There is also evidence to suggest that, though Brown has an excellent chance to return to form, the time frame for him to do so is likely to be gradual. There is historical perspective here. Running backs and wide receivers, the two skill positions most likely to suffer an ACL injury, typically take more than one year to return to pre-injury form. A study published in 2006 in the American Journal of Sports Medicine measured performance in NFL running backs and receivers (yards rushing and receiving and touchdowns scored) following ACL reconstruction and found a decline of approximately 30 percent when compared to pre-injury numbers. We can also look at individual measures in high profile players to see a reflection of this decline. For example, Edgerrin James averaged 4.4 yards per carry the year before his ACL injury but only 3.6 yards per carry the year following his surgery. Jamal Anderson averaged 4.5 yards per carry the year before ACL injury, then 3.6 yards per carry the year after surgery. As with every trend, there are exceptions, including Jamal Lewis, who had virtually no change in his statistics (4.4 yards per carry before, 4.3 yards per carry after). There are other variables that can impact a running back's ability to perform that have nothing to do with the surgery itself (offensive line strength, frequency of touches, etc.), and those should be taken into account. Nonetheless, the trend exists.
