And So It Begins... Concussions...

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...er-c-zach-shackelford-evaluated-head-injuries

The Texas Longhorns held freshman quarterback Sam Ehlinger and sophomore center Zach Shackelford out of practice Sunday after they were evaluated for head injuries.

 

Saw it happen. On the roll right in OT a couple of plays before the interception. The kid needs a few weeks to heal. This one, against osu, is coming on the heels of the head bang he took against ou.
It's very tricky, these concussions. Caution, time, patience are really hard because the kid is going to feel ok very quickly. But his brain is not ok. And concussions build one on another, like with Ash, from a few years back.

My concern is that the staff will rush him back. I sure hope they do not.

https://nondoc.com/2017/10/16/editorial-sam-ehlinger-head-trauma/

 

I was very afraid of this. Granted I am not a doctor nor did I have an opportunity to examine Ehlinger but common sense and simple observation suggests that there was something wrong again Saturday when, in overtime, he was slow to get up after a hit near the sideline. That might explain the interception.

Let's just hope that this isn't a chronic issue. After hits in consecutive games it might be wise to hold him out Saturday.

 

This is a no-brainer (pun intended). They need to protect these young men when it comes to head injuries. There are healthy scholarship athletes ready to back them up.

 

Great article...and it makes sense. Frankly this does not reflect well on our program, or on Herman. Yes, I did say that. If 5,000,000 viewers on television (just guessing at that number for the OU game) can see that there was a problem, doesn't Texas have someone in the press box with access to the broadcast that can buzz down and alert Herman? The same thing happened last Saturday and again, isn't there someone watching? I was at the game, on the west side, and from there, without binoculars, I could see Ehlinger's hesitation after being hit.

Like I said, not a good reflection on the program.

 

We can use Heard and Shane. Let Sam rest and heal up, maybe for the rest of the season. Two weeks in a row Sam has taken a head shot and been groggy looking getting up. Don’t take chances with this.

 

This^^^. "Don't take chances with this." is the operative phrase here, imho. I'm obviously right there with you on this Bevojoe.

 

From tfb

– Team Note | Reggie Hemphill-Mapps: Received word from a source regarding the leg injury suffered by Texas WR, Reggie Hemphill-Mapps, in yesterday’s game versus Oklahoma. I am told that Hemphill-Mapps suffered a torn meniscus.

 

Herman said sprained knee that they would look at on Wednesday.

 

I was so upset (during real game time) that Herman put Sam back in there in the RRS when Shane was fresh and already had gotten two first downs. Clearly he wanted Sam to be the hero that beats OU and that clouded his judgement. Just use common sense Herman and protect your players!... sheesh

 

First post here.

Another thing to remember is that these kids are also really good at lying when it comes to the concussion questions. Two years ago when Mayfield had his bell rung during out game with TCU, he went through the protocol, passed and went back into the game. At halftime, he asked a trainer for some aspirin for a minor headache and they took his helmet away.

This is why I believe that the NCAA needs to adopt the NFLs concussion protocol. Player safety should always come first. Sam never should have been allowed back into the RRS.

 

I heard someone say part of the protocol is to ask the player to count backwards by seven from one hundred. Can't fake that.

 

are fractions an option?

 

I don't know,.... did you see the dancing cowboy pass his DWI test a few years back?

 

I must be concussed right now.

 

I like the idea of Heard backing up Shane and using him in the wildcat. If that produces more rush yards....great.

Or over 49, can we use that excuse?

 

Dang, Im only 48. I'm concussed or stupid. Counting backwards from 7....ugh too much for me.

 

If the protocol is anything like what our HS players go through in Washington State, they have a baseline taken before the season that the player is then tested against at a suspected time of injury. The baseline includes giving a series of 7 numbers (multiple digits) and the player has to relay them backwards. Example: 5 16 33 41 63 88 92 then the player has to relay them back to tester backwards. This is one of multiple tests.

This test was done in a doctors office for my son many years ago. He failed the test so they said "concussion...take 2 weeks of rest". At the point of retest, he failed in the exact same place (got 5 of the numbers) and they said "you're fine, get back on the field".