In Week 12 of the NFL season, I conducted an analysis experiment that quantified the impact of players lost due to injury by equating their value to salaries. Now that the season is over, this analysis can be completed using the full results. This time however, I'm going to put emphasis on which side of the ball (offense or defense) took the worst hit. If Norv Turner's players (the offense) had more salary lost to injury than did Manusky's guys (the defense), then maybe Turner deserves the pass he got. However, if Manusky had a bigger 'injury salary' then he may have been unfairly scapegoated.
| 2011 Charger Injuries | Offense | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Salary Lost | $10,352,188 | $9,671,875 |
| Games Lost | 41 | 98 |
It turns out that they had a roughly equivalent salary loss, but Manusky had a staggering 98 total games lost. The defense lost a quantity of moving parts while the offense missed some really big hitters. It turns out that Marcus McNeill, Kris Dielman, and Antonio Gates accounted for almost 80% of the offense lost salary, while the defense had a large number of less important players miss almost the entire season (Luis Casillo, Bob Sanders, Larry English, and Jonas Mouton all lost 11 or more games). There have been plenty of points (mostly by Kevin Acee) made about Manusky being out coached or un-liked by the players, but this (admittedly limited) perspective shows he was just as hamstrung by talent and injuries as Norv Turner's offense. The full list of players and salaries that missed games is included after the jump.
| Defense | Salary Lost | Games Lost | Offense | Salary Lost | Games Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luis Castillo | $4,218,750.00 | 15 | Marcus McNeill | $4,375,000.00 | 7 |
| Bob Sanders | $1,750,000.00 | 14 | Kris Dielman | $2,812,500.00 | 10 |
| Shaun Phillips | $1,000,000.00 | 4 | Antonio Gates | $975,000.00 | 3 |
| Stephen Cooper | $618,750.00 | 11 | Ryan Mathews | $750,000.00 | 2 |
| Larry English | $508,750.00 | 11 | Malcom Floyd | $625,000.00 | 4 |
| Jonas Mouton | $500,000.00 | 16 | Patrick Crayton | $293,750.00 | 2 |
| Damik Scafe | $400,000.00 | 16 | Scott Mruckowski | $187,500.00 | 6 |
| Quentin Jammer | $234,375.00 | 1 | Mike Tolbert | $114,687.50 | 1 |
| Jacques Cesaire | $100,000.00 | 2 | Tyonne Green | $90,000.00 | 3 |
| Nail Diggs | $100,000.00 | 2 | Brandyn Dombrowski | $75,000.00 | 1 |
| Corey Liuget | $62,500.00 | 1 | Louis Vasquez | $53,750.00 | 2 |
| Steve Gregory | $62,500.00 | 1 | |||
| Travis LaBoy | $125,500.00 | 2 | |||
| Marcus Gilchrist | $53,750.00 | 2 | |||
| Total | $9,734,875 | 98 | Total | $10,352,188 | 41 |