MorrisDay
05-04-2007, 06:04 AM
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/10162742
This is another thing that I like about Goodell
"At no time should competitive issues override medical issues," Goodell said last week. "Safety comes first."
This should give some insight to people in regards to the physicals and what not that each teams perform. As came up in discussions regarding different players such as Al Wilson and the ability to pass the NYG physical this helps people understand that not every physical by each team is the same and alot of it does depend on that individual teams medical staff. As I mentioned before starting T for SD was passed over by teams due to his back problems but SD took him and he protected Rivers blind side well in every game.
Anyways back to the concussion issue...
Under Goodell's new policy, all players will be required to take a baseline neuropsychological test -- determining cognitive abilities, memory and motor skills -- by the start of the 2007 season. That way, when a player has a concussion, he can be tested to determine what neurological changes have taken place.
Having experienced multiple Concussions in my life you have to love the idea of a baseline neurological test, otherwise how would you know you are actually recovered from the first one. Any other type of injury such as a broken bone or torn ligament it becomes obvious when the person is healed because the bone has either fused back together or they are able to generate the power and the range of motion they had before. The brain is not something to take lightly and I think this is a good way of making sure you don't have a player coming back too soon but also should give some players a better idea of when they possibly should walk away from the game because they can see how much damage has been caused over the long term to them.
What I'd like to see in the future is the NFL doctors working a bit closer with NCAA doctors to protect a wider range of football players NFL bound or not.
Pat Kirwan adds:
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/10164379
Provide a group of league doctors: There is a growing sentiment that a league bank of doctors not affiliated with a specific team should rule on all concussions. A player that gets a concussion on a given Sunday could have a "league doctor" rule him out for a specific time period with no chance of the player being released. Players are afraid that if they get labeled injury prone, they will not be on the payroll to long. Some players feel the team doctor is to close to the team to do the right thing. I have known some great team doctors who always put the patient ahead of the team, but it could be a legitimate fear among players.
Even one step further from this is that they train all medical staffs in regards to concussions so everyone is on the same page with the proposed League doctors.
Two other things Kirwan touched on were
Making Mouthpieces Mandatory - Getting hit with your jaw open actually increases your risk of a concussion on top of any potential dental issues you can come across.
Players have to wear helmets that fit: - should be no -brainer (no pun intended) as a loose fitting helmet moves too much and outside of the fact that it really doesn't protect you that well from a hit by another player let alone with head to ground contact having a helmet that doesn't fit securely means you have a helmet that can pop of or move and when one moves it has a chance to impair your vision momentarily.
One thing I did which in hindsight is obviously idiotic is that I took out my ear pieces. That in itself goes under the helmet fitting rule because the ear pieces are what helps make it snug so it doesn't move around...
This is another thing that I like about Goodell
"At no time should competitive issues override medical issues," Goodell said last week. "Safety comes first."
This should give some insight to people in regards to the physicals and what not that each teams perform. As came up in discussions regarding different players such as Al Wilson and the ability to pass the NYG physical this helps people understand that not every physical by each team is the same and alot of it does depend on that individual teams medical staff. As I mentioned before starting T for SD was passed over by teams due to his back problems but SD took him and he protected Rivers blind side well in every game.
Anyways back to the concussion issue...
Under Goodell's new policy, all players will be required to take a baseline neuropsychological test -- determining cognitive abilities, memory and motor skills -- by the start of the 2007 season. That way, when a player has a concussion, he can be tested to determine what neurological changes have taken place.
Having experienced multiple Concussions in my life you have to love the idea of a baseline neurological test, otherwise how would you know you are actually recovered from the first one. Any other type of injury such as a broken bone or torn ligament it becomes obvious when the person is healed because the bone has either fused back together or they are able to generate the power and the range of motion they had before. The brain is not something to take lightly and I think this is a good way of making sure you don't have a player coming back too soon but also should give some players a better idea of when they possibly should walk away from the game because they can see how much damage has been caused over the long term to them.
What I'd like to see in the future is the NFL doctors working a bit closer with NCAA doctors to protect a wider range of football players NFL bound or not.
Pat Kirwan adds:
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/10164379
Provide a group of league doctors: There is a growing sentiment that a league bank of doctors not affiliated with a specific team should rule on all concussions. A player that gets a concussion on a given Sunday could have a "league doctor" rule him out for a specific time period with no chance of the player being released. Players are afraid that if they get labeled injury prone, they will not be on the payroll to long. Some players feel the team doctor is to close to the team to do the right thing. I have known some great team doctors who always put the patient ahead of the team, but it could be a legitimate fear among players.
Even one step further from this is that they train all medical staffs in regards to concussions so everyone is on the same page with the proposed League doctors.
Two other things Kirwan touched on were
Making Mouthpieces Mandatory - Getting hit with your jaw open actually increases your risk of a concussion on top of any potential dental issues you can come across.
Players have to wear helmets that fit: - should be no -brainer (no pun intended) as a loose fitting helmet moves too much and outside of the fact that it really doesn't protect you that well from a hit by another player let alone with head to ground contact having a helmet that doesn't fit securely means you have a helmet that can pop of or move and when one moves it has a chance to impair your vision momentarily.
One thing I did which in hindsight is obviously idiotic is that I took out my ear pieces. That in itself goes under the helmet fitting rule because the ear pieces are what helps make it snug so it doesn't move around...