Tua out vs Hawks with another concussion? Speculation

[SeAhAwKeR4life]

I'm praying for Tua. I can't imagine how terrible it is to have to give up a game you love, but maybe he should. I feel awful for him.

 

[warden]

Once you've had a concussion, you're more likely to get one on subsequent hits.

Yep, the recovery time from a concussion is also extended after multiple concussions.

Health is the most important thing. IMO, he needs to seriously think about retiring

 

[Timberhawk]

Who is the dolphins back up? I didn't think tua played well before the concussion but we also now have no film on the backup.

Hope tua is okay. Might be time to think about long term health. You have the guaranteed money there

Skylar Thompson from K-State. He started in the Wild Card game. IMO they did not seem confident in him. Tried to run the ball a lot when he was in. Bills forced him to pass and he wasn’t great at reads or accuracy. Stared down receivers. Seems a big step down from Tua but who knows. Should be a good opportunity for our revamped defense at any rate.

 

[Uk HD Seahawk]

Really feel for Tua, he's given it a good go after his previous history with concussion

I really hope he get some good advice & consider retirement, he's probably a great guy & really need to consider his future life

 

[GeekHawk]

I wonder if Miami would trade next year's first round pick for Sam Howell? Because Tua really does need to retire, and that backup QB is truly not NFL-ready.

 

[RiverDog]

Once you've had a concussion, you're more likely to get one on subsequent hits.

Good point. But are all concussions the same? If you break your right foot, does that mean that you're more likely to break your left one, too? In other words, if a different part of the brain was concussed, does that affect the entire brain or just the area that had the trauma?

 

[94Smith]

I wonder if Miami would trade next year's first round pick for Sam Howell? Because Tua really does need to retire, and that backup QB is truly not NFL-ready.

A first? hah

 

[SeAhAwKeR4life]

It's gonna be Ryan Tannehill starting by the time we play them. Just makes too much sense. Not that I like it, cuz with weapons like that Tannehill could look as good or better than Tua at times. Tannehill is a journeyman who can sometimes flash brilliant. No doubt they would do better with a veteran like him than what they have.

 

[GeekHawk]

A first? hah

He's not worth a first, you're correct. Depends on how desperate Miami would be to get a QB who's not as bad as that backup guy from last night. When you have the customer over a barrel, the price gets jacked up.

 

[keasley45]

I've wondered that, too. Are there certain attributes in the brain that would lend a person to being more susceptible to concussions, and if so, can they be identified prior to an athlete engaging in the sport?

I don't see that Tua's style of play is that different from any other quarterback. As a matter of fact, quarterbacks should be less susceptible to concussions as they are not as subject to high impact collisions like a wide receiver or cornerback would.

https://www.sportskeeda.com/nfl/top-3-positions-lead-concussions-nfl

So maybe I should ask our resident doctor for an opinion. What's your take, @bigskydoc? Is it possible that there is something different in Tua's anatomy that makes him more subject to concussions?

Concussion: Could your genes increase your risk?

Stanford scientists have found two genes associated with concussion. Screening football players and military might identify those at higher risk.

scopeblog.stanford.edu

Also has to do with how robust one's neurofibers are.

Would also imagine that in some people the spinal column and the makeup of tissue and bone that supports the brain as it enters the skull is not as stable - not so much that it would affect any noticable difference in everyday life, but in high impact collissions, a 2% difference can cause just enough displacement that a concussion results.

 

[RiverDog]

Concussion: Could your genes increase your risk?

Stanford scientists have found two genes associated with concussion. Screening football players and military might identify those at higher risk.

scopeblog.stanford.edu

Also has to do with how robust one's neurofibers are.

Would also imagine that in some people the spinal column and the makeup of tissue and bone that supports the brain as it enters the skull is not as stable - not so much that it would affect any noticable difference in everyday life, but in high impact collissions, a 2% difference can cause just enough displacement that a concussion results.

Interesting article! Thanks for posting it.

It is nearly 4 years old, so I wonder if they've made any progress since. I noticed this in the last two paragraphs:

Predicting concussion risk​

Kim and Abrams are eager to study whether it's possible to predict which athletes or members of the military are likely to be at higher risk of concussion, and to implement interventions prior to injury such as targeted neck muscle strengthening or the use of specially designed protective equipment such as helmets or headbands.

"If we are able to clinically identify people at increased risk for concussion based on an underlying genetic predisposition, this has the potential to alter current prevention and treatment paradigms," Abrams said.

Now, the next question would be if Tua displays any of the symptoms identified in the article.

 

[jeremiah]

I've had 3 in my life, one during a football game. I lowered my head just like Tua, and ran into a bigger stronger man. Someone should have coached him to avoid contact. I mean, he got a concussion by falling and hitting his head. That should've taught him to avoid running head first. He isn't #17 for the Bills, although he seems to slip between tacklers, not head to hard azz 250+ pounders. Tua is great, but Tua is fragile.

 

[RedAlice]

I wonder if Miami would trade next year's first round pick for Sam Howell? Because Tua really does need to retire, and that backup QB is truly not NFL-ready.

Howell has been brought up by the fans at least.

Same w JimmyG because of the McDaniels connection.

 

[Cyrus12]

Denzel Ward has had 6..I see no thoughts and prayers for him....Tua will be back..they all come back.

 

[Jegpeg]

I wonder if Miami would trade next year's first round pick for Sam Howell? Because Tua really does need to retire, and that backup QB is truly not NFL-ready.

Got me thinking what would the Hawks need to trade Geno? There are enough people on the forum who think we need a younger QB so if the Dolphins offered us two 1st rounders + change for Geno should we take it?

Regarding Howell we got him for the equivalent of a 4th rounder, and I don't think there has been much in pre season to either raise or lower his value significantly.

 

[RiverDog]

I've had 3 in my life, one during a football game. I lowered my head just like Tua, and ran into a bigger stronger man. Someone should have coached him to avoid contact. I mean, he got a concussion by falling and hitting his head. That should've taught him to avoid running head first. He isn't #17 for the Bills, although he seems to slip between tacklers, not head to hard azz 250+ pounders. Tua is great, but Tua is fragile.

It seems to me that the collisions like the ones Tua has suffered weren't all that violent, rather they're quite typical and ordinary. None were helmet to helmet. One concussion he suffered was by simply falling down backwards after being pushed, hitting the ground shoulders first. There's something extraordinary about Tua that's causing all of these concussions he's been suffering.

 

[CPHawk]

Denzel Ward has had 6..I see no thoughts and prayers for him....Tua will be back..they all come back.

Tuas aren’t the run of the mill though. I’ve seen games were fans are asking where a player is, and then it comes out later he was concussed. Tuo on the other hand looks like Mike Tyson flatlines him every time he gets one. Dude should take his money and walk away. Like Aikman did.

 

[IndyHawk]

I've had 3 in my life, one during a football game. I lowered my head just like Tua, and ran into a bigger stronger man. Someone should have coached him to avoid contact. I mean, he got a concussion by falling and hitting his head. That should've taught him to avoid running head first. He isn't #17 for the Bills, although he seems to slip between tacklers, not head to hard azz 250+ pounders. Tua is great, but Tua is fragile.

Damar however is not a 250 Lb + player, he's just a DB that Tua lowered and led
with his helmet into.

 

[bigskydoc]

I've wondered that, too. Are there certain attributes in the brain that would lend a person to being more susceptible to concussions, and if so, can they be identified prior to an athlete engaging in the sport?

I don't see that Tua's style of play is that different from any other quarterback. As a matter of fact, quarterbacks should be less susceptible to concussions as they are not as subject to high impact collisions like a wide receiver or cornerback would.

https://www.sportskeeda.com/nfl/top-3-positions-lead-concussions-nfl

So maybe I should ask our resident doctor for an opinion. What's your take, @bigskydoc? Is it possible that there is something different in Tua's anatomy that makes him more subject to concussions?

A lot has already been answered. I’m not a concussion expert by any means, but I’ve learned a bit with my son, who had two concussions within weeks, and now is highly susceptible to them.

There definitely are people who have higher genetic susceptibility to concussions. Most of them will be selected out long before they hit the NFL, due to repeat concussions. In today’s “protect the QB at all costs” football, good QBs, who happen to be concussion prone, may not get many big hits early on, thus may not realize their susceptibility until later in their careers. Tua may fall into this category.

But, his first concussion wasn’t all that bad, neither was it a big hit that gave it to him.

Of course, we have long known that any concussion makes another concussion more likely, and the closer the hits are together, the less significant the second hit needs to be to cause a concussion. Seemingly mild hits, taken shortly after the first concussion, can cause far worse concussions than one might think.

Something else we now realize about repeat concussions, the consequences of two concussions close together are far, far worse than the consequences of two concussions that come, say, a couple of years apart.

My kid falls into the camp of repeat concussions in close proximity, and now is dealing with being extremely concussion prone, along with other physical issues, likely for the rest of his life. He had a high speed ski crash that resulted in a moderate concussion. Two weeks later he was skiing easy green slopes, something we now know he shouldn’t have been doing, when he simply fell from standing, on a flat spot, and suffered a severe concussion.

After that, he has been knocked out just falling into the water wakesurfing at 11 mph.

Tua is in that position. Had they pulled him for the season, after his first concussion, like they should have, he would probably be fine. They didn’t, and he suffered his second concussion shortly thereafter. It was a far worse concussion, despite the relatively mild hit.

He will likely be susceptible to concussions from mild hits for life.

His situation is why the NFL modified their concussion protocol, to prevent the same thing happening again in the future.

Tua knows he is susceptible, and is a total dumbass for ever doing anything other than clearly giving g himself up before being hit.

 

[RiverDog]

A lot has already been answered. I’m not a concussion expert by any means, but I’ve learned a bit with my son, who had two concussions within weeks, and now is highly susceptible to them.

There definitely are people who have higher genetic susceptibility to concussions. Most of them will be selected out long before they hit the NFL, due to repeat concussions. In today’s “protect the QB at all costs” football, good QBs, who happen to be concussion prone, may not get many big hits early on, thus may not realize their susceptibility until later in their careers. Tua may fall into this category.

But, his first concussion wasn’t all that bad, neither was it a big hit that gave it to him.

Of course, we have long known that any concussion makes another concussion more likely, and the closer the hits are together, the less significant the second hit needs to be to cause a concussion. Seemingly mild hits, taken shortly after the first concussion, can cause far worse concussions than one might think.

Something else we now realize about repeat concussions, the consequences of two concussions close together are far, far worse than the consequences of two concussions that come, say, a couple of years apart.

My kid falls into the camp of repeat concussions in close proximity, and now is dealing with being extremely concussion prone, along with other physical issues, likely for the rest of his life. He had a high speed ski crash that resulted in a moderate concussion. Two weeks later he was skiing easy green slopes, something we now know he shouldn’t have been doing, when he simply fell from standing, on a flat spot, and suffered a severe concussion.

After that, he has been knocked out just falling into the water wakesurfing at 11 mph.

Tua is in that position. Had they pulled him for the season, after his first concussion, like they should have, he would probably be fine. They didn’t, and he suffered his second concussion shortly thereafter. It was a far worse concussion, despite the relatively mild hit.

He will likely be susceptible to concussions from mild hits for life.

His situation is why the NFL modified their concussion protocol, to prevent the same thing happening again in the future.

Tua knows he is susceptible, and is a total dumbass for ever doing anything other than clearly giving g himself up before being hit.

Thanks for the very detailed response. Like you said, a lot of it has already been covered, but it's nice hearing it from an MD.

Now, I have another question: If we have established as a fact that Tua is more prone to concussions than others, perhaps due to his genetics, and that his past concussions make future ones more likely and perhaps more severe, should the league consider banning him from the game?