Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered his second concussion of the season late in the first half of the Packers 7-3 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday at Ford Field.
Rodgers scrambled for an 18 yard pickup on the play in question, but instead of sliding feet first, which would have made him off-limits to would-be tacklers, he dove forward and was hit hard by two Lion defenders. Linebacker Landon Johnson’s hit caused Rodgers head to bounce hard off of the Ford Field turf, causing a concussion.
I sat on my couch watching the game. I said to my wife and kids right there, as Rodgers struggled to get to his feet, that Aaron had suffered a concussion. Obviously I didn’t know for sure at the moment, but he was dazed. He struggled to gather himself and it was as plain as the day is long.
I’m no medical expert and I’m not trying to play one now, but why was Rodgers left in the game for two more plays before the Packers finally took him out for good? The Packers actually called a time out. Was he that convincing on the sidelines during the timeout that Mike McCarthy and the Packers doctors couldn’t figure out something was wrong?
Rodgers went back into the game and was sacked on the next play. He then completed a short pass on 3rd and long but the Packers didn’t convert and punted the ball. Rodgers didn’t play another down from there.
Tight end Andrew Quarless said Rodgers was a little shaky after the initial hit. Quarless said he tried to help his quarterback up and could tell right away he was a little woozy. He said he could see it in his eyes.
If a rookie tight end could see it, how come nobody else could? Or didn’t anybody care to do the right thing?
We’re bombarded with all this concussion talk and how the NFL is trying to protect its players. And awareness to the subject is not a bad thing.
So when push comes to shove, either the right people on the sidelines didn’t notice anything strange about Rodgers at the time, or maybe they needed more evidence so they tossed him back into the game and called another pass play to boot, because he gave them the best chance to win. I hope it’s not the latter!
I know the coaches and doctors on the sidelines don’t have the same up close images that we have while watching the game on television, but it appeared pretty apparent to a non-medical expert like myself that there was something wrong.
So did the Packers put Rodgers in harm’s way? It’s a sticky subject, but from an observer’s standpoint, the thought has definitely entered my mind!