By Brandon Simmons
Fallout from Tua Injury
There has been much drama surrounding the concussion suffered by Miami. Dolphins QB Tua Tagavoiloa. It’s even gotten to the point that someone lost their job. Last Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, Tua took a big hit and left the game. What was initially believed to be a concussion ended up being ruled a back injury, thus allowing the QB to return to the game. After undergoing examination from the Unaffiliated Neurotrauma Consultant – UNC for short – Tua was eventually cleared to play in the Thursday Night matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. However, he took another hit Bengals defensive lineman Josh Tupou sacked him and threw him to the ground, in which his head hit the turf. What ensued after, was a scary moment for the 3rd year quarterback as he laid there motionless with his fingers curled and eventually taken to a nearby hospital, but released later that night. NFL fired the UNC in the wake of this matter, citing that a variety of reasons including the inability to understand his duties in this process.
There is plenty of blame to go around, but it must be hammered into everybody’s heads how serious this is or could have gotten. Players that suffer injuries on Sunday, but scheduled to play on Thursday, usually are sat down, depending on the severity of the ailment. However, with concussions, that concern is usually heightened, especially with the growing concern of head injuries within the last decade. After this incident, it seems that same urgency has risen once again. The league and NFLPA are reviewing the current process for the NFL concussion protocol, in addition to investigating the events surrounding the Tua injury. The NFL has already brought about a rule that any player who gets hit and demonstrates gross motor inability – no movement – will not return to the game. This is truly a violent game, but players are not laid out motionless on the field every week.
Can Dak Lose His Job
The Dallas Cowboys are on a roll right now but they’re doing it without starting quarterback Dak Prescott. Prescott suffered a hand injury in Week 1 and has been out since then, being replaced by QB Cooper Rush, who is 4-0 as starting QB for the Cowboys, including 3-0 this season. This success has not gone unnoticed with fans who have half-joked that Rush could take over Dak’s job the same way the former 4th round pick took former Cowboys QB Tony Romo’s job when he got hurt.
While it would surely be a slice of irony for this season, there is no way this takes the cake for being a feasible idea. You will have to start with Prescott’s monster contract, while it might seem cheap compared to the deals that came after him, it is still a significant number, and no team would be willing to take that on in a trade in addition to giving up some significant picks. If the Cowboys stick with Rush, it would likely be a prisoner of the moment type of deal. They have not beaten anybody worthy yet, just a mediocre New York Giants team, a hungover Bengals team and a mediocre Washington Commanders team. In other words, they have not faced a strong Philadelphia Eagles team or – despite their own struggles – a Los Angeles Rams team, who they will face in Week 5. Also, in these wins, the defense has mostly shined in these games, allowing Rush to just manage the offense to its efficiency. It’s a possibility they could extend Dak’s time to heal while things are going good but it’s unlikely this time out will end his tenure as the Cowboys starting quarterback.
The O Word
On Monday Night Football’s broadcast, it was mentioned how much Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay needed wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. to come back, but he was in dire need of another O-word: offensive line. Without that protection, they are not the same defending Super Bowl champions no matter who they bring in as a receiver. It’s amazing the production that Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp has put up, despite Rams QB Matt Stafford getting thrown around this season. The former number one overall pick has been sacked 17 times this season, 2 games where he was taken down at least 7 times. Despite Kupp tearing up secondaries weekly, the Rams seem to have a bevy of weapons on deck, but it’s tough to get them going when your QB is eating dirt. Even the running game has suffered, with L.A. only cracking 100 yards rushing as a team once this season. After offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth retired, the Rams made no efforts in addressing the offensive line. Without doing that, their chances to repeat a Super Bowl may have been sacked.
Shoutouts/Shutouts
Shout out to Seattle Seahawks wide receiver D. K. Metcalf for pulling a Paul Pierce. In Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions, Metcalf was carted off the field in the 4th quarter. However, instead of an injury, he had to go take a dump in the bathroom. It’s similar to what Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce allegedly did in Game 1 of the 2008 NBA Finals. The Seahawks wide receiver was not ashamed to let people know he made it successfully:
Shut out to the fan that ran on the field during the Monday night game and got leveled. During the game between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers, a fan ran onto the field with a pink smoke bomb. Well, as while security did try to contain him, Rams linebacker Bobby Wagner came in and leveled him. It’s unknown why the fan ran out there or if Wagner will be special stadium security should the Rams miss the postseason.
Shout out to Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes who was playing videogames against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night. Mahomes was scrambling towards the goal line when he spun to dodge a defender then took a couple more steps, jumped and tossed the ball to Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire. It’s a play that really needs no more explanation:
Shut out to divorce as it is being reported that Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady and wife Gisele Bundchen have reportedly hired divorce lawyers. Hopefully it’s just a rumor and everything is alright, or if it’s true, maybe they can work things out.
Now that Week 4 has passed, Week 5 is here, and all the preseason jitters should be gone; it’s time for teams to really kick into their official season mode. The Cleveland Browns will be hosting the Los Angeles Chargers which could be evenly matched on paper and on the field. Cleveland has been maintaining while Browns QB Deshaun Watson serves his suspension. They still have a solid team that can stand to to toe against a Chargers team that has some suffered injuries but trying to overcome that for a trip to the postseason. The game of the week will be Sunday night when the Baltimore Ravens host the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals had a rough start but seem to be getting in their groove again, while the Ravens have been up and down as well. Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is looking to continue his early campaign for MVP and next highest-paid QB. But until then…I’ll holla.