined, the source said.

This is part of a larger shakeup inside the weight and training rooms.

The Chargers already were known to be moving on from head strength and conditioning coach Kent Johnston, whom former head coach Mike McCoy appointed in 2013. Anthony Lynn, McCoy’s successor, remains in the process of identifying Johnston’s replacement, having interviewed candidates over the past week-plus. Lynn also must hire a special teams coordinator.

If indeed Collins doesn’t follow the club to Los Angeles in any capacity, he’d be the latest longtime employee to meet that description.

The Chargers also moved on from defensive coordinator John Pagano and running backs coach Ollie Wilson this offseason. They spent the past 15 and 14 years with the organization, respectively. Pagano was replaced with Gus Bradley, Wilson with Alfredo Roberts.

As head athletic trainer, Collins’ responsibilities dealt less with injury prevention than they did intervention, managing players’ rehabs. He is often the first to jog from sideline to midfield during games when a player is injured. Likewise, he attends all practices, logging injuries in a personal notebook as they come. As part of his documentation, he reviews how injuries occur and logs data to understand trends.

Last year, he logged overtime.

The Chargers ended the season with 20 players on injured reserve. They ruled a player as out for the year following 11 of their first 15 games. This began with wide receiver Keenan Allen (torn anterior cruciate ligament) after Week 1, running back Danny Woodhead (torn ACL) after Week 2, linebacker Manti Te’o (torn Achilles) after Week 3, cornerback Jason Verrett (torn ACL) after Week 4. The list went on.

Former Chargers team doctor David Chao was a colleague of Collins’ for more than a decade.

“I’ve worked with hundreds of athletic trainers at all different levels,” Chao said in a phone interview Friday. “James Collins is among the best that I’ve ever worked with, not only for his athletic training, medical skill and knowledge but how he relates to players.”

Notable

A familiar face will follow Bradley from Jacksonville. Robert Saleh is in the final stages to become the Chargers’ linebackers coach, a source said Friday. Saleh handled the same role for the Jaguars the past three seasons with Bradley his head coach. They also worked together in Seattle where Saleh was a defensive quality control coach from 2011 to 2013. Those first two seasons overlapped with Bradley’s presence at defensive coordinator.
Change at linebackers coach is nothing new. The Chargers have gone from Joe Barry to Mike Nolan to Bob Babich to now Saleh in the past four years. In other words, fourth-year outside linebacker Jerry Attaochu has had a new position coach throughout his NFL career.
Quarterback Philip Rivers was one of four AFC team captains named Friday for Sunday’s Pro Bowl. Ravens safety Eric Weddle, Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller and Browns left tackle Joe Thomas were the others.

Tag: Sn Diego Chargers

Chargers to Restructure Athletic Training and Weight Room Staff