Reports came out today that New York Giants offensive lineman Chris Snee recently had elbow surgery to deal with an injury that plagued him during the 2011 season. it was a season is which Snee, a three-time Pro Bowler, did not appear to be the dominant player he had been in past years.
In revealing the surgery, Snee referenced the fact that he had heard the talk about his play.
"I didn't let anyone know (about the injury)," Snee said, during a promotional appearance at a new NFL "pop up" store on 41st and 6th in Manhattan on Thursday morning. "It's funny, you see negative stuff written about you, but you don't want to ... We're tough guys. We're supposed to play through things. I don't feel it's anyone's business what I'm dealing with. The only people that hear about it are the training staff and my wife."
I will raise my hand and say 'guilty as charged' when it comes to sometimes questioning Snee's performance in 2011. Knowing now that Snee was dealing with an injury, and knowing what type of injury it was, explains why we did not see the Snee we were accustomed to in 2011.
It was obvious in 2011 that this was the same Snee was had seen a couple of years earlier. We know now that Snee was not 100 percent, but as he indicated he was not telling anyone during the season. So, all you can do in writing about a team or player is judge what you see based on the information you have. What we saw was Snee compile a Pro Football Focus grade of -18.7. In 2008, Snee was +30.6, in 2009 +26.2 and in 2010 +2.8.
I am defending my criticisms a bit here, obviously. Perhaps we will see a healthier Snee in 2012, enabling a return to the performance level he showed a couple of seasons ago.