Is Polamalu's career almost over?

[Dward00]

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu may play at Cleveland on Sunday despite sustaining at least the the sixth concussion of his football career during a 38-31 victory over New Orleans.

Polamalu is listed as questionable, meaning there is a 50-50 chance he will play only a week after being so disoriented he almost tumbled off the Steelers' bench while sitting by himself.

"He'll do some testing again tomorrow. He feels better," Steelers coach Bill Cowher said Tuesday. "This will be to see if he stays asymptomatic. Once again, this is a situation where he'll have to get clearance from the doctors before any decision is made about his availability."

Polamalu sustained the concussion after tackling Reggie Bush on Sunday. He had at least three at Southern Cal -- each during practices or scrimmages -- and two in high school, partly because of what friends and coaches said was a reckless tackling style in which he launched himself at players headfirst.

Cowher said this was Polamalu's first concussion in four Steelers seasons.

"I know there has been a history, and the doctors will take that into account," Cowher said. "I don't think it's my place to be judgmental about that. I've got to leave that up to the professionals and the doctors and we'll talk about that and certainly make decisions accordingly."

Polamalu's previous concussions were enough of a concern to the Steelers before drafted him in 2003 that he underwent a pre-draft neurological exam for them. Polamalu was cleared following that exam by Dr. Joseph Maroon, a neurological surgeon who has long worked with the Steelers and other western Pennsylvania football teams on safety issues.

At the time, Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert said, "Players are going to get nicked, especially players who play as hard as he does. I think he'll probably deliver more hits than he'll take."

Polamalu, one of the NFL's top defensive players and an All-Pro safety last season, was woozy after being pulled from Sunday's game. At one point, he began tilting slightly and almost fell off the bench.

Cowher smiled when talking about Polamalu's condition, saying it was obvious he wasn't ready to resume playing a football game.

"I looked at him in the first half and Troy can still talk to you about a lot of things, but it just wasn't about football at that time," Cowher said. "If you would have had a good conversation with him, it would have been fine, but he wasn't ready to talk about the game."

Polamalu's history of concussions could be a worry to the Steelers now that he has received one in the NFL. Several Pittsburgh-based doctors, including Maroon, have done extensive studies on football-related concussions that concluded players become increasingly susceptible to additional concussions once they have sustained multiple concussions.

The studies suggest that blows to the head that might not cause a concussion early in a player's career may do so after that player has sustained more than one concussion, though that threshold number varies by player.

Maroon and Mark Lovell of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center are among those who designed the tests the Steelers and other NFL teams use to determine when players are ready to play again following a concussion.

Steelers cornerback Deshea Townsend also left Sunday's game with a concussion and an ankle injury, and is listed as questionable. Cowher on Tuesday identified him as having only an ankle injury, although the coach said Sunday that Townsend was lifted because of the concussion.

Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[Dward00]

6 concussions in his short career? That has got to be a message.

[imgreat95]

6 in one year?? They are talking about in his entire football career... since HS...

[Dward00]

6 in one year?? They are talking about in his entire football career... since HS...

no that was a typo. as u can see i edited it out.

[imgreat95]

ahh... gotcha...

that isnt really necessarily all that unusual. A person would be shocked to find out how many concussions go un-noticed or unreported by a player.

Heck, I myself have had 3 in the past 5 years... and very few people know.

[Dward00]

Polamalu's previous concussions were enough of a concern to the Steelers before drafted him in 2003 that he underwent a pre-draft neurological exam for them. Polamalu was cleared following that exam by Dr. Joseph Maroon, a neurological surgeon who has long worked with the Steelers and other western Pennsylvania football teams on safety issues.

Polamalu's history of concussions could be a worry to the Steelers now that he has received one in the NFL. Several Pittsburgh-based doctors, including Maroon, have done extensive studies on football-related concussions that concluded players become increasingly susceptible to additional concussions once they have sustained multiple concussions.

The studies suggest that blows to the head that might not cause a concussion early in a player's career may do so after that player has sustained more than one concussion, though that threshold number varies by player.



Well it seems like it's a concern.

[Dward00]

I've seen concussions ruin a lot of football players careers. Either it makes them retire, or they end up not being as effective as they were before.

[imgreat95]

They are always a concern. Just because of the nature of a head injury. I dont believe that it is enough of a concern, th ough, that it would put his career in jeopardy.

[Dward00]

seriously......a concussion is ALWAYS a big deal.

[imgreat95]

seriously.. no... its not ALWAYS a big deal. I was an athletic training major in college. Doctors even now still argue over exactly how serious of an injury a concussion is.

[Dward00]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1581991231/ref=olp_product_details/103-5038753-3076620?ie=UTF8&seller=

I own a barn with chickens


and cows


mooooooooooo

[Dward00]

- Questionable is a word used a lot around the NFL. It's there every week in the injury reports that bookies and bettors like to study so much, usually stuck somewhere in between probable and doubtful.

Ben Roethlisberger, who was last seen sprawled unconscious on the field in Atlanta, is questionable this week. The Pittsburgh Steelers said so, meaning their star quarterback may or may not play Sunday against the Oakland Raiders. Questionable. It's a word that can be used to describe many things.

Let's begin with the judgment of anyone involved with the Steelers who actually believes it is a good idea to rush back Roethlisberger after two concussions in four months.

Head injury one Sunday, starting nod the next. You don't need a degree in neurology to figure out something is wrong with this equation.

Concussions forced two other quarterbacks out of the game in recent years. Troy Aikman and Steve Young retired early because the cumulative effect of concussions, and they're hardly alone among NFL alumni.

Current players aren't faring much better.

Quarterbacks Charlie Frye and Steve McNair recently left games with concussions and so did Minnesota receiver Troy Williamson.

Carolina linebacker Dan Morgan's season is over, and the horrifying image of Chiefs quarterback Trent Green having his head slammed to the ground in the first game of the season is an indelible one.

Concussions, it seems, are the NFL's dirty little secret. It's not just that they happen so often, but that the league doesn't seem to be doing much about it.

Sure, the NFL says it has had a committee of doctors studying them since 1994. But experts in the field say the league's studies are flawed, use suspect data, and don't stand up to peer review.

So when the NFL says no evidence has been found that brain function declines as a result of a concussion, the news is greeted with skepticism in the medical community.

"What the NFL allegedly finds is totally at odds with scores of publications that are out there," said Dr. Robert Cantu, a neurologist and leading expert in brain injuries at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. "The stuff the NFL is putting out is just not the way the thinking is in the community of sports medicine and specialists with expertise in this area."

Among those is a recent study by the University of North Carolina, which reported 10 per cent of retired NFL players say concussions have had a permanent effect on their ability to think and remember things as they've gotten older.

Hall of Fame linebacker Harry Carson of the New York Giants is one of them. He estimates he had a dozen or more "bell-ringers" in his career, though he wasn't aware they were concussions. Carson said he has long had from memory problems because of post-concussion syndrome.

For others, it's even worse.

Former Steelers lineman Terry Long died last year at the age of 45 from a brain inflammation that resulted, in part, from repeated head injuries. Fellow Steelers centre Mike Webster was diagnosed with football-induced dementia before he died at the age of 50.

Coaches, though, seem to regard them as minor irritants.

Vikings coach Brad Childress offered his own diagnosis the other day after Williamson was injured.

"He does know what time zone we're in right now, and he can read a clock. So he's going to be OK," Childress said.

Football, of course, isn't alone in having to deal with brain injuries. Keith Primeau had two years and US$6 million left on his contract with the Philadelphia Flyers but retired earlier this year when even the most mundane skating drills caused him problems due to past concussions.

And David Eckstein and Jim Edmonds of the St. Louis Cardinals struggled for much of the season after concussions.

Still, the NFL, filled with violent helmet-to-helmet tackles and players with bad intentions, stands out.

In boxing, a fighter knocked out is automatically suspended for 60 days. In the NFL, a player knocked unconscious has returned to play in the same game.

Roethlisberger didn't go back into the game last Sunday, though he wanted to. He also wants to play this Sunday.

"If I get cleared I'm going to beg and plead to be out there," he said.

Hopefully, no one will be listening. Hopefully, the Super Bowl champions, 2-4 so far this season, will resist the temptation to put him in.

Roethlisberger has no business playing Sunday. There's a good argument to be made he shouldn't play again this year.

Big Ben has only one career - and only one life.

It's up to those around him to make sure neither is cut short.

-

Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlbergap.org



neuroligists seem to think so

[Dward00]

Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlbergap.org

haha write to him and tell him he doesn't know what he's talking about

[imgreat95]

and i could shgow you text books where many neuroligists also say the opposite... not to mention the fact that the NFL neurologists say differently.

[Dward00]

and i could shgow you text books where many neuroligists also say the opposite... not to mention the fact that the NFL neurologists say differently.

YOU can choose not to be concerned(for whatever reason). That's fine.

I, however, believe that mostly everyone else who is a fan of his will be concerned.

[Dward00]

It's stupid that you're going to make an argument out of this. Haven't you watched football over the years?

I'm worried about Polamalu, and i bet your ass he's worried too.

PEACE :naughty:

[imgreat95]

an argument??? why is it that you think EVERYTHING is about an argument?? I live in the pittsburgh area... and I can guarantee you that this is not a concern here.. .in fact, this is the first I have seen anything about it... that includes watching local programming nightly...

[Dward00]

It just sounds ridiculous that you're going to say that concussions are over-rated. That's all. You got to be the only person I can think of that would say that. :banghead

But hey I guess you're right about it being a no concern in pittsburgh. Look at how quickly they wanted to rush roethlisburger back(AND LOOK AT THE RESULTS!). :thumbdown

[PissedPrincess]

6 concussions?:eek: Jesus, that's approaching punch drunk. How the hell does he get so many?

[PissedPrincess]

Heck, I myself have had 3 in the past 5 years... and very few people know.

It's obvious. :D


Hey, you set yourself up for that one.



:tongue:

[Dward00]

6 concussions?:eek: Jesus, that's approaching punch drunk. How the hell does he get so many?

hehe I'm assuming you didn't read the whole article. Basically it says that his tackeling style is what's doing it. Haven't you noticed how he launches himself headfirst at ppl? Well he's landed hard on his head quite a few times. :clap:

I love the guy simply for that reason. He oozes intensity, and he's extremely fearless. But, obviously(or i would think), if he keeps that style up he may not last very much longer. :(

[Dward00]

It's obvious. :D


Hey, you set yourself up for that one.



:tongue:

He's making me wonder if i didn't too. :confused:

[PissedPrincess]

You caught me. I didn't read the whole article. I did assume however that it was his launching style. I know the Pats always were able to take advantage of his aggressiveness.

I used to think the guy was okay till he whined about his hair getting pulled. I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to realize that 6 concussions is not good.

Ted Johnson retired before last year because he had gotten his 3rd. The doctors told him it was dangerous to keep playing.

[Dward00]

get your hair pulled would hurt! lol :funsign

[imgreat95]

the thing he complained about wasnt being tackled by his hair... it was being picked up by his hair. I would complain about that too.

[Dward00]

i would complain about 6 concussions. :biggrinpa

[imgreat95]

you would... but so far, he hasnt.. haha.. at least not publicly.

Like I said, I am not saying that it isnt anyhting to be concerned about.. .potentially ... but the fact is that this is still not making news in Pittsburgh. I think that some writer may have gotten a little carried away with the 6 number...

[PissedPrincess]

i would complain about 6 concussions. :biggrinpa

I would probably give you 6 concussions if I was a Steeler fan. :D

[Dward00]

Are you John Kerry irl?

Oh hey look.........it's so warm today I'm wearing flip flops! :notme:

Hehe........that being said, I wish my team had a player like Polamolu(even if he has had 6 concussions)

[PissedPrincess]

the thing he complained about wasnt being tackled by his hair... it was being picked up by his hair. I would complain about that too.

Oh. Huh. Well, he should still wrap that nest up. Men with long hair=yuck.

[Dward00]

Oh. Huh. Well, he should still wrap that nest up. Men with long hair=yuck.

princess meet my @dreadlocks post :wave1:

EDIT: er......thread

[imgreat95]

i dont like him running around with it hanging out, either.... but oh well...

dward... .please dont ever imply that I may be a democrat....

[Dward00]

i dont like him running around with it hanging out, either.... but oh well...

dward... .please dont ever imply that I may be a democrat....

lol that wasn't exactly what i was implying. :clap:

I want to say it again why I think this is a concern. It's my belief that Polamalu was the sole reason that Pittsburgh won the superbowl last year, and if he's going to be put in a position where he can't perform as well as he has in the past then I see nothing but trouble in the future. I'm confident enough to voice my belief because i'm sure it's the way a lot of ppl feel.

Bill Cowher should put concussions as a priority on his list. It's beginning to make me wonder if all those ppl saying that putting roethlisberger out that soon weren't right.

[PissedPrincess]

i dont like him running around with it hanging out, either.... but oh well...

dward... .please dont ever imply that I may be a democrat....

I thought he was talking about me? Ditto for me. I hate John Kerry. Raging, seething, HATE. :angry:

[imgreat95]

lol that wasn't exactly what i was implying. :clap:

I want to say it again why I think this is a concern. It's my belief that Polamalu was the sole reason that Pittsburgh won the superbowl last year, and if he's going to be put in a position where he can't perform as well as he has in the past then I see nothing but trouble in the future. I'm confident enough to voice my belief because i'm sure it's the way a lot of ppl feel.

Bill Cowher should put concussions as a priority on his list. It's beginning to make me wonder if all those ppl saying that putting roethlisberger out that soon weren't right.

I would honestly not have put him into the game the following week, but I also do not believe that the concussion had anything to do with how he played in that game. If you look at the final numbers, it looks like he played poorly, but in reality he only threw 2 bad balls...

those 2 bad balls cost us the game, though... but i dont believe it had anything to do with the concussion...

[Dward00]

I thought he was talking about me? Ditto for me. I hate John Kerry. Raging, seething, HATE. :angry:

Wtf? There's no fun in it if I gotta spell it out. What was John Kerry famous for during his campaign. He was mister flip flop. :spam:

[Dward00]

I would honestly not have put him into the game the following week, but I also do not believe that the concussion had anything to do with how he played in that game. If you look at the final numbers, it looks like he played poorly, but in reality he only threw 2 bad balls...

those 2 bad balls cost us the game, though... but i dont believe it had anything to do with the concussion...

Like I said.....I didn't believe it neither. But now I'm beginning to wonder.

I've noticed a lot of great quarterbacks that come back the same year that they have a concussion, and they just cannot play as well as they did prior. 2 big names are obviously Steve Young, and Troy Aikman.

[PissedPrincess]

Wtf? There's no fun in it if I gotta spell it out. What was John Kerry famous for during his campaign. He was mister flip flop. :spam:


:( I guess I'm a bit slow today.

[Dward00]

:( I guess I'm a bit slow today.

nono.........mr 3-time concussion didn't get it neither. :tongue:


EDIT: sorry maybe that wasn't a good way to put it....lol

[imgreat95]

Like I said.....I didn't believe it neither. But now I'm beginning to wonder.

I've noticed a lot of great quarterbacks that come back the same year that they have a concussion, and they just cannot play as well as they did prior. 2 big names are obviously Steve Young, and Troy Aikman.

Ben hasnt really played all that poorly this season aside from the first 2 games in which he threw I believe 6 picks. I blame that more on the appendectomy than the concussion. The fact is that when Ben actually started getting comfortable with moving around in the pocket again, his numbers have taken off considerably. He is actually on a pace to break the all time steelers yardage marker... and has I believe 3 different 3 TD games this season. Not really too bad...

It has been the damn inability to field a punt which has hurt them, really. It has cost them 3 damn games... .

[PissedPrincess]

nono.........mr 3-time concussion didn't get it neither. :tongue:


EDIT: sorry maybe that wasn't a good way to put it....lol

Don't worry. The Shawn I know looks at those concussions as badges of honor. :D

[imgreat95]

i actually did get it... but also took more offense to him refering to me as a republican... haha.

[Dward00]

i actually did get it... but also took more offense to him refering to me as a republican... haha.

u mean democrat?

[PissedPrincess]

u mean democrat?

3 concussions kicking in. :D

[imgreat95]

yes.. thats what I mean... been a long day....

[Dward00]

yes.. thats what I mean... been a long day....

Did you have a 4th concussion today? :eek:

[Dward00]

oh but another thing about roethlisburger. why break what isn't broken? he's getting more opportunitys to throw this year because he said he wanted them, but i've only seen the pittsburgh steelers that win by running the ball(which in my oppinion is about as lame as floyd mayweather but that's beside the point).

maybe they need to take the ball out of his concussion addled hands, and play him the same way they played him the last 2 years when they had a record of 26-6.

[imgreat95]

the thing is that it sort of was broken. Willie Parker can not carry the load of a typical Steelers style running game. He just doesnt have the vision to do so... so it was broken. The passing game has not really been a problem, like i said... He is still completing 63.7% of his passes, which is a higher rate than last season. Also only has 600 more passing yards to go to set a career high.... He hasnt been the problem in Pittsburgh this season.

[imgreat95]

Did you have a 4th concussion today? :eek:

no... but slept 90 minutes last ni ght... then worked all day long....

[Dward00]

the thing is that it sort of was broken. Willie Parker can not carry the load of a typical Steelers style running game. He just doesnt have the vision to do so... so it was broken. The passing game has not really been a problem, like i said... He is still completing 63.7% of his passes, which is a higher rate than last season. Also only has 600 more passing yards to go to set a career high.... He hasnt been the problem in Pittsburgh this season.

what? of course he's been the problem.

Tell Cowher to draft another rb instead of another lb this offseason. :confused:

[imgreat95]

how do you figure that he has been the problem??

[imgreat95]

In the past five games, he has compiled a passer rating of 101.4. During that time, he has 1,474 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, 7 interceptions and completed 70 percent of his throws.


How is that a problem???

[Dward00]

omg...........

he threw 14 interceptions in the first half of the season.

yes 6 were in the first 2 games, but that still means he's thrown 8 in the past 6 games.

the stillers system does not win if the qb averages a pick or more a game. they're about ball control. not throwing the ball away.

[imgreat95]

do you know that sometimes QBs throw interceptions in which the defender simply made a play?? Did you know that not all INTs are the fault of the QB?? Did you know that a ball that a receiver tips and is caught by a defender such as in the oakland game is not the QBs fault??

Add in the fact that 5 more sacks and he will have been sacked more than in any SEASON.... Also consider the fact that the team is scoring more points per game than either of the seasons under Ben....

All this while being last in the league in turnovers forced... And having had dropped punts cost us 3 different games...



No.. Ben is not the problem...

[imgreat95]

but that still means he's thrown 8 in the past 6 games.



tom Brady has thrown 7 in the past 6 games.. that is one fewer... does that mean that he has been the problem in NE??

[Dward00]

do you know that sometimes QBs throw interceptions in which the defender simply made a play?? Did you know that not all INTs are the fault of the QB?? Did you know that a ball that a receiver tips and is caught by a defender such as in the oakland game is not the QBs fault??

Add in the fact that 5 more sacks and he will have been sacked more than in any SEASON.... Also consider the fact that the team is scoring more points per game than either of the seasons under Ben....

All this while being last in the league in turnovers forced... And having had dropped punts cost us 3 different games...



No.. Ben is not the problem...


Did you know that this is the same story of my bengals this year? Might as well hold them accountable.

[imgreat95]

im not saying that I am not holding the Steelers accountable.. .I hold them accountable for all of it.. .especially when they drafted a guy in the 4th round to specifically field and return punts... but I do NOT blame the season on Ben like so many people are so quick to do.

[imgreat95]

we could do more.. Mike Vick... .and rex grossman have also thrown 8 in the pasty 6 games... are they the problem with their respective teams??? (not that chicago has a lot of problems at 7-1... but you get the point...)

[Dward00]

http://www.amazon.com/Little-Learns-Share-Time-Outs/dp/1933771208/sr=1-1/qid=1163630786/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-5038753-3076620?ie=UTF8&s=books

[PissedPrincess]

tom Brady has thrown 7 in the past 6 games.. that is one fewer... does that mean that he has been the problem in NE??This year, yes. Brady has been having a bad year.

:( Well, statistically it doesn't seem that bad, but it is. I am convinced he has been playing hurt.