Jauron waits for test results on Edwards' concussion
Published: October 19, 2009, 10:25 pm
Story tools:
Share this story:
Quarterback Trent Edwards' second concussion of his career will require further evaluation, coach Dick Jauron said Monday.
Anybody that's injured, you're really concerned for him and Trent's no different," Jauron said. "We'll take that day to day and just see how he comes out of this thing."
Jauron said Edwards was able to fly home with the team after Sunday's game with the New York Jets, but Jauron had yet to see the quarterback Monday, so he was not able to say how he was feeling a day after leaving the Bills' 16-13 overtime victory.
Asked if Edwards would be able to play Sunday against Carolina, Jauron said, "I'm hopeful he's healthy."
Rookie tight end Shawn Nelson also suffered a concussion against the Jets and was being further evaluated.
Edwards suffered his first concussion in an Oct. 5, 2008 game in Arizona. The Bills had a bye week following that game and Edwards was able to return for the next game. To be able to play against the Panthers, Edwards and Nelson would have to pass baseline tests, which measure brain processing, speed, memory and visual motor skills compared against results of the same test given prior to the start of the season.
After Edwards was concussed last season, he passed his baseline testing nine days after the injury occurred.
Concussions and head trauma have been a hot topic in the NFL in recent years. A recent study commissioned by the league, conducted by the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research, found that 1.9 percent of players between the ages of 30 and 49 reported having dementia-related diagnosis. That's 19 times higher than the national average of 0.1 percent for people in that age group. The study was conducted in late 2008 and consisted of interviewing 1,063 retired players.
The NFL has held a concussion symposium on the topic, with neurological experts from across the country taking part. The league is also conducting an in-depth study on 120 retired players, with all the neurological exams being reviewed by Dr. Ira Caisson, co-chairman of the NFL's Concussions Committee.
Edwards was hurt in the second quarter when he was sandwiched between Jets linebackers Calvin Pace and David Harris.
The news was better on safety Donte Whitner (sprained ankle) and cornerback Terrence McGee (chest contusion), both of whom Jauron classified as day to day. Safety Bryan Scott and right tackle Jonathan Scott were also as day to day with ankle injuries.
It certainly sounded as if Roscoe Parrish's time with the Bills could be near a conclusion after Jauron explained why the wide receiver was out of the lineup Sunday. The coach offered an uncharacteristically blunt assessment of the situation Monday.
"The switch was made there for a lot of reasons. No. 1 was the availability of Fred [Jackson]. Once Marshawn [Lynch] came back it gave us more room to use Fred in other ways that we really like him, and one of those ways is a return guy," Jauron said. "It allowed us maybe more leeway in terms of game decisions and personnel decisions. Both Roscoe and Freddy are terrific returners, so we didn't feel like we were losing much quite frankly."
Jauron never mentioned the thigh injury that limited Parrish in practice last week as a reason for sitting him. Told the situation could be perceived as a drop in confidence in Parrish — since he has been the main returner — Jauron responded: "Perception is in the eye of the perceiver. So take it any way you want to take it, but I think I explained why we did it."
One possible destination for Parrish is Washington. The NFL trade deadline is at 4 p.m. today.
Newsletters
Sign up now for daily and weekly newsletters from BuffaloNews.com and get quick links to the info you want delivered directly to your inbox.Reader comments
Log into MyBuffalo to post a comment
MyBuffalo is the new social network from Buffalo.com. Your MyBuffalo account lets you comment on and rate stories at buffalonews.com. You can also head over to mybuffalo.com to share your blog posts, stories, photos, and videos with the community. Join now or learn more.
Comments have been disabled.
Due to a high volume of submissions that violate The News’ guidelines, commenting is no longer available on this story. If you’d like to share your thoughts on this story, click here to get information on contributing to The News’ opinion pages.