Doctors: Eagles RB Westbrook has improved

Like 357 said, I totally agree...how can you make significant strides in 4 days, from having suffered two concussions over a month? I suffered from serious concussion after a car accident-where I wasn't even struck directly on the head, but was knocked out on impact and then hit my head as the car tumbled hitting other cars.All my tests were normal, all the MRI's and other things were normal...yet the doctors could not explain why or how had difficulty with my short-term memory, suffered severe migraines (whereas normally I never get a headache), would have serious moments of feeling faint, severe moments of feeling terribly weak. I kept going back to the doctors-they all said the same thing "your brain scans are normal" and "you've passed all the tests."

Brian Westbrook did not just get a concussion, he was knocked out cold. He wasn't just suffering from the minor concussion from a blow on the head, he lost consciousness. I'm a die hard Eagles fan, but I have to agree there is absolutely no way he suits up in the regular season. I would say that at a minimum he needs the next 7-9 weeks. He can run in practice, he can stay in football shape, in fact, long-term, it is beneficial for him to do so. I think that placing him on IR would be a mistake long-term to his playing career, if he were to resume it, and I think right now-it isn't even a question to think about. But by allowing him to stay in football shape, practice, run his routes, and all those things, a measure of his coinfidence will still be place, he will then be able to really tell where he is, how he is doing, if the symptoms are coming back.

However, it should be made clear to him that the earliest he would be allowed to return under any circumstance, would be the playoffs, and that such a "return" is not guaranteed, promised or assured. I'm not saying this to string him along-but I think that by telling him he can't play the rest of the reason, and that he might be allowed to return in the post season gets his mind of trying to rush-allows him to focus on not just getting his full strength back, but to make honest assessments about where he is while practicing in all the team drills(non-contact drills, only, of course).

Any return by Westbrook in the playoffs -I'd only allow that after seeing him in some contact drills. I can't argue with placing him on IR in prinicple, but right now, I think the main thing is to realize that regular season for him is out of the question, and that he needs to focus these next two months on his health and practices, along with the memorization of the plays and all the homework...tape, etc. He's a smart guy, so lets see how he is doing on those levels, how his brain is functioning in the watching of the game film, breakdowns, etc. He is certainly an asset to the team as a team leader, assisting the coaches, motivating, etc. Once he is placed on IR, he isn't going to get any physical level of activity at all. And one of the major things with a severe concussion is that if the symptoms are NOT disappearing and you are NOT improving-then you will NOT be able to perform physically in the drills, route running, etc. Better for him to see that now, if that's the case, and better for the team to have the chance to make that sort of objective assessment, without risk, now, than saying "come back next year."

My symptoms, including the short-term memory loss, did clear up eventually(which was a blessing!), but it took more than a few weeks, it took closer to a few months for serious improvement.