After weeks of the NFL’s concussion protocol taking Miami Dolphins quarterbacks out of video games, limiting what they’ll do in observe and even going via revisions due to Tua Tagovailoa’s two hits to the top in 5 days, it’s a good query to ask.
Why is Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett, forward of Sunday evening’s recreation in Miami, accelerating via concussion protocol way more quickly than Dolphins backup Teddy Bridgewater did?
Obviously, Tagovailoa’s journey via protocol was a lot totally different, in order that wouldn’t be a comparability to make. He suffered a severe concussion on Sept. 29 towards the Bengals in Cincinnati. It left him unconscious, as he recalled, and had him taken away on a stretcher, strapped to a backboard.
But Bridgewater entered protocol on Oct. 9 on the New York Jets solely as a result of a spotter at MetLife Stadium deemed he stumbled, an indication of ataxia, after taking successful from New York cornerback Sauce Gardner on the opening offensive play, though no video confirms stated stumble. Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel stated after that recreation Bridgewater didn’t present any concussion signs. Because of the league and Players Association’s replace to concussion protocol a day earlier, Bridgewater needed to be taken out of the sport and be handled in protocol the next week as if he had a concussion.
That course of noticed Bridgewater restricted to conditioning work on the aspect of observe the Wednesday that adopted, listed formally as a non-participant on the harm report. He then went via drills on a restricted foundation on Thursday earlier than growing his workload to full participation that Friday.
Pickett took a hit from Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Devin White on Sunday that brought on his head to hit the bottom from whiplash within the third quarter of the Steelers’ win. By Wednesday’s observe, the primary of the week, he was already allowed to take part totally. It was anticipated after Steelers coach Mike Tomlin stated Tuesday that will be the case, and Pickett once more practiced in full on Thursday.
Why the disparity?
“Each player and each concussion is unique, and there is no set time-frame for return to participation,” a league spokesperson instructed the South Florida Sun Sentinel in an e mail. “Team medical staff consider the player’s current concussive injury, as well as past exposures and medical history, family history and future risk in managing a player’s care.”
Given the components the league considers, one can surmise Bridgewater’s concussion historical past performed a job in his longer timeline. Bridgewater’s Dec. 19 concussion final 12 months with the Denver Broncos saved him out for the ultimate three video games of the season. He additionally sustained one earlier that season, which he returned from for the next week’s recreation. Bridgewater had one different concussion in his NFL profession, in 2015 with the Minnesota Vikings, additionally getting cleared to return the next week.
The league doesn’t touch upon particular gamers’ accidents and neither crew will element specifics of their quarterback’s restoration.
Bridgewater’s limitations in observe early final week have been famous by McDaniel as the explanation why he didn’t begin over third-string quarterback Skylar Thompson in final Sunday’s loss to the Vikings. Bridgewater, whereas Tagovailoa was held out, nonetheless relieved Thompson when the rookie left with a thumb harm.
Regardless of things in play, Pickett’s speedy return remains to be alarming. According to Dr. David Chao, by way of Pittsburgh sports activities speak radio station 93.7 The Fan, of 39 concussions within the NFL this 12 months, Pickett is the primary participant to return to full observe three days later. Some speculate the rookie quarterback didn’t truly maintain a concussion towards the Buccaneers, however the Steelers announced he did Sunday.
NFL gamers clearing concussion protocol undergo a five-step course of to return to motion. Clearance for full participation in observe, the fifth and closing section, is topic to the identical approval by an unaffiliated physician that has been closely famous in all concussion protocol conversations in latest weeks.
“If, as part of a player’s progress through the five-step process, he is cleared for full participation by his club physician, he then must be seen by an Independent Neurological Consultant (INC), jointly approved by the NFL and NFLPA,” the league spokesperson wrote to the Sentinel. “If the INC confirms the club physician’s conclusion that the player’s concussion has resolved, he may return to contact practice or play in an NFL game.”
Bridgewater, final Sunday, refused to reply whether or not he skilled concussion signs on or following Oct. 9 towards the Jets, however McDaniel, talking at MetLife Stadium that day, stated he didn’t. He nonetheless went via protocol due to the revision made the day earlier than the sport.
The five-phase protocol goes as follows with the participant regularly growing his exercise: symptom-limited exercise, cardio train, football-specific train, club-based non-contact coaching drills, full soccer exercise/clearance. Clubs typically don’t element the precise step a participant is in. Presumably, being listed on the harm report as a full observe participant means the participant reached Phase 5, however a possible inconsistency with quarterbacks versus different positions is that they aren’t contacted in observe anyway, sporting pink jerseys to remind teammates to not hit them.
Bridgewater cleared protocol from his distinctive state of affairs on Oct. 15, six days from getting into it. Tagovailoa was cleared the identical day, so it took him 16 days from the Sept. 29 concussion that despatched him to the hospital. Again, totally different gamers get well in another way. Dolphins tight finish Cethan Carter suffered a concussion within the Sept. 11 opener on a kickoff collision. He didn’t return to observe in any capability in 4 weeks that adopted and, finally, was positioned on injured reserve on Oct. 8, placing him out not less than one other 4 weeks from that time.
The protocol change by the league and union was sparked by Tagovailoa’s harm scare on Sept. 25 towards the Buffalo Bills, days earlier than the ugly scene in Cincinnati. That Sunday, he took an analogous however lighter hit to the top towards the bottom. Tagovailoa grabbed at his helmet, shook off the cobwebs and stumbled upon getting as much as stroll it off simply forward of the primary half’s two-minute warning.
While he cleared concussion protocol at halftime to return for the second half — and accurately, beneath the letter of the regulation, based on the Players Association investigation — the union’s ruling was that his clearance didn’t match the intent of the laws.
If an analogous stumble was exhibited now, Tagovailoa, like Bridgewater was towards the Jets, would routinely be dominated out of a recreation and enter protocol. A turnaround from getting into protocol on a Sunday to clearing it fully for a Thursday evening recreation wouldn’t happen — even in Pickett’s acceleration via protocol, which he nonetheless has not cleared totally as of Friday morning.
Tomlin has stated he plans to play Pickett, if cleared, on Sunday towards the Dolphins.
()
Source: www.bostonherald.com