Cody Core injury scare puts Bengals’ season in perspective

When Cody Core was taken off the field on a cart, Bengals faithful knew the feeling all too well. Injuries are a brutal part of the game fans love.

It never feels good. The player that goes down is thinking about his career and livelihood. In an instant, thoughts of future plans and childhood dreams are just flashes of past wishes. The emotions of fans are put to the test, as they wonder about the status of the player’s injury. When the Bengals’ Cody Core left Wednesday’s practice with a leg injury. Many faithful had flashbacks that never leave. But, it’s the cruel nature of the game.

Things have been going great for Core. His offseason conditioning plans helped him become the talk of Bengals practices. After getting into the swing of the offense last year, it seems like this will be the year Core struts his stuff.

"“Last offseason we were just coming out from college pro day and the combine and all that going on,” Core explained, per Bengals.com. “You just have to go with the flow. There was no strategy. After my first year I had time to figure out what I wanted to do. How I wanted to train and eat.”"

That determination and effort are evident in his second year of running with the Bengals. He looks good and his teammates have noticed the focus.

"“He’s fast,” Andy Dalton remarked. “You can tell he’s put in a lot of work. He looks really good.”"

The Scary Truth 

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But, nothing can stand in the way of fate. Call it dumb luck, the wrath of the football gods or horrible timing but there’s always the stigma of injury. It happens to all teams in the NFL. But, when you root for the Bengals. It seems to happen at an accelerated pace.

During the Bengals march to the Super Bowl in 2015 (yes, I said it), nothing hurt more than the sight of Dalton going to the locker room for x-rays. That Week 14 injury took the wind from the Bengals’ sails and put a damper on an otherwise great campaign.

When Core left the practice field on a cart, the word spread quickly throughout the media. Another Cincinnati player was possibly down for the year.

Although the Bengals have yet to give specifics on what actually happened, Core seems to be fine. But, that doesn’t take away the scare lurking around every play from scrimmage. Tyler Eifert, Giovani Bernard and A.J. Green all succumbed to the injury bug last year. Jeremy Hill is up and running and looks to be over his ailments. Yet, the flashbacks are always unpleasant reminders.

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The Bengals’ draft class will surely provide enough cushion for untimely injuries. But, having Core and the rest of the team at 100 percent is better than the walking wounded.

Be thankful that Core is able to get around without a walking boot. The Bengals are deep at the wide receiver position. But, it’s still nice to have all the weapons healthy.