I spent a good chunk of today on Twitter complaining about how poorly the possible concussion of Cam Newton in the season-opener was handled by the medical staff and officials. Apparently, in order to raise suspicions that a player has been concussed, the player needs to do more than simply take a huge helmet-to-helmet shot and then stay… Read More »
You might’ve read earlier this week that scientists are getting promising results in using blood tests to determine if a person has suffered a concussion. If you missed it, here’s a good summary from the Washington Post’s Ariana Eunjung Cha. This new way of screening for concussions is both amazing and much-needed. I’m not here to bash the… Read More »
If you’ve read much of my stuff, you know that the one thing I hate, more than anything else, is when players (or coaches or media figures) paint an overly optimistic picture of an injured player’s outlook without explaining themselves. Sadly, such is the case right now with Browns DB Joe Haden. In 2015, Haden missed two games… Read More »
Anyone watching the Rams vs Ravens game on Sunday saw what was clearly a concussed Rams QB Case Keenum stay in the game. Despite new measures by the NFL to have medical spotters alert the teams and officials of such injuries, this one slipped through the cracks. Mike Florio at ProFootballTalk has a good quick summary of it… Read More »
I sort of hate writing about concussions. Being that they are neurological in nature, they are unique and unpredictable. I feel like my historical data can help me quite a bit with common injuries like sprains, strains, fractures, and the like. But concussions are a whole different kettle of fish. Players respond to and recover from concussions very… Read More »
What a morning for NFL injury bullshit! On the NFL Network’s Total Access show, host Dan Hellie spoke with Pittsburgh Steeler’s team neurosurgeon, Dr. Joseph Maroon. I don’t want to spoil the surprises, but it was truly a, “through the looking glass,” moment. You can watch the full video here. In fact, please do so, then we can… Read More »
Holy crap! 49er’s linebacker Chris Borland just announced his retirement at age 24, one year into his NFL career. ESPN’s Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru reported it here, and that is easily the best injury-related piece you’ll read this month. I can’t recommend it enough. Chris Borland was already on my injury radar, as I wrote this about… Read More »
We’ve all heard by now that the NFL is getting tough and really taking concussions seriously, right? There are new regulations, rules, and an overall enlightened awareness that are all supposed to come together and protect the players. In practice, well, not so much. The trouble is, there’s a really simple way to bypass all these new safety… Read More »
You don’t have to believe me, but I don’t love these, “I told you so,” posts. They’re tough to write without coming off like a prick. Even worse, I risk sounding like I’m actually pleased that my usually-pessimistic outlooks became reality. That’s not a good look for anyone. Trouble is, nobody else is going to come along and… Read More »
Tennessee TE Delanie Walker left the game today after taking a brutal hit and suffering a concussion. Concussions are severe injuries, and as anyone who follows football knows, it seems as though we still have a ton to learn about how concussions should be handled. There’s no standard return-to-play estimate for concussions, as some players pass all test… Read More »