On Wednesday morning, the question was posed here on the site whether or not we should be concerned as fans about Kevin Kolb and his recovery from his latest concussion. With the retirement of Steven Threet from Arizona State football and the fact that Kolb has suffered concussions in consecutive seasons, it is a valid conern.
Wednesday's press conference at the Cardinals training facility brought up the subject at length.
SB Nation Arizona was there and gives us some of the highlights.
Kevin Kolb Still Having Concussion Symptoms, Long Term Health Discussed - SB Nation Arizona
The lingering symptoms from the hit he suffered in the 49ers game over two weeks ago prompted a trip to the doctor on Tuesday. He had a full exam and met with the neurologist. The tests showed that he is still slow with some "reaction stuff and processing stuff" from the baseline test conducted before the season.Kolb reported this concussion is worse than his last when he was back to normal within five or six days. That brings up concerns about his long term health going forward and what that might mean for the team.
"No," Kolb said when asked if was worried about last impacts. "I had that conversation with the neurologist yesterday and he thinks with some rest and getting away from the game for a little bit, probably within two or three weeks I'll feel a lot better."
Coach Ken Whisenhunt agreed that he had no reason to be concerned about this injury having lasting implications for the Cardinals.
Perhaps the best information we get is that, unlike ASU's Threet, who was suffering symptoms several months after the fact, Kolb should be fine soon.
Also, the concern about Kolb being more susceptible to concussions seems to be dispelled. No studies show that someone who has suffered a concussion is more likely to suffer another.
At the same time, the concern is not necessarily whether he is more likely to get one on the future, but rather is he is naturally more susceptible to concussions than other players. That is a question yet to be answered. Why do some players get them while other do not?
As for the question about his helmet. one community member informed us that Kolb uses the Schutt Air XP. While a study showed that as many as 40 percent of players in the NFL use a helmet that is not adequate for protecting against head injuries, the model that Kolb uses was rated as "good," earning three stars.
It is important to note that in that study, there are six models rated higher as "very good" or "best available." I still think that it would be worth it for him to look into using a better helmet, or even a mouthpiece or a different one that he uses (not sure if he does use one at the top of my head).
While some may still be concerned, this information should at least alleviate some of the worrying.
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