Eric Heitmann might miss a second consecutive NFL season because of another serious injury, and teammate Joe Staley believes he knows how this one happened. Staley, the 49ers' starting left tackle, told the San Francisco Chronicle that Heitmann, the team's former starting center, injured his neck last year during former coach Mike Singletary's infamous drill, which requires two players to line up across from each other and violently hit in an effort to push back an opponent. Singletary, a Hall of Fame linebacker known for his hits and toughness, wouldn't comment on Staley's claim when asked by Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. "I don't know what Eric's prior situation was, so I'm not going to respond to that," said Singletary, who was fired by the 49ers toward the end of last season and now is the Minnesota Vikings' linebacker coach. According to The Sacramento Bee, Singletary called the drill "pretty foolproof" at the start of 2009 training camp and said it taught players about the importance of leverage. Singletary also said he didn't believe any players would be injured during the drill, but it left linebacker Patrick Willis (ankle), cornerback Tarell Brown (toe) and center David Baas (broken foot) with injuries, according to the report.
Source: NFL.com
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Source: NFL.com
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