Week 20 Injury Report : Gronk's Concussion, Richard Sherman's Comments & Sendejo's Quick Turnaround
After each week of NFL football games for the 2017-2018 season, the Heads 'N Tales podcast will be posting an episode dedicated to injuries and health & safety topics surrounding the NFL. Specifically we will talk about possible prevention strategies, the rulebook, equipment and other injury buzz around the league. My co-host and strategist for these episodes will be one of my closest friends, Josh Boyd (hence the J in "JK"..I'm the K...). Josh and I grew up playing baseball together. Josh was a division-1 center fielder for Monmouth University and experienced his fair share of injuries throughout his career. Although Josh never played organized football, the dude flat-out knows the game of football and undoubtably knows more about the ins-and-outs of the sport better than I do from both a fan and x's & o's perspective. Our intention for these episodes is to spark conversations around topics that are usually brushed under the rug or only minimally covered in the hopes of making football and all sports safer for the athletes who play them.
You are currently looking at the show notes for THE 2017-18 NFC/AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES!
NFC/AFC CHAMPIONSHIPS Injuries & Plays:
Patriots 24, Jaguars 20
Tom Brady, New England QB, Hand
The glove was off Tom Brady's right hand after he spoke to the media postgame. pic.twitter.com/cV7Dn8fKXV
— ESPN (@espn) January 22, 2018
I guess he didn't want to help Bill with his landscaping...
Rob Gronkowski, New England TE, Concussion
Very likely Church doesn’t make it out of New England alive after this shot to Gronk’s dome pic.twitter.com/Rr7zyhlS0n
— Barstool Sports (@barstooltweetss) January 21, 2018
Richard Sherman's Comments:
Would love to see some of these fans play the game. They all have such great perspectives 🙄. Couldnt even imagine playing at the speed and intensity that these men are playing at. Split second decisions.
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) January 21, 2018
What y'all thought about the hit:
Barry Church, Jacksonville S, Thoughts on the hit post-game:
“At his locker after the game, Barry Church defended the hit and attempted to encapsulate the difficulty of a safety in that position attempting to hit a player at full speed. “It’s tough, man, it’s tough,” Church said.”
“If you go too low on a guy you’re considered a dirty player and you can risk guys’ knees. If you go too high on a guy it’s unnecessary roughness.”
He added, holding his hands about 18 inches apart over his chest: “They want you to hit between here and here when we’re all moving 100 miles an hour. It’s pretty much impossible.”
The dilemma for Church summed up the difficulty of a safety making a play in that situation: “The guy is going up and stretching and he’s already 6-foot-8. You know. He’s jumping in the air. I felt like I had time to hit him in the chest without having to go low. He brought it down. When he brought it down, I led with the shoulder and hit. I guess, I didn’t watch the film yet. They felt there was lot of head-to-head contact. It was nothing intentional.”
Tweets surrounding hit collected by NJ.com:
I feel terrible for Rob Gronkowski but his balance problems were some of the clearest #concussion signs you will ever see. He is done for the day, unless the Patriots and #NFL only want to talk about the concussion protocol for the next week. Here is the hit: pic.twitter.com/vAVir1ptyX
— Chris Nowinski, Ph.D. (@ChrisNowinski1) January 21, 2018
My 5-year-old gets the #NFL better than most of us. After the Rob Gronkowski hit, he said, "Did they just bump his helmet because they didn't want him to play anymore?"#Patriots #Jaguars #AFCChampionship
— Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) January 21, 2018
I don't care who wins this one but a league that cares about headshots would make that an ejection. Gronkowski is 6 foot 6, wasn't leaning forward. Barry Church is 6 foot 1 and had to really go out of his way to deliver a head shot.
— Steve Warne™🎙 (@TSNSteve) January 21, 2018
Is there any possibility of a fine?
Should the consequences of the pass interference and unnecessary roughness on defenseless receiver penalties be swapped?
Eagles 38, Vikings 7
Andrew Sendejo, Minnesota Safety, Played after concussion last week
Extended Conversation
Richard Sherman rips NFL concussion protocol, says it's 'an absolute joke'
Sherman blasted the protocol and said it's just for the NFL to "show the public they care" and called it "a joke."
Sherman was also asked about whether or not he would let his kids play football:
"Yes, yes my kids are going to play football," Sherman said. "It's the ultimate team sport. It teaches discipline, it teaches teamwork, accountability, dependability. I think it will help overcoming fear, being courageous. I know how to tackle, I know how to play the game. I'm going to teach my kids how to play the game the right way and they'll be fine."
See full video below:
.@RSherman_25's thoughts on the NFL's concussion protocol?
— The Players' Tribune (@PlayersTribune) January 11, 2018
"I think it's an absolute joke."
(Created on the Galaxy S8) @SamsungMobileUS pic.twitter.com/ncp4AkevL6
Next Week's Discussion : The Future of Football with Chris Borland on The Ringer NFL Show and updates on the injury reports for the Eagles and Patriots.
