Request for tinted visor by Terrelle Pryor led to Matt Flynn starting

Late Saturday night the Chronicle reported that Terrelle Pryor would be starting for the Raiders against Washington after passing his final concussion test. As we saw on Sunday, that was not the case.

So what happened in between that report and Matt Flynn getting the start and literally throwing away

his last chance to be a starter in this league?

Apparently it was Pryor’s own undoing. He wanted a tinted visor equipped on his helmet for the game—not because he wanted to look cool but because he wanted protection from the light. That was enough of a warning sign for the Raiders to pull the plug on putting Pryor on the field for the game.

From Dennis Allen on Monday, via Jerry McDonald:

“Sensitivity to light is obviously a symptom and when you have that symptom we can’t put him at risk,” Allen said Monday at his weekly press briefing. [...]
“This was not a play decision. This was not a coach’s decision. This was a medical decision,” Allen said. “There were still some symptoms there, but we weren’t going to put him in that situation. That’s the right thing to do and that’s the decision we made.”

Former Detroit Lion Lem Barney Off Base with Comments Critical of Football

Recently, Detroit Lions' Hall of Fame cornerback Lem Barney was speaking at a major football clinic luncheon in Detroit, and he delivered a very scathing criticism of the sport which helped make him famous.

"The game is becoming more deadly today." Barney said on Friday. "It's a great game. I think it's the greatest game if you like gladiators. It's the greatest game for yesteryear's gladiators. But I can see in the next 10 to maybe 20 years, society will alleviate football altogether."

Whether Barney is right or not, the Sound Mind Sound Body Academy in Southfield was no place to deliver such a critical message. The goal of camps like that is to promote the game of football, including ways to make it safer for newer generations, and allow younger players to connect with coaches, other players and those who teach the game. Thankfully, Barney had time to realize the big mistake he made and save some face in a later statement.

"I don't want to discourage young men from their love of the game," he said. "I just want the game to be safe. . .I wish all those involved in our great sport a long, healthy and SAFE career."

Jaguars WR Laurent Robinson Mulling Retirement

The NFL has been very concerned of late with player safety in general, and with concussions in particular, especially after the lawsuit being brought by Junior Seau‘s family. Perhaps no active player is more concerned with the issue of concussion than Laurent Robinson of the Jacksonville Jaguars, who suffered four separate head injuries of his own during the 2012 season.

Ed Reed Says If The NFL Wants To Stop Concussion, Stop The Game

The NFL has quite a conundrum going on with its attempts to make the game more safer, protect its shield, and still try to sell the general public on it being a great violent sports.

Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed won the appeal of his 1 game suspension and fine, but still has a bone to pick with the league.

Reed was quoted as saying he wasn’t about the way things transpired, and that it’s a shame it had to come to a suspension.

Reed continued to vent to the Baltimore Sun during a Thanksgiving event at Booker T. Washington High School.

Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed suspended one game for hits

Baltimore Ravens safety, Ed Reed is being suspended without pay for one game for repeated violations of the rule prohibiting hits to the head and neck area of defenseless players. The suspension was imposed by NFL Vice President of Football Operations Merton Hanks.

Reed was penalized for unnecessary roughness in the third quarter of Sunday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers for a hit to the head and neck area of a defenseless receiver, Emmanuel Sanders according to NFL.com

The suspension means Reed can not practice this week or play in this Sunday’s game against the San Diego Chargers.  He is not even allowed to be at the teams practice facility, or team events until he is reinstated on Monday, Nov. 26.

Are todays MMA athletes the punch-drunk fighters of tomorrow?

All it took was one punch.

There were few out there, whether fans, critics or media aficionado’s that placed their faith behind Cung Le this past Saturday morning to defeat former UFC titlist Rich Franklin. Seconds into the fight it seemed the former Strikeforce champion looked flat as Franklin began to put his combinations together, hitting the slower Sanshou expert.

Right when it looked like it was going to be a long night for the Vietnamese fighter, a perfectly timed right-hook sent Franklin crushing down to the floor. He was unconscious before his head abruptly cracked against the Octagon’s canvas.

The Chinese crowd, whom we had barely heard a peep from during the decision-heavy event became unglued. It was a thing of beauty as the aging fighter without a clean bill of health landed the perfect shot that suddenly and violently ended the night for Franklin.

I had watched fighting for hours, it was 90 minutes before I had to clock in for my other job and the effects of my energy drinks and No-Doz mixture were wearing off but Le’s five-ounce glove gave me a second shot of adrenaline.

Lovie Smith noncommital on status of Jay Cutler following concussion

On Monday, Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith could not answer questions about the status of the teams quarterback Jay Cutler. Smith did offer that the Bears quarterback is “getting better” and said that

Cutler has shown no ill effects from the concussion that knocked him out of Sunday nights game against Houston.

When asked about the performance of backup quarterback Jason Campbell, Smith said, “None of us played well enough to win.”

Campbell was 11-for-19 for 94 yards after replacing Cutler in the second quarter.

Smith did mention that the Bears believe Cutler was injured on the hit by Houston’s Tim Dobbins. Prior to leaving the game Cutler was 7-for-14 for 40 yards with two interceptions.

Dale Jr has not been cleared yet according to Rick Hendrick

Rick Hendrick spoke during NASCAR’s race at Kansas that Dale Earnhardt Jr has not been cleared yet to return to action at Martinsville. An announcement will not come until Tuesday afternoon.

Earnhardt’s team owner, Hendrick previously had said that Earnahrdt Jr would race at Martinsville saying he was cleared but announced during the race that he did not have all the information.

Hendrick says that Earnhardt will have a test with Dr. Petty on Monday inside a car to check his status. On

Tuesday Earnhardt Jr will undergo another round of impact testing and that a decision may come following that test.

A future announcement will be left up to the PR guys Hendrick said. Earnhardt Jr is expected to be cleared to race at Martinsville. He has missed the last two races after suffering a concussion at Talladega.