Guess the holiday season has many people behind on tasks, including yours truly.  Anyhow, here is the report from after 13 weeks in the NFL.  The report for week 14 should make it to this space by the end of the week (cross your fingers, ha).

During Week 13 we found 15 concussions, seems the weekly average is going up.  We now have 142 regular season concussions – 190 since camp opened.  NOTES: The offense continues to hold roughly a 10% advantage in concussions, which is weird it should be a 50/50 split…  Including preseason DB’s have more concussions (48) then the rest of the defense (38) – 36/28 split in regular season…  Interestingly RB, TE, OL, DL and LB all have similar occurrence; WR and DB’s are higher and QB’s way low…  I think we are going to see a new season “high water” mark, credit to Will Carroll for calling this before the season…  ()’s represent last week’s numbers…;

• 142 Concussions/head injuries (127)
• 10.92 Concussions/week (10.60)
• 185 Projected Concussions (180)
• 0.73 Concussions/game (0.70)
• 12.90% InR (12.49)
• 10.95% EInR (10.61)
• 70 Offensive (78) – 57 Defense (64)
• Positionally Speaking
  • QB – 7 (7), RB – 14 (16), TE – 13 (14), WR – 24 (27), OL – 12 (14), DL – 10 (13), LB – 15 (15), DB – 32 (36)
• Team Breakdown
  • OAK – 12
  • DET, JAX – 8
  • CLE, IND, KC, WAS – 7
  • NE, NYJ, PIT – 5
  • CAR, CHI, DAL, MIN, NYG, SEA, SF STL, TB, TEN – 4
  • ARI, BUF, CIN, DEN, GB, MIA, NO, PHI – 3
  • BAL, HOU, SD – 2
  • ATL – 1
  • NONE – 0

Our definition of Incidence Rate (InR) is projected concussions/45 players taking the field per team per game, our definition of Epidemiological Incidence Rate (EInR) is projected concussions/53 man roster per team.

Comparing to past seasons the following has been found after Week 13: # (2011, 2010):

• Regular Season Concussions – 127 (122, 119)

The Concussion Blog Original, NFL Concussion Report, is a weekly compiling of the reported head injuries in the National Football League.  Concussions are added to the list each week from multiple sources to give you the reader a picture of what is happening on the field.  Each week we will bring you the information along with relevant statistics.  If we have missed a concussion or put one on here erroneously, let us know (we will also be using Fink’s Rule to classify a concussion/head injury).

I will save the “soap box” for another day as I will get right to the meat of it.

Numbers are rising, but naturally there are more games as all byes have taken place.  There are more players on the field and more plays so there will be, by logic alone, more concussions.  Our research over the past few years has shown that 55% of all concussions found happen after Week 9.  Both an indication of more games but also prolonged exposure to micro trauma.

This week we say another first, a new high water mark for a weekly find; 19 players were concussed last week, roughly 15% of all concussions to this point.  I have some reasons for this, the most poignant being that I believe the NFL is starting to get it right.  With so many eyeballs on the game now, especially looking at concussions and how it impacts the game they better start to get it right.  I have had multiple sources tell me – which is hard for me to believe but I have heard it more than once – the “crapstorm” that is the NFL medical in-game coverage is now just catching up to what we know.  One person told me that some (stresses some) athletic trainers are still learning about concussion detection, another told me (which I already knew) the doctors being on retainers for the teams are too conflicted.  My most trusted source tells me that players actually have a protocol of their own to evade detection, which they practice from time to time.

Regardless there was a perfect storm this past week to give us the 19 found.  Now onto the stats, 127 regular season concussions – 175 since camp opened.  Notes: due to my 20 month old son “rearranging” my database I rechecked numbers there may be some differences from last week (the #’s are sound)… DB’s and WR’s are now starting to rack up…  ()’s represent last week’s numbers…; Continue reading →

The Concussion Blog Original, NFL Concussion Report, is a weekly compiling of the reported head injuries in the National Football League.  Concussions are added to the list each week from multiple sources to give you the reader a picture of what is happening on the field.  Each week we will bring you the information along with relevant statistics.  If we have missed a concussion or put one on here erroneously, let us know (we will also be using Fink’s Rule to classify a concussion/head injury).

Getting hit in the head by a friend – not hard enough to cause concussion symptoms – say 15 times on a weekly basis is probably not something you would enjoy.  Eventually after about 10 or so weeks of that, theory suggests that there has been enough “micro” damage that the threshold for “macro” damage has been reduced.  Further, if your friend hit you with the same force he/she has been doing previously you may get concussion symptoms, thus a concussion.

If the force was at the same “low-level” as the previous hits – that did not cause a concussion – then why now do you have a concussion?

Looking at it from another angle; if you hit concrete with a hammer – not with so much force it actually cracks – say 15 times a week for 10 or so weeks, will the concrete finally crack and break at some point?  I would venture to guess, yes.

This is now some of the focus on the research in concussions, trying to identify the actual causation/pathology for such cases.  Speaking from a logical perspective; getting hit in the head over and over and over and over and…  Well, over seems to cause damage, no?

This is possibly why we are seeing greater numbers of concussions in the later part of the season; sure awareness is better, but players have been exposed to hundreds and thousands of hits late in the season.  There was a good white paper written on how to possibly abate this issue in Youth Sports, composed by The Sports Legacy Institute.  It is not practical in the NFL, nor do I think that professional adults need to have this in place, unless they choose to – in its place the NFLPA negotiated fewer “hitting” days outside of games in the recent CBA.

This again gives me a chance to wonder aloud why high schools will not adopt a reduction in exposure/hit days for football?  I have generated a proposal on this for the Illinois High School Association that has yet to be brought to a vote.

Back to the NFL and the concussions found this past week, SIXTEEN of them, nearly doubling the average up to this point; the numbers have tied a single week high for the past three years.  Perhaps its a reaction to the week 9 issues, especially the heightened attention after three starting quarterbacks were sent out with concussions.

Now on to the stats for the week – 108 regular season & 156 since camp opened.  Notes: DB’s now make up 25% of all the regular season concussions (8 last week)…  Offense continues to outpace the defense…  Current numbers/stats are getting close to being in line with last year…  The least concussed positions are QB and DL…  The ()’s represent last week’s figures; Continue reading →

The Concussion Blog Original, NFL Concussion Report, is a weekly (not so much this year) compiling of the reported head injuries in the National Football League.  Concussions are added to the list each week from multiple sources to give you the reader a picture of what is happening on the field.  Each week we will bring you the information along with relevant statistics.  If we have missed a concussion or put one on here erroneously, let us know (we will also be using Fink’s Rule to classify a concussion/head injury).

It seems that one time each season there is a “watershed” moment on concussions in the NFL.  Week 10 was that week for 2012 (so far) as three starting quarterbacks were sidelined with concussion – Alex Smith, Mike Vick, and Jay Cutler.

Perhaps unnoticed in the coverage of the QB’s were the 9 other concussions that occurred, including three players having their second concussion – Cliff Avril, Brandon Meyers and Ryan Clark.  It would be Amari Spievey second as well, if you are counting the preseason concussions.

Certainly noticed by me was an ABSOLUTE first in NFL concussion history, which really should be noted.  Again, with all my research on concussions this is the first time this has occurred in the NFL.  This is the very first time that Continue reading →

The Concussion Blog Original, NFL Concussion Report, is a weekly (not so much this year) compiling of the reported head injuries in the National Football League.  Concussions are added to the list each week from multiple sources to give you the reader a picture of what is happening on the field.  Each week we will bring you the information along with relevant statistics.  If we have missed a concussion or put one on here erroneously, let us know (we will also be using Fink’s Rule to classify a concussion/head injury).

The NFL is at the theoretical half way point in the season as most teams have eight games in and a few have nine completed.  Usually this spot is a weekly tracking post; never fear I have been keeping track just haven’t found the time to post about it.

The NFL told me last week in Zürich that the eye-in-the-sky is being used and used often, Dr. York told the audience that in Week 6 there were 192 communications alone under this system.  That breaks down to 13 times per game on average; so the discussion seems to be there, but are the results?  It is far too soon to tell, but I am encouraged by the raw stats – knowing what was being discussed would be much more insightful.

Generally speaking the only “alarming” observation I am noting is the massive increase in offensive lineman concussions.  Suppose the theory of cumulative hits eventually creates a lower threshold for an observed concussion then this example/observation would be example number one;  after week 5 there were three OL concussions and after week 9 there are 10.

Other than Larry Fitzgerald amazingly missing only one play and Calvin Johnson admitting  Continue reading →

The Concussion Blog Original, NFL Concussion Report, is a weekly compiling of the reported head injuries in the National Football League.  Concussions are added to the list each week from multiple sources to give you the reader a picture of what is happening on the field.  Each week we will bring you the information along with relevant statistics.  If we have missed a concussion or put one on here erroneously, let us know (we will also be using Fink’s Rule to classify a concussion/head injury).

Frustration.  That is about where I stand in tracking the concussions this year, but like most people that want to succeed you have to adapt and find new ways.  If you have been reading you know of this; the NFL is not listing the injury on the official injury report, as it has done so previously.  Eventually they list them but not till Sunday.  This has pushed my report out and even creates adjustments from the previous weeks.

Enough of my problems…  Week 3 we saw some very vicious hits, one that resulted in a suspension, and relatively few concussions.  We have only been able to unearth six this week and that may be all there is.

Another interesting variable is the return of the official officials; this could be something worth keeping an eye on.  Players have readily admitted that they respect the “real” officials much more and are less likely to take liberties within the frame-work of the game.  If health-safety is a top priority and the officials have an impact we will see some results here in this cataloging of the concussions, perhaps.

Week 4’s injuries proved to be a bit easier to find, which makes sense if there were not as many concussions in Week 3.  Again, even though some players were being removed and even “evaluated” they are not listed as a concussion on the teams official injury report.  Here are the Week’s 3 and 4 numbers (6 in W3 and 10 W4); Continue reading →

The Concussion Blog Original, NFL Concussion Report, is a weekly compiling of the reported head injuries in the National Football League.  Concussions are added to the list each week from multiple sources to give you the reader a picture of what is happening on the field.  Each week we will bring you the information along with relevant statistics.  If we have missed a concussion or put one on here erroneously, let us know (we will also be using Fink’s Rule to classify a concussion/head injury).

EDIT: Francis Coye of OAK was added after report, making 12 concussions in Week 2.

There has been interest in the concussion “count” from the NFL for various reasons, I for one am interested in seeing how the culture change and fine system are effecting the overall numbers in the league.  I am also very interested in how the teams/league are reporting the injury.

When this started we used the Official Injury Report (OIR) from the NFL, but quickly found – via data searches – that many of the concussions were not listed because the players were going to play/practice thus not listed.  In 2010 we relied heavily on the general media to ferret out concussions from teams.  From recollection it was about 50% of concussions were found this way.

Last year we found that there was a sharp decline in the discrepancy of OIR listed and media listed concussions, most were on the OIR, a good sign.  Not only because they were more open with the disclosure, but it indicated that the player may not play in the upcoming week; the proper protocol.  Looking back it was about only 25% of concussion that were not on the OIR.

This year is a bit of question thus far; simply because the OIR’s in the past on Wednesday (when OIR’s are due) would list the injury and the status.  As of week one and two there has been listings of the player and the status, but the injury has not been listed.  The injuries are listed later in the week or by Sunday so we have been trying to confirm an actual injury count though the methods of 2010.

Because of this change in methods, there may be times when a previous week is adjusted due to fining a concussion after the fact.  Case in point last week; we listed 10 concussions, however after the injuries were finally filled in there was an addition, Richard Goodman of San Diego.  That brought the number to 11 from week one.  In the cases where there is a change in overall numbers I will make note of it.

In a side note, we are also collecting helmet data – identifying the helmet worn during concussion – and there appears to be fewer players wearing the very old style helmets (Riddel VSR4 and Schutt AiR Advantage).  Along with that we have noticed quite a spike in the Rawlings Quantum being worn (few concussed thus far).  Other helmet that has seen an increase of time on the field are the Schutt Vengeance (worn by Eli Manning) in its first year of existence and the Riddell 360 (second year).  We have also noted the Simpson helmet on the field as well.

Now on to the stats for week two, the total concussions found was 11, bringing the regular season total to Continue reading →

The Concussion Blog Original, NFL Concussion Report, is a weekly compiling of the reported head injuries in the National Football League.  Concussions are added to the list each week from multiple sources to give you the reader a picture of what is happening on the field.  Each week we will bring you the information along with relevant statistics.  If we have missed a concussion or put one on here erroneously, let us know (we will also be using Fink’s Rule to classify a concussion/head injury).

Week one is in the rear view mirror and there are some very interesting stories across the landscape of football.  Most related to play and performance; individual and team wise.  I am intrigued as many are in those stories and my favorite team, the Denver Broncos, but I also have been doing something for the past few years that I feel can help everyone grasp the concussion issue.

The Concussion Blog was the first and has become the “go-to” source for chronicling the concussion in the NFL.  The task was very difficult at first – finding the information and doing my best to confirm; via Official Injury Report or media accounts.  I will tell you that I am not privy to actual information from the league or teams, rather I am an information compiler and data miner.  This is not done to “damage” the sport, rather as a public service and something of a “check and balance” of the information, even if it is just a blog.

Each week I will present to you the numbers that I have found (or sent to me) and give you an idea of what his happening on the concussion front in the NFL.  This information is just that, information throughout the year (with occasional editorials on events and the numbers).

For a quick background you can look at the 2010 and 2011 final posts on this subject, I have as well provided a preview of sorts to this upcoming season that will tell you what I am thinking going in.

Looking back on last week some general things stuck out with me; the very quick and definitive reporting of game day injuries, the absolute misidentification of Darrelle Revis’ concussion, and the seemingly increase in violent hits.  The first two are given now-a-days, the third may merely be a subjective observation.  However, I wasn’t the only one, Jim Rome made a tweet referencing this as well on Sunday.  Perhaps we are all so in tune with the issue it seems magnified.  A quick side note it did appear to me that players were actually trying to use more shoulder/body rather than lowering their head on collisions (James Harrison didn’t play last week).

On to the numbers from this past week; total concussions found 10 (pending any new on injury report) that is on top of the 48 in the preseason (the rates below are EXACTLY identical to those rates through 15 weeks last year); Continue reading →

Tomorrow night the guilty pleasure of many of us, the National Football League, will begin.  Whether you are rooting for a certain team (Denver Broncos) or player or have fantasy football implications the next six months becomes an investment for many of us.  I love football and will continue to love the sport, however I do feel that some changes need to be made – most importantly at the lower levels where our children and grandchildren play.

The Concussion Blog was the first to attempt to track concussions in the NFL beginning in 2010; we are not an official source nor do we have the capacity to have the actual/internal numbers.  However, with the various outlets and search engines we have been able to catalog a good portion of the brain injuries in the league.  Many have jumped on board to also document the injuries (looking at @nflconcussions) which has been a good resource as well.  We do not publicize our list, but you can follow them and get the names as he/she finds them they will be close by the end of the year.

Accountability, that is the primary reason for doing this task; professional players are a different animal when it comes to playing with any injury, let alone a concussion.  Gaining an overall picture of the numbers of concussion at the highest level (see most paid attention to) it is hopeful we can gain an understanding of the true epidemic.  Although a national clearing house of sport related concussions would be awesome, it is very difficult with millions playing and much fewer understanding and reporting the injury correctly.

The secondary reason is for observational data that can possibly be researched for underlying issues or things we don’t often see on raw numbers.

All of that being said we should be posting a number and stat update weekly based upon injuries found.  They will look something like this.  We have also been keeping track of preseason concussions the past two years and we are ready to release our stats for 2012.  The first question on most people’s mind is: were there more or less?

In terms of raw numbers the answer is Continue reading →