Top league doc: Wentz ‘heroic’
The NFL’s chief medical officer called Carson Wentz “heroic” for reporting his concussion during the Eagles’ playoff loss and disputed the notion the league’s system failed the quarterback.
“I think what Carson Wentz did is heroic and should be highlighted as an example of how an unbelievably skilled and competitive athlete understands the seriousness of concussion injury and is willing to honestly report it and receive the care that he needs independent of his desire and drive to continue to participate in the game,” Dr. Allen Sills told The AP on Thursday. “Having a concussion and playing through it is not about toughness. That’s demonstrating a lack of understanding of the severity of the injury. So I applaud Carson Wentz for understanding how serious this injury is and for getting appropriate care that he needs.”
Wentz was injured when the Seahawks Jadeveon Clowney hit him helmet-tohelmet from behind in the first quarter of a 17-9 loss in an NFC wild-card game Sunday.
Wentz stayed in and threw a couple passes before reporting symptoms on the sideline. He was examined in the medical tent and went to the locker room for further evaluation after failing the concussion protocol. He wasn’t allowed to return to the game.
“It’s a great example to players at all ages and levels that you only have one brain and you shouldn’t take chances with a brain injury,” said Sills, a neurosurgeon at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. “Brain injuries are different than other injuries. Anytime someone has a sprained ankle, you can see their ankle swell up or they dislocate a finger and you can see the finger pointing in the wrong direction. You can’t see a brain injury from the outside, but that does not make it any less severe or any less dangerous to the recipient than any of those other injuries.”
Because the independent spotters and the neurotrauma consultants monitoring the game didn’t see Wentz exhibit behavior or symptoms suggestive of a concussion and he had to tell the team’s medical staff, some media and fans have argued the league’s system for concussion detection is broken.
“I would vigorously disagree,” Sills said. “Video identification of (symptoms) is one part of a concussion identification. You’re not going to see things like amnesia or confusion on video, and that’s why all the other elements of detection are really important.”
Eagles fire offensive coaches: The Eagles fired offensive coordinator Mike
Groh and wide receivers coach Carson Walch.
Coach Doug Pederson made the announcement Thursday, one day after he said both coaches were returning. Pederson issued a statement saying he wanted to inform the coaches first.
Groh joined the Eagles as wide receivers coach in 2017 when the team won the Super Bowl. He was promoted to offensive coordinator after that season when Frank Reich left to become the Colts head coach.
Walch joined the team in 2018 as assistant receivers coach and was promoted last year.
Thielen questionable for Vikes: The Vikings listed wide receiver Adam Thielen as questionable for Saturday’s NFC divisional round game against the top-seeded 49ers.
Thielen needed stitches on his left ankle to repair a cut that occurred when he was cleated in Wednesday’s practice, according to reports.
It’s believed Thielen will be able to play in the game despite not participating in Thursday’s practice.
Thielen caught seven passes for 129 yards in the Vikings’ first-round win over the Saints on Sunday. His 43-yard reception in overtime helped set up Kirk Cousins’ game-winning touchdown pass to Kyle Rudolph.
Longtime coach Mularkey retires: Falcons tight ends and former Titans, Bills and Jaguars head coach Mike Mularkey retired.
Mularkey’s retirement came after he returned for a second stint with the Falcons, lasting only one season, to cap 25 years of coaching.
As a head coach, Mularkey, now 58, went 36-53 in the regular season and 1-1 in the playoffs.