The Pittsburgh Steelers lost more than one game on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers' 16-14 loss effectively ended any realistic hopes of running the table and making the playoffs during the 2022 season. It ended the narrative that the Pittsburgh Steelers had fixed the run defense in the offseason. They also lost Kenny Pickett to his second concussion in nine career starts.
Photo Credit: NFL On CBS
Ben Roethlisberger missed his share of games during an 18-year Hall of Fame career in Pittsburgh, and during his Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger podcast this week he discussed the odd circumstances with his co-host Spencer T’eo that saw Pickett enter the concussion protocol for the second time.
“Unfortunately, Kenny (Pickett) gets hurt and we had that kind of stutter step,” T’eo said. “He went to the tent; guess you know they said he cleared concussion protocol. He came back out for a series and then left.”
Pickett was the recipient of an illegal hit by Baltimore Ravens Linebacker Roquan Smith. He firmly grabbed the rookie’s face mask and spiked his head into the turf in front of a referee and the NFL has not commented on the missed call. This all happened in full view of an official, who ignored the facemask and the unnecessary roughness penalty. The damage was done to Pickett and after boatloads of phantom roughing calls this season, the officials missed a real one.
“When he got tackled, I saw the whole thing,” Roethlisberger responded. “I was like oh his head, and saw him kind of slow getting up and I’m like he got his head slammed. He went to the tent and then came back in and I was like wow he cleared it pretty quick, that’s good. When Mitch started warming up, I was like ok, maybe they are going to try to check him out again.”
The NFL endured harsh criticism earlier this season when Tua Tagovailoa was not removed from a game with the Buffalo Bills after obviously staggering from a particularly violent hit. The Miami Dolphins quarterback finished the game and then on Thursday Night Football after another hit within four days, he was carted off the field with a horrific-looking injury that had the NFL and fans prepared for the worst. The NFL misdiagnosed the situation and narrowly avoided a tragedy.
“Weird cause you go to the tent, and then you come out and you could obviously get cleared to play,” Roethlisberger continued. “Then you come out without getting hit, you handed the ball off three times and just came out. Like I’m confused at why, how are you okay to go back in but not keep going. Did he all of a sudden say I feel different, I have a headache or I’m seeing double vision. Maybe the NFL’s specialists upstairs said pull him out.”
This is Pickett’s second time in concussion protocol and what is particularly disconcerting, is that the Steelers trainers may have mishandled the situation. Pittsburgh has some of the most gifted neurosurgeons in the world and it is odd that the rookie could pass a team examination and then be overruled by the NFL. When Mike Tomlin met with the media on Tuesday, concerns were immediately raised by the media that was present about the procedures.
“Not at all, I know anytime there is an injury you guys love to chew it up,” Tomlin answered about whether Pickett’s return to the field indicated issues with the protocol. “When someone is in the protocol they are evaluated by the experts. They are either cleared to participate or not. Even when they are they watch them continually, they decided to pull him and that is the reality of it.”
Mike Tomlin Press Conference Pittsburgh / Photo Credit: Steelers.com
Tomlin may have questioned the so-called experts in private about how his young quarterback was cleared and pulled, but he is putting the public face the NFL wants to portray on display. When Pickett went back in against the Baltimore Ravens, it could have been a repeat of the Tagovailloa situation. What if another hit had caused the rookie to be carted off or god forbid caused a career-ending injury?
On Monday Night Football, just one day later, Nelson Agholor had to do everything short of calling a timeout to draw attention to his teammate Devante Parker’s obvious condition. The NFL spotter certainly wasn’t paying attention to an obviously concussed player, who very nearly staggered into a potential career-ending hit. Did the NFL take the same chance with a first-round rookie quarterback the day before?
The NFL could not honestly state that they learned anything from the Dolphins' quarterback situation earlier this season. Pickett was allowed to either risk major injury or the league overcorrected and yanked him because the Steelers and Ravens are the most physical football in the NFL.
What do you think Steeler Nation? Is the NFL taking needless risks with player safety? Comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.
