The NFL plans to talk to teams about how practices are conducted following a 73 percent increase in concussions during preseason workouts in 2017.
Executive vice president Jeff Miller said Friday that data from the league’s annual preliminary report on injuries will be discussed with coaches and general managers to try to understand how preseason practice concussions jumped to a five-year high of 45 from 26 in 2016.
The overall number of concussions sustained in practice Womens Todd Gurley Jersey , including the regular season, jumped to 56 from 32 a year earlier.
”This is an important aspect of the work we’ll be doing between now and the (February) combine and not just with medical experts, but obviously how practices are run at the club level is something that’s going to involve the coaches and general managers and others who are on site,” Miller said.
”One of our obligations is to share this data … take a look at the different drills that they’re running, potentially, and inform them of where we see the highest level of injuries on particular drills across the league.”
Part of the reason for the NFL’s concern is the sharp increase coming after two straight years of declines. And in the preseason, there were almost as many injuries in practice (45) as there were in games (46), according to data gathered by IQVIA, a company hired by the NFL.
”We also have looked into that in terms of when in the preseason it is occurring and even to the level of what types of drills may be involved in producing that,” said Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer. ”I think that’s an obvious point of emphasis for us is to take that data and go back to the clubs on an individual basis.”
Sills said the league was disappointed about the overall increase in concussions to 281 Authentic Eric Berry Jersey , also a five-year high for practices and games during the preseason and regular season. That number was 243 for the 2016 season – a significant drop from 275 in 2015.
The effort to reduce the total number will include the focus on the preseason injuries, conversations with the competition committee and work on protective equipment, Sills said.
”We take this as a challenge because we’re not going to be satisfied until we drive that number much lower,” Sills said.
The league said most of the concussions sustained by quarterbacks have come from the backs of helmets hitting the turf, so that will be one of the focal points for trying to improve equipment.
Sills said the league was encouraged by an increase in the percentage of evaluations of concussions that are reported by players. Of the 483 evaluations, 26 percent were self-reported during the 2017 season compared to 19 percent the previous year.
—
Derrick Johnson has been the enemy in Oakland for 13 years, tormenting the Raiders while wearing red for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Johnson has traded sides in the fierce AFC West rivalry, joining the Raiders as the veteran anchor at middle linebacker in a defense that is being rebuilt this offseason.
”It was different, I don’t want to say weird, but it’s different to put on the silver and black – even shirt – because we haven’t put on jerseys and helmets and all of that stuff yet,” Johnson said Wednesday. ”Even to put on the shirt Youth Antonio Brown Jersey , it was different for me. But you know what, when we got in the middle of the field, when you talk ball and you start running around, tossing the football around and calling plays and going over backs, I’m very familiar to that. So, that went out of my mind really fast.”
Johnson has been one of the better linebackers in the league during his career but was allowed to leave Kansas City earlier this offseason as the team tried to get younger. The 35-year-old Johnson is a four-time Pro Bowler and the career tackles leader for the Chiefs.
He had options about where to play this year but ultimately opted to join the Raiders, where he will take over the spot at middle linebacker that NaVorro Bowman held after joining Oakland midway through last season.
Johnson said the enthusiasm of coach Jon Gruden and the linebacker-friendly scheme of coordinator Paul Guenther were what made his decision to sign with the Raiders.
”The main reason I’m still playing ball and chasing a championship ring just because I believe I have a lot left in the tank,” he said. ”That’s the only reason I’m back. When I get to a point where I’m like, man, I’m hanging on, I’ll get out Womens Ryan Kerrigan Jersey , I’ll get out of the NFL. But right now, and I expressed this to Coach Gruden, I wasn’t interested in some type of rebuilding atmosphere. As soon as I said that, he had that look in his eye like, you’re talking about the sense of urgency to win. That’s exactly right.”
Johnson has appeared in 182 games with 169 starts since being drafted in the first round in 2005. He piled up 1,262 tackles to easily shatter the Chiefs franchise record, had 27 sacks and picked off 14 passes, returning four of them for touchdowns.
He had a career-best 179 tackles in 2011, when he was voted the Chiefs’ team MVP.
Johnson accumulated his impressive stats despite missing part of two seasons with ruptured Achilles tendons. He returned from the first one as good as ever, earning his most recent Pro Bowl trip in 2015, but the second seemed to finally take a step out of his legs last season.
Johnson said he feels much healthier now than he did at this time a year ago.
”This offseason I was working out and I was like Womens T. J. Watt Jersey , man, it’s a lot different from last year coming off an injury,” he said. ”My burst is back, it’s better than ever and it’s a good feeling because it’s going to help me make plays, it’s going to help me be explosive, and the longer you’re out from your season-ending injury, it usually gets better and it helps you out mentally. This will be my second season out from my last Achilles injury. I was healthy last year. I’m even better this year because I got a really good offseason training that I really didn’t get to do last year because I was coming off of the injury.”
The Raiders need an anchor in the middle of their defense. Bowman fared well in that role after being signed last October following his release by San Francisco. There was interest in bringing him back for a second season but the two sides couldn’t agree on a price.
Oakland didn’t address that need at linebacker in this year’s draft until the sixth round with the pick of Washington linebacker Azeem Victor.
—
Authentic Womens Kentavius Street Jersey
