That's nuts. I guess you never can tell what's going to happen when you get hit in the head.
See you Space Cowboy ...
Holy crap. This kid is earning a well-deserved reputation as a tough S.O.B. An absolute prerequisite for the Pittsburgh fan base to get behind you.
A completely non-sequitor comment: I love how high his arm angle is on release, you can see it in that photo. How many passes has 6' 5" Ben had batted down over the years with his 3/4 arm-angle delivery? Mason is delivering from 12 o'clock consistently. It's gotta be at least a foot higher on release. One more little thing I like about #2 ...
I would hate to think anyone (thinking of you Hines Ward) would regard being able to come back or not come back quickly from a concussion as being a reason to get behind a "tough" player. Just another data point on how much remains to be learned about how long a player takes to pass the tests after suffering brain trauma and its relationship to the severity of any one concussion.
I am pleased to the point of being stunned that Mason has gone through the protocol so quickly - I thought the force of his helmet hitting the ground alone after he was knocked out and did a dead drop to the turf would have been enough to cause a concussion.
He'll never have the howitzer that Bradshaw had, but a very similar release. Also, these pictures don't show it, but he puts his index finger on the back of the ball. Bradshaw's one of the only other QB's I've seen who did that.
Every time I've tried that with a football it comes out quacking like a 39-year-old Peyton Manning back-shoulder throw. I have no idea how you can actually spiral a football with your finger on the back of the ball, but it works for those guys.
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It also appears that he was taking reps with the practice squad. So, I'd say there's no chance of him playing Sunday - but this was certainly nice to see him getting through the protocol by Wednesday.
Yep the index finger is why I mentioned Bradshaw.
If he passes the concussion protocol that was an extremely quick recovery. I had a concussion back in high school and it took nearly a week for the headaches to go away, forget trying to practice 3 days after it happened.
In all seriousness, it's good to see the kid back in practice.
Good to see him back!
Considering the fact that this week during practice, the Steelers’ defense is hitting their own offensive players...
It nice to see Mason back at practice and, hopefully he will back at the helm soon.
You can be knocked out without suffering a concussion. He took a hit more to the chin than to the top or side of the head, so he may not even have any headaches associated with a concussion. Though there is trauma to the brain, I'm not sure if it's exactly the same thing.
I would expect him back after the bye if he’s doing well enough to practice. How many consecutive days was he out there? Could be those reps were part of his concussion protocol. Decision making tests and checking memory function and motor skills and such. I have no idea just wondering.
My experience with concussion testing is that tests are done on a computer that measures your baseline cognitive ability and reaction times. Verbal repetition of word sequences and number sequences are used as well at the time of injury and later to determine improvement. When a players post concussion scores are similar to their baseline scores taken before injury, that is when they are normally given a passing grade to return to activity. I haven't seen any on-field portion of concussion testing or protocol, but that could be an NFL thing.
Aren't these new and improved helmets supposed to help in these situations and would it have been worse with one of the older model helmets? His head did slam the ground pretty hard after the initial hit.
Yep - According to the linked NFL article on the concussion protocol, step 1 in the 5 step protocol is testing that shows the player has returned to his neurological baseline. Step two is light aerobic exercise and step three is aerobic exercise combined with weight training. Step 4, non-contact football activities, is what Rudolph apparently started Wednesday. If the player tolerates that the player is cleared for full contact practice (although my understanding in today’s NFL the QB usually is hands off in practice) and if the player tolerates that the team doc can clear the player for game activity.
https://www.playsmartplaysafe.com/fo...tion-protocol/
For a league that maintains with a straight face it is all about safety first, Rudolph progressed through the protocol levels very quickly for someone who appeared to have sustained a serious brain injury initially.
I would be surprised if Mason was a full participant in practice today and even if he is would be equally surprised if he is in uniform Sunday night
But it’s the NFL - rub some dirt on your brainstem and man up I suppose
So stage4 testing? Is that what we believe those pics are from?(Post #1)
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I don’t know about NFL protocol. I do know high school protocol(locally) is mostly based on physical symptoms only. Parents need to seek their own Drs if they want more specifics than that.