Kevin Kolb: Offensive Answer or Injury-Prone Disaster?

[Shaun M Church]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...olb-offensive-answer-or-injury-prone-disaster

 

[SuperSpck]

The article raises good questions.
What's the rest of your life worth to you?
When you're young, like Kolb is, the answer is always: undervalued.

 

[Paso Fino]

I posted on another thread a link to an article in today's New York Times about player claims against the NFL because of concussions. It points out that concussions can cause serious problems for players in later years. The article is well worth reading. I posted the link on the thread about Kolb starting in 2012.

 

[Crazy Canuck]

Of possible interest. There are 35 NHL players sitting out with concussions or post concussion symptoms. As one who suffered through a few, you just hope to wake up one morning feeling normal again. Bright lights hurt, small rooms make you claustrophobic and forget about complex thought.

 

[kerouac9]

Take a moment and look up the term "false dichotomy" sometime.

 

[SuperSpck]

I did!

a situation in which only two alternatives are considered, when in fact there are additional options (sometimes shades of grey between the extremes)

Learningses makes me smart lik my mar and par!

 

[Shaun M Church]

Take a moment and look up the term "false dichotomy" sometime.

You truly believe his concussions are not a problem? If he stays healthy, sure, he will be fine. But one more, and he's got to start thinking seriously about the future of his family.

 

[kerouac9]

You truly believe his concussions are not a problem? If he stays healthy, sure, he will be fine. But one more, and he's got to start thinking seriously about the future of his family.

His concussions aren't really any of my business. Fundamentally, I don't think that it's the business or expertise of "journalists" or whatever you are to moralize about what a professional athlete--or really anyone--should do with their personal lives.

The angle that I would've taken is an indictment of the Arizona Cardinals front office for failing to be more diligent in screening Kolb. We knew that he had one serious concussion, and he's referenced in interviews this being his third. Basically, if the NFL is going to be serious about monitoring concussions, then teams should be wary of signing players with these histories. You kind of took a lazy, moralistic approach to this. You spend more than half of the column talking about the offseason--who is your audience reading the Bleacher Report who doesn't remember the courtship of Kevin Kolb?

My biggest quibble is with your headline, though. If what you're really interested in is whether Kolb should retire, then does it matter if ultimately Kolb is the "offensive answer" (which he's never been shown to be) or merely the below-average quarterback he's been his entire career? If he is the latter, does that change the equation of whether he should continue playing football?

What's more interesting to me is that even after his concussion with the Eagles and maybe getting his bell rung against the Washington Redskins (which I don't believe happened but many here will assert without evidence), that Kolb didn't go to the Riddell "Revolution" helmet that is designed to reduce the likelihood of concussions:

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If Kolb doesn't care enough about his neurological health to do absolutely the LEAST he can to protect himself, then why should I?

 

[Shaun M Church]

If Kolb doesn't care enough about his neurological health to do absolutely the LEAST he can to protect himself, then why should I?

Of course you don't have to, no one is forcing you to care about anything. Thanks for reading.

 

[Crazy Canuck]

The angle that I would've taken is an indictment of the Arizona Cardinals front office for failing to be more diligent in screening Kolb.

Of course you would have, but if a player passes all of the baseline tests and is symptom free the medical due diligence is done. If one is going to simply refuse to sign players who've had concussions then, I suggest, you've eliminated the vast majority of free agents and those to be drafted.

Better head gear and mandatory mouth pieces would be of some assistance, but nothing can prevent the brain from banging against the skull upon contact.

 

[Shaun M Church]

Of course you would have, but if a player passes all of the baseline tests and is symptom free the medical due diligence is done. If one is going to simply refuse to sign players who've had concussions then, I suggest, you've eliminated the vast majority of free agents and those to be drafted.

Better head gear and mandatory mouth pieces would be of some assistance, but nothing can prevent the brain from banging against the skull upon contact.

Does anyone know for sure if Kolb wears a mouth piece? I have noticed many quarterbacks this season going without. Cam even chews gum the entire game....

 

[Goodyear Card]

An OL that can block would help his situation. Until we improve the OL we will contiue to have problems with injured QBs. I believe the doctors have said he won't have any long term effects from his concussions. Everyone is different and every injury is different. I will defer to the doctors on whether is should play or retire. There is always an injury risk to any long term contract. It is all part of the game (business).

 

[john h]

You truly believe his concussions are not a problem? If he stays healthy, sure, he will be fine. But one more, and he's got to start thinking seriously about the future of his family.

And from the Cards business point of view they have to think about the $26 million they owe him if he is on the roster. If there is any question at all if I were Kolb I call it quits an enjoy life. It is not like he is poor. There are things beyond football.

 

[Phrazbit]

It doesnt even mention all the concussions he has given Cardinal fans from banging their heads into walls.



For his own mental health and that of Cards fans... call it a career Kev.