Jahvid Best's Turf Toe Injuries Don't Worry Jim Schwartz

After dealing with so many injuries the past two seasons, lots of people think Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is injury prone. Whether or not that is the case remains to be seen with what happens in 2011, but he has certainly been unlucky in his first two seasons in the NFL.

Stafford isn't the only player in the Lions' backfield with whispers about being injury prone. Many think running back Jahvid Best is also somebody that can't stay healthy. He was often banged up in college, and last season for the Lions he had turf toe injuries derail an otherwise promising season. The injuries kept him from being at full strength for most of the year and he struggled quite a bit as a result. They were very concerning at the time, but Lions head coach Jim Schwartz doesn't seem too concerned with them now.

"Whatever we need him to do, he can do it," Schwartz said. "Obviously, his toes didn't allow him to be able to do that for about eight or nine games in the middle of the season, and obviously he wasn't the player that he can be and that he is.

"But I think it says a little bit about him. If you do some research on turf toes, you look around the league, there's a lot of players that missed a month with a turf toe."

Schwartz went on to explain the reason why the Lions decided not to shut down Best once it became clear he was bothered by the turf toes. Schwartz said that the Lions were worried he would take a month off and come back and immediately tweak the injury again. As a result, they figured Best might as well play since he "could still do his job." Schwartz admits Best wasn't able to play to the best (no pun intended) of his ability because of the injuries, but he was still able to contribute in the eyes of the coaches.