Zach Miller on the mend, DHB and the concussion effect
Oakland will be careful with Zach Miller after his concussion vs. Washington
Oakland is hoping to have tight end Zach Miller back in time for practice in preparation for their match-up this weekend against the Cleveland Browns.
Miller sustained a concussion against the Redskins. On Monday, he took a battery of tests on a computer to test his mental acuity. The results will then be compared to a similar exam taken prior to the start of the season to see if the results are comparable or whether there is some distress after the head trauma.
“I took it today, I don’t know, I haven’t got the results yet, hopefully it went good today,” Miller commented yesterday.
This season, Miller has tallied 50 receptions for 657 yards and 2 touchdowns. Since his rookie season, the Raiders best weapon has played in 45 contests and compiling a team best 150 receptions during that span.
If he misses any more game action, it can derail his output, as the former 2nd round pick has improved his catch and yard numbers in every year as a pro, and was headed toward another campaign of enhanced stats.
“I feel like once the symptoms are gone and all that, there’s no reason not to play and I want to get back on the field,” Miller stated. “It sucks not playing.”
DHB ON DHB
Darrius Heyward-Bey is in limbo with his sprained foot. “Same old, same old, day by day, week by week,” Heyward-Bey was quoted. His injury has given Louis Murphy more playing time, and rightfully so, as he has been the better of the two rookies and the Raiders best receiver in 2009. Unfortunately, it took an injury for that to happen and not the ineffectiveness of the speedy first round pick. “Don’t want to rush anything but also want to get back out there, you know? Want to help out my teammates.”
ANALYSIS
Brandon Myers left Sunday’s game with a concussion. Miller is dealing with one. Jon Alston had to be shutdown due to symptoms from head trauma in a span of a few weeks. And Charlie Frye had to leave the contest on Sunday after being dazed with one.
The NFL acknowledges the many concerns related to head trauma. And the league should look into a protocol this off-season on how teams should handle players suffering from concussions and what should it take for them to get back on the field after sustaining one.
“It’s quite obvious from the medical research that’s been done that concussions can lead to long-term problems,” league spokesman Greg Aiello said this month.
Concussion management is vital and these players future lives are in jeopardy whenever they take the field in hopes of performing for their team, a possible contract or other scenarios that they may feel obligated to play through with trauma.
The NFL announced new stringent rules, such as requiring players that exhibit any significant sign of concussion to be removed from a game or practice and be barred from returning the same day. But concussions can linger and there is no definitive way to medically clear a player as concussion symptoms can reoccur hours or days after the initial blow.
It’s time for the league to set a protocol and start avoiding the mass critique on how they handle players after these types of injuries. And with high profile players such as Kurt Warner, DeSean Jackson and Ben Roethlisberger making headlines after the trauma, it will surely be a hot topic during the off-season and league meetings in 2010.
