After weeks of the NFL’s concussion protocol taking Dolphins quarterbacks out of video games, limiting what they’ll do in apply and even going by revisions due to Tua Tagovailoa’s two hits to the pinnacle in 5 days, it’s a good query to ask: Why did Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett speed up by concussion protocol faster than Teddy Bridgewater?
The Steelers go to the Dolphins in a prime-time matchup on Sunday evening, igniting the comparability, as Pickett is predicted to begin.
Obviously, Tagovailoa’s journey by protocol was a lot completely different, in order that wouldn’t be a good comparability to make. He suffered a severe concussion on Sept. 29 in opposition to the Bengals. 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 Sauce Gardner on the opening play, though no video confirms mentioned stumble. Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel mentioned after that sport 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 apply the Wednesday that adopted, listed formally as a non-participant on the harm report. He then went by drills on a restricted foundation on Thursday earlier than rising his workload to full participation that Friday.
Pickett, who cleared concussion protocol Friday, took a hit from 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 apply, the primary of the week, he was already allowed to take part totally. It was anticipated after Steelers coach Mike Tomlin mentioned Tuesday that may be the case, and Pickett once more practiced in full on Thursday earlier than Friday’s clearance.
Why the disparity?
“Each player and each concussion is unique, and there is no set time-frame for return to participation,” a league spokesperson informed the South Florida Sun Sentinel in an electronic 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 elements the league considers, one can surmise Bridgewater’s concussion historical past performed a task in his longer timeline. Bridgewater’s Dec. 19 concussion final yr with the Broncos stored 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 sport. Bridgewater had one different concussion in his profession, in 2015 with the Vikings, additionally getting cleared to return the next week.
The league doesn’t touch upon particular gamers’ accidents and neither group will element specifics of their quarterback’s restoration.
Bridgewater’s limitations in apply early final week have been famous by McDaniel as the rationale 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 continues to be alarming. According to Dr. David Chao, through Pittsburgh sports activities discuss radio station 93.7 The Fan, of 39 concussions within the NFL this yr, Pickett is the primary participant to return to full apply three days later. Some speculate the rookie didn’t really maintain a concussion in opposition to the Buccaneers, however the Steelers announced he did Sunday.
“That’s not for me to discuss what has happened on somebody else’s team,” McDaniel mentioned Friday. “Philosophically, I’d by no means enterprise to attempt to be an knowledgeable on that.
“If you’ve seen our injury report, there’s enough for us to worry about. I’ll let the Steelers worry about the Steelers.”
NFL gamers clearing concussion protocol undergo a five-step course of to return to motion. Clearance for full participation in apply, 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 current 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 in opposition to the Jets, however McDaniel, talking at MetLife Stadium that day, mentioned he didn’t. He nonetheless went by protocol due to the revision made the day earlier than the sport.
The five-phase protocol goes as follows with the participant steadily rising his exercise: symptom-limited exercise, cardio train, football-specific train, club-based non-contact coaching drills, full soccer exercise/clearance. Clubs usually don’t element the particular step a participant is in. Presumably, being listed on the harm report as a full apply participant means the participant reached Phase 5, however a possible inconsistency with quarterbacks versus different positions is that they aren’t contacted in apply anyway, sporting purple 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, completely different gamers recuperate in a different way. Dolphins tight finish Cethan Carter suffered a concussion within the Sept. 11 opener on a kickoff collision. He didn’t return to apply 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 in opposition to the Buffalo Bills, days earlier than the ugly scene in Cincinnati. That Sunday, he took an identical however lighter hit to the pinnacle in opposition to 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, underneath the letter of the legislation, in line with the Players Association investigation — the union’s ruling was that his clearance didn’t match the intent of the laws.
If an identical stumble was exhibited now, Tagovailoa, like Bridgewater was in opposition to the Jets, would mechanically be dominated out of a sport and enter protocol.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com