Concussion protocols

[TheNinerMind]

Mike Sando touched on a thought I had about this decision. I'm not judging Harbaughs decision because I think we'll win the Super Bowl regardless. But there is one terrible message here which is that if you are honest about suffering a concussion you're putting your job at risk. I'm not sure how harbaugh could have avoided it, but if I'm a player I probably would try to hide concussions as much as possible. This is a league wide problem, of course, and the NFL needs to do something to lessen the incentive to lie.

 

[Bemular]

Mike Sando touched on a thought I had about this decision. I'm not judging Harbaughs decision because I think we'll win the Super Bowl regardless. But there is one terrible message here which is that if you are honest about suffering a concussion you're putting your job at risk. I'm not sure how harbaugh could have avoided it, but if I'm a player I probably would try to hide concussions as much as possible. This is a league wide problem, of course, and the NFL needs to do something to lessen the incentive to lie.

Smith didn't lose his job due to consussion - he lost his job because Kaepernick is the better QB. If that were not the case Smith would have started vs. NO, and would be starting vs. StL.

Besides, future technology being planned for helmets will make it virtually impossible to disguise a concussion in about 1-2 years.

 

[Kinzu]

Smith didn't lose his job due to consussion - he lost his job because Kaepernick is the better QB. If that were not the case Smith would have started vs. NO, and would be starting vs. StL.

Besides, future technology being planned for helmets will make it virtually impossible to disguise a concussion in about 1-2 years.

That's not entirely accurate. If Kaep was the clear cut better QB the team would not have bothered re-signing Alex or even starting the season with Alex as the starter.

If Alex had tried to play through the concussion then Kaep may still be without an NFL start to his career.

Kaep's play these last 2 weeks proved he is ready to be a NFL starter, but he only got the chance due to Alex being honest about the concussion. That's what makes this whole QB switch such a delicate issue not only to us fans but to the players as well. Harbaugh is really putting a ton of faith in Kaep, because if Kaep suddenly starts playing poorly it will be a very bad reflection on Harbs.

 

[Bemular]

That's not entirely accurate. If Kaep was the clear cut better QB the team would not have bothered re-signing Alex or even starting the season with Alex as the starter.

If Alex had tried to play through the concussion then Kaep may still be without an NFL start to his career.

Kaep's play these last 2 weeks proved he is ready to be a NFL starter, but he only got the chance due to Alex being honest about the concussion. That's what makes this whole QB switch such a delicate issue not only to us fans but to the players as well. Harbaugh is really putting a ton of faith in Kaep, because if Kaep suddenly starts playing poorly it will be a very bad reflection on Harbs.

This post makes no sense.

First, obviously we are not talking about the beginning of the season so why even bring that up?
Second, I'm not sure Alex had any choice but to be honest - he had begun to lose his vision.
Third, his concussion caused him to miss a start. His being the lesser of the two QB's is what caused him to lose his job. If this wasn't the case then he would not have lost his job simply because having a concussion caused him to miss a start.

Pretty simple really.

 

[TheNinerMind]

Bemular, really? So, what, Alex would have been on the bench this week regardless of whether or not he had gotten hurt? You're extremely naive if you think this move doesn't reinforce the incentive to hide head injuries. And the reality is that players can and do hide them because of these possible consequences. I'm not saying the move wasn't warrented based on Colin's play.

 

[Bemular]

Bemular, really? So, what, Alex would have been on the bench this week regardless of whether or not he had gotten hurt? You're extremely naive if you think this move doesn't reinforce the incentive to hide head injuries. And the reality is that players can and do hide them because of these possible consequences. I'm not saying the move wasn't warrented based on Colin's play.

NinerMind, Really? Yes, really. So if Willis gets a concussion he should hide it out of fear Grant is going to replace him? Really?

 

[Kinzu]

I think it was in one of the links Chrispozz posted in another thread, but what if we had signed Peyton Manning and a similar situation happened. Manning gets hurt and Kaep comes in a blows it up for 2 games. Do you still make the switch? Is Manning not replaceable because of his reputation? Is the fact that he is the 3rd highest rated passer in the league enough to save him the job? Alex is the 5th highest rated and it didn't save him. The coaching staff clearly must think Kaep is capable of Manning's 3rd highest rating otherwise why make the change?

The difference in your statement Bemular is that Grant was never brought in to replace Willis. It's more similar to how Rivers took over for Brees. Rivers was brought in at a time when the Chargers had giving up on Brees. Brees then has a breakout year and suddenly the Chargers had to choose between they guy they drafted to be the future or they guy they gave up on that was suddenly balling. Clearly they went the way we are going by choosing the guy they bought in to be the future.

I think we would all be shocked if Alex ended up starting next year and continuing to be a top 5 QB like Brees, but hopefully our decision to go with the future goes better than it did for the Chargers. They might have won the Super Bowl had they kept Brees. Rivers is great and did well with talent around him, but it's painfully clear now that Brees is just so much better.

Pretty sure we all agree Kaep is clearly better than Alex. I just hope 2 or 3 years from now we don't look back in hindsight like Chargers fans probably do.

 

[TheNinerMind]

NinerMind, Really? Yes, really. So if Willis gets a concussion he should hide it out of fear Grant is going to replace him? Really?

Because that's an apt comparison. Should Patrick Willis hide it? No. He's a superstar. He's the best linebacker in the NFL. Should Michael Crabtree? Should Frank Gore? Probably. Both those guys could hit the bench with one lost week and a lights out performance by the high draft picks sitting behind them.

 

[MHSL82]

This post makes no sense.

First, obviously we are not talking about the beginning of the season so why even bring that up?
Second, I'm not sure Alex had any choice but to be honest - he had begun to lose his vision.
Third, his concussion caused him to miss a start. His being the lesser of the two QB's is what caused him to lose his job. If this wasn't the case then he would not have lost his job simply because having a concussion caused him to miss a start.

Pretty simple really.

Bem, I agree with the first and third, that if Smith were better or Kaep weren't as good or ready, Smith wouldn't have lost his job.

However, I don't think NinerMind is talking about during the Rams game, where the vision was concerned. I think he's referring to Smith being honest in-between the Rams game and Bears' game, when he reported some symptoms coming back. Maybe these symptoms were just headaches he could choose not to report. He cleared the first tests. Smith reported the returning symptoms before any contact test was done, so he might not have passed that, but it seems Alex was honest about the symptoms.

Maybe if he were dishonest, he could have barely passed the tests and have played. We wouldn't have seen Kaep playing better. So, I don't think anyone is saying that injury is the reason why Kaep is better than Smith and thus starting, but rather, just by the way things were going, Smith would have been starting because Kaep would never have gotten his chance.

This is not to say Smith should start, it just supports the idea that borderline players will and should lie about concussions/injuries to avoid the next guy getting his opportunity. Manning and Brady should be honest.

Having said all that, I don't know a solution that could help Smith and the team, because Harbaugh couldn't very well start the player he thinks gives him the worse chance.

 

[MHSL82]

Sort of on topic, Smith got his spot taken by Troy when he wouldn't play through his non-throwing shoulder injury - he was also in a bad season. Now, he chooses wisely long-term by not risking himself with further injuring his head, during a good season. He lost it to Kaep. If Smith ever starts again (elsewhere), will he be so honest? Or will he continue to be smart health-wise?