I guess there is all kinds of controversy over the Cam Newton concussion testing

[LambeauLegs]

Cam was hit to the head on that play near the end with the offsetting penalties where he had the intentional grounding. I myself was wondering if he needed to be tested for the hit to the head but it seems the game just continued on with it so close to the end of the game and the Panthers behind needing Cam in there to give them a chance to go for the win.

NFL fails concussion test in way it handled Cam Newton

Cam Newton passes NFL's concussion test -- with a twist

Why didn’t anyone protect Cam Newton on Thursday night?

 

[Fountain City Blues]

If anything I've heard 1000 times the whining about Cam Newton getting hit against Denver than I have in the last 5 years for any other QB. With that being said...

Yes, the concussion protocol is deeply questionable.

 

[dkmightyhammer]

We were asking WTF was going on as we watched it live last night. He clearly got blown up to the head, he clearly was dazed and in pain, but they let him finish?

The team docs, the coach, the officials and the league need to explain why he was allowed to continue.

 

[Scooby-Doo]

Me and my kid were wondering why they didn't take him out. He looked dazed after that shot. Talk about a tough call to make.

1. Take out one of the leagues biggest stars at a crucial point in the game.
2. Leave him in there and deal with scrutiny that we are witnessing today.

In my opinion, no matter what the NFL did in that situation, they were going to get bashed. However, with spotlight on concussions right now, I think they made the wrong decision. Hiding behind the "players safety card" is easier to explain imo.

 

[WizardHawk]

They did come out and talk about it after the game and said they went through the protocol and deemed him fine to play. I mean that's total bullshit and everyone knows it, but that's what the league is saying. They said the doctors on the sidelines and in the booth that reviewed the play cleared him.

Everyone has seen players come off for testing with FAR less of a hit and reaction afterward. Hell, wasn't there a bronco earlier in that game that had to come off for testing with less of an impact?

They can tell us until they are blue in the face that all things are created equal when it comes to looking at those hits and forcing players into the testing part of the protocol, but we all know that's total and complete bullshit. Who you are and where they are in the game still has impact and that showed up last night.

 

[Broncosr0k]

Well, Steelers played Rothelisberger last year after a headshot. After the game it was declared he had a concussion and little noise was made about that.

Lets stop pretending player safety is paramount.

 

[Oldschool739]

If anything I've heard 1000 times the whining about Cam Newton getting hit against Denver than I have in the last 5 years for any other QB. With that being said...

Yes, the concussion protocol is deeply questionable.

It is well noted that I don't like Cam Newton, but I saw numerous hits on him, helmet first and helmet to helmet, late hits, and the only call was a blatant helmet to helmet while in the grasp and that was offset....
That guy should have been ejected on the spot but the refs obviously don't like Cam either...
That was horrendous officiating....
But all in all, Denver rose to the occasion and Cam did his best impersonation of Mike Tyson coming out like a tornado and ending like a gentle breeze.....
He really sucks under pressure.....

 

[Used 2 B Hu]

I mentioned this already in the game thread, but no way any body was going to take him out of the game at that point. Not the league, not his team, not the officials...because no one wants to be the wet blanket, even though they're all mouthing off about player safety.

This is a violent game. The risks are clear. BUT, if the league goes all out on concussions, then that amounts to admitting culpability for hundreds of players' medical conditions. That, in turn, opens them up to hundreds of lawsuits and lots of lost revenue.

they're trying to walk the thinnest of lines here

 

[Money]

It is well noted that I don't like Cam Newton, but I saw numerous hits on him, helmet first and helmet to helmet, late hits, and the only call was a blatant helmet to helmet while in the grasp and that was offset....
That guy should have been ejected on the spot but the refs obviously don't like Cam either...
That was horrendous officiating....
But all in all, Denver rose to the occasion and Cam did his best impersonation of Mike Tyson coming out like a tornado and ending like a gentle breeze.....
He really sucks under pressure.....

Big QBs just don't get those calls. Roethlisberger never has. Flacco never has.

Can anyone deny that Brady would have drawn flags on every single one of those hits on Cam???

 

[Used 2 B Hu]

It's too bad they have a double-standard based on the QB's height and weight, but...I don't know how to finish that sentence...

To be fair, Cam got his licks in, too. He made a couple of big hits on some guys, including a nice block on that reverse early in the game. He could put a hurting on some smaller DB's

 

[DirtDirtDirt]

Wed be in front of the Supreme Court Justice if that was Tom Brady last night

 

[Oldschool739]

Big QBs just don't get those calls. Roethlisberger never has. Flacco never has.

Can anyone deny that Brady would have drawn flags on every single one of those hits on Cam???

They would have ejected the whole team and their kinfolk from this country if Brady got hit like that....
Kraft would sue the league, Rock would start a Brady's Life Matters movement and NW, well he'd just talk about tgann, cause it's all he knows....

 

[redseat]

They did come out and talk about it after the game and said they went through the protocol and deemed him fine to play. I mean that's total bullshit and everyone knows it, but that's what the league is saying. They said the doctors on the sidelines and in the booth that reviewed the play cleared him.

Everyone has seen players come off for testing with FAR less of a hit and reaction afterward. Hell, wasn't there a bronco earlier in that game that had to come off for testing with less of an impact?

They can tell us until they are blue in the face that all things are created equal when it comes to looking at those hits and forcing players into the testing part of the protocol, but we all know that's total and complete bullshit. Who you are and where they are in the game still has impact and that showed up last night.

That's why the protocal is complete and utter bs... "Hey, do you feel ok?" Players - "ummmmmmm, well, ummm, yeah"


"ok you're ok to continue"

 

[whiskey]

It will be interesting to see how many of the Broncos players are fined or whatever for helmet to helmet hits/targeting. There were several that were clearly targeting, and one for sure that was launching with intent.

 

[shopson67]

We were asking WTF was going on as we watched it live last night. He clearly got blown up to the head, he clearly was dazed and in pain, but they let him finish?

The team docs, the coach, the officials and the league need to explain why he was allowed to continue.

Yeah, it's right up there with watching him get blown up to the head twice before with no penalty flag. The NFL's "concern for players' well-being" is only out of necessity and a farce.

That said, something additional has to be worked out. The NFL can't allow a penalized defender to go head-hunting and knock out an important player on a game-deciding drive because of the concussion protocol. Maybe the defender has to also be out, and/or the game is paused for the protocol?

 

[whiskey]

Also, a personal foul should not be offset by a "regular" penalty like a hold or anything else. Personal fouls should ALWAYS be marked off against whatever team commited them. Just IMO of course.

 

[cdumler7]

It's too bad they have a double-standard based on the QB's height and weight, but...I don't know how to finish that sentence...

To be fair, Cam got his licks in, too. He made a couple of big hits on some guys, including a nice block on that reverse early in the game. He could put a hurting on some smaller DB's

That's just it though they watch Cam go out and lay a huge block or plow over guys on his way to the end zone and officials just begin to think that a QB that has the running ability of a Cam Newton will not get the benefit of being recognized as a pocket passer. This is one of those I can see it both ways. He is a QB so they should call it that way but at the same time I hear the defensive players talk about how they can hardly even touch a QB and with those big QB's like Big Ben or Cam they don't just go down with an arm tackle. You have to hit them hard and hit them square to get them down since you can't go low at the knees like you can a receiver or RB.

 

[Money]

That's just it though they watch Cam go out and lay a huge block or plow over guys on his way to the end zone and officials just begin to think that a QB that has the running ability of a Cam Newton will not get the benefit of being recognized as a pocket passer. This is one of those I can see it both ways. He is a QB so they should call it that way but at the same time I hear the defensive players talk about how they can hardly even touch a QB and with those big QB's like Big Ben or Cam they don't just go down with an arm tackle. You have to hit them hard and hit them square to get them down since you can't go low at the knees like you can a receiver or RB.

It's not about Cam's running. It's about his physical stature. Russell Wilson would have drawn a least a couple flags on hits that Cam took last night.

 

[cdumler7]

It's not about Cam's running. It's about his physical stature. Russell Wilson would have drawn a least a couple flags on hits that Cam took last night.

Oh I've seen times that Russell Wilson had similar hits on him and they didn't call anything. Maybe not quite as much as what we saw with Cam last night but the Seahawks also don't run as many designed QB runs either. Most of Wilson's runs are just scrambles where he sees nobody in front of him and takes off for 10 yards then slides. Wilson is maybe the best QB in the NFL at avoiding the big hit and a big reason why even with his small stature continues to hold up well. The Panthers have 10 or so run plays a game put into the game plan for Cam beyond just his scrambling plays and he isn't one just to slide down but lowers his head and tries to pick up the extra few yards. To me he encourages some of the big hits he takes throughout the game because of his physicality.

 

[Money]

Oh I've seen times that Russell Wilson had similar hits on him and they didn't call anything. Maybe not quite as much as what we saw with Cam last night but the Seahawks also don't run as many designed QB runs either. Most of Wilson's runs are just scrambles where he sees nobody in front of him and takes off for 10 yards then slides. Wilson is maybe the best QB in the NFL at avoiding the big hit and a big reason why even with his small stature continues to hold up well. The Panthers have 10 or so run plays a game put into the game plan for Cam beyond just his scrambling plays and he isn't one just to slide down but lowers his head and tries to pick up the extra few yards. To me he encourages some of the big hits he takes throughout the game because of his physicality.

I'm not talking about designed run plays. I'm also not talking about the hits he takes because he refuses to slide. Those are on him. I'm talking about hits in the pocket and late/illegal hits outside the pocket.

 

[Thruthefog]

The guy who delivered the helmet to helmet that got offset, should draw at least a one game suspension. I love seeing Cam get beat up, but I want it to be clean.