Hurtin' hammies

Full disclosure . . . I am not a doctor. I don't play one on the Internet. And I am not about to start. But I am going to address a medical issue that has afflicted the Browns for the last month or so.

Most of us are aware of what hamstrings are in the human body. They are a group of muscles -- four to be exact -- located in the back of the thigh that cross at the hip and knee. Straining or tearing them can be sore at best, painful at worst.

To pull -- or strain -- them usually results in an athlete missing valuable time to ply his craft. (So do groin muscles, but that's another story.) Such is the case with the Browns, 10 of whom are currently nursing some degree of hamstring woes.

Most of them are tethered to the sideline and unavailable for duty in exhibition games. That includes numerous starters and valuable contributors to the cause off the bench. And there seems to be no indication how long they remain unavailable.

Balky hamstrings do not heal overnight. Grade one and grade two strains-- which are considered moderate -- could take anywhere from three to eight weeks to heal with therapy. Grade three? Forget it. That could mean losing as much as half a season, perhaps more. A tear brings next season into focus.

With two exhibitions left, including Sunday afternoon's get together with the New York Giants at home, there is a very good chance most -- if not all -- of those 10 Browns might not play until the season opener in Kansas City on Sept. 12.

It is entirely possible many of them will play at that point, but also risk reaggravating the existing problem. And the fact hamstring muscle injuries tend to linger and do not heal in a short period of time pose a threat to quality of performance. 

Because the quadricep muscles, located in the front part of the thigh, and hammies are so necessary in helping athletes play the game at a high level, it places greater emphasis on keeping them healthy. 

It therefore is incumbent, it would appear from a layman's perspective, for the Browns to be extra cautious and make certain soft-tissue injuries such as these do not threaten to wreck what many expect to be a great season.

That, I would think, means it is safer to give the affected muscle group as much limited activity as possible until it is determined by a team physician to issue the green light. 

Some players have already indicated that if the regular season were to begin now, they would be able to play. You'd think they know their body well enough to make that choice. It also could be a testosterone approach to playing the game.

The Browns' mantra is to be "smart, tough and accountable." The big question with the regular season a little more than two weeks away is whether it is "smart" to play hurt in the first game of the season? And does it make you "tough" to do so if it hinders your ability to be "accountable"?