Behind The Steel Curtain argues that Hakeem Nicks' recent injury demonstrates why Steelers receiver Mike Wallace is ditching his team's OTAs. An injury to Wallace during OTAs, while unlikely, would be potentially devastating for a player who's still looking for a lucrative long-term contract.
↵↵↵Injuries are often fluke things, occurring despite outstanding conditioning, proper technique and usual stress. While the odds of what happened to Nicks happening to any other receiver in the league are low, it's still a big risk to take for a player like Wallace, who's eyeing a long-term extension.
↵What if Nicks blew out his ACL? He's likely out for the entire season ...
↵The NFL is ultimately a business, and Nicks' injury only gives Wallace more reason (not defending or supporting his agenda) to avoid team-issued workouts.
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Despite the fact that Wallace's status was probably the biggest story of the Steelers' offseason, there hasn't been much of an uproar, relatively speaking, about Wallace skipping OTAs -- it has been a story, certainly, but not a huge one. Of course, with a new offensive coordinator (Todd Haley) and a new playbook, it would be nice if he were there.
↵For more on the Steelers, check out Behind The Steel Curtain, and be sure to check out SB Nation's NFL hub.