Michael Vick - Was He Really Over His Concussion When He Broke His Hand?

When I wrote about the Eagles in pre-season, I made the case that the entire season rested on the health of Michael Vick.  The Eagles have Mike Kafka and Vince Young as backups, and they are clearly not up to the caliber of Kevin Kolb.

That will prove to be the achilles heel of the Eagles' plans for the Super Bowl.  The Eagles are clearly incapable of much without Vick at the helm, and Vick seems incapable of staying healthy.  Last week it was a concussion, and this week it's a broken hand (or was it still his concussion - see below).

Injuries Continue To Dog Vick

We're all aware of the four games that Vick missed last season due to a rib injury.  What's more concerning are the multiple injuries he's already sustained this year.

The broken non-throwing (right) hand he sustained today is obviously a bit of a concern, but to me still not as much as the concussion he suffered last week. (**Update: Hand not broken, just badly bruised)

Did anyone else notice on the play that Vick supposedly broke his hand that he was hit on the chin/face mask?

Vick gets popped in the chin, falls awkwardly backward (his right hand did appear to be folded up a bit on impact with the ground), but when he hits the ground both of his hands immediately pop up to grab his helmet?  It's at the 1:40 mark of the following video.



Yep, that's the kind of reaction I'd expect from a guy who just broke his hand.

Okay, I'm being sarcastic.  That's the kind of reaction I'd expect if a guy had just hurt his head, or had a sudden explosive headache.  Broken right hand? As Vick walks off the field to the locker room, he actually uses that hand to adjust his uniform a bit (that's slightly later in the video).

Why Would Vick Grabbing His Helmet Be A Big Deal?

• I'm not convinced that Vick has adequately recovered from the concussion he suffered last week and that he is still having symptoms.  Grabbing the helmet was indicative of one of them.
• Last week, until the post-game press conference when Andy Reid admitted that Vick had a concussion, none of the tv analysts even suggested it.  Why would they even consider discussing it this week as well after that illegal shot to the head?
• Vick had to pass a series of concussion tests administered by both team physicians and an independent neurologist in order to be cleared to play (even to practice).
• No one says you have to tell the doctors the truth about whether or not you don't feel good, have been having headaches, or anything else.  Therefore, it's quite possible for Vick to pass a concussion test too early.
• It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that if you hurt a part of your body (like your brain) and don't let it heal up before it gets hurt again, that could compound the initial injury and make it much worse.
• If you've heard the announcers or analysts talk about the Sydney Crosby injury and how a star football player like Vick is vulnerable, then you understand why I'm concerned.  It's only a matter of time before a prominent player is forced out of the game because of improper concussion management.

Why No Treatment For Broken Hand???

The part that bothered me the most was that, if Vick did suffer a broken hand (and honestly I'm not claiming that he didn't), why wasn't he receiving any treatment for it on the sidelines? 

I mean, shoot, hasn't he or the trainers heard of R.I.C.E.? That's Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation for those not familiar with first aid.  Seriously, if Vick's broken hand is what kept him out of the game, it should at the very least be wrapped with ice on it.  If it hurts, hold it up a bit.  I've had a broken thumb before, and it hurt a lot more when I would hold my hand down below my waist like normal.  

Which is why I'm highly doubtful that he was kept out because of his hand.   I contend that he was kept out of the game because of concussion symptoms.  I would hope that the Eagles would at the very least hold him out of next week's game against the San Francisco 49ers.  

I obviously have no proof for this assumption, and I'm unlikely to be able to offer any in the near future.  You're probably not going to hear about Vick having concussion symptoms this week, even if he is.  To admit that he is having them opens up the Eagles and Vick to all sorts of questions about him rushing back too soon to the field.  

What do you think?