For those who think game plans and play calls are complex Jace Sternberger Jersey , it would be helpful to take a behind-the-scenes look at the medical setups that go into an NFL game.


The league provided such an opportunity at US Bank Stadium this week, and it was enlightening.

From the spotters’ booth upstairs to the exam rooms, locker rooms and ETM facilities in the bowels of the building to the blue tent on the sideline, dozens of people are involved in health and safety protocols.

They range from neurotrauma physicians and athletic trainers to data technicians to ambulance drivers and emergency personnel, with perhaps 30 medical folks on the sideline.

Even the game referee is a part of the procedures.

The league has been criticized for years that it rarely has had player safety and health as a focal point, and it’s placed a high priority on upgrading every such area.

Game day includes a pregame meeting, new this season, held 60 minutes before kickoff that involves everybody on the health side of football.

”It’s a big group,” said Dr. Allen Sills, the league’s chief medical officer.

That group goes over the Emergency Action Plan, an exhaustive outline that describes who does what in virtually every case of injury or emergency. It’s so detailed that it includes arm or hand signals to help all involved determine what action is needed.

”The collaborative effort between teams is where it should be … seamless and flawless,” said Vikings head athletic trainer Eric Sugarman.

The emphasis, of course, is on immediate treatment whenever an injury occurs. The hour-long meeting’s value became apparent when Bears tight end Zach Miller dislocated his left knee and tore an artery that supplies blood to the lower leg in a game at New Orleans. Miller could have lost the leg had it not been for the quick action by the well-schooled medical staffs.

”These are the kind of situations we’re practicing for,” Sills said. ”They’re incredibly rare, but we want to be prepared for it.”

They need to be prepared for injuries large and small, ranging from situations when a visit to the blue tent is enough – a retaped ankle Dexter Williams Jersey , perhaps – to sending a player inside to an examination room, or even to the hospital for particularly major issues.

U.S. Bank Stadium has a specific ”quiet room” for examining concussions – all stadiums must have an area for such exams. Naturally, with revelations in recent years about the dangers of concussions in football, more attention is paid to head trauma than ever.

In that ”quiet room” are the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant and a team physician or member of the team medical staff. They compare the player’s baseline test to his current status. Sugarman said he has never seen a disagreement between them about a player’s condition after the 10-12 minute exam.

”Sometimes, after two minutes you know they’ll fail the test,” Sugarman said.

No one from a team – coaches, executives, owners – is allowed into any of the exam areas, not even the blue tent just a few yards away on the sideline.

”I don’t have owners telling me to get him ready … sooner,” Sugarman added.

The roles of the concussion spotters have increased in importance and attention after a handful of players, most notably Houston quarterback Tom Savage, clearly were hurt but didn’t get the immediate care required. There will be four UNCs – unaffiliated neurotrauma consultants – at this Super Bowl. Typically, each sideline is staffed by one. After the protocol changed in December following the Savage case, an additional one was added for the playoffs, as well as a centralized UNC based at the league. That central UNC will be in the spotter booth for the Super Bowl.

The jobs are usually filled in each city by certified athletic trainers charged with noticing player head injuries from their upstairs booth. The spotters are paired with video technicians who watch the broadcast feed and tag plays that result in injuries – although they’re not always easy to spot.

A spotter can communicate with sideline medical personnel in a variety of ways. If there’s a reason to stop the game to get an injured player off the field, he has that power, often shouting into his device: ”Medical Timeout.”

The referee will stop the game when so instructed; Sills estimated it occurred eight to 10 times this season.

A sideline monitor then can show video of the play to team or unaffiliated medical personnel. A decision can be made more quickly and accurately about the next steps Rock Ya-Sin Jersey , if any are needed, and the medical staff has a better idea of what happened than how the player might describe it.

Sugarman is more than grateful for the assistance and the technology that makes it possible.

”People like me might have looked at it with a crooked eye,” he said with a smile. ”Big Brother looking over your shoulder. But it’s been invaluable. You can’t see everything. It’s very protective to know they’re looking out for you.”

Last summer for the first time the league brought together all sorts of medical staffers from each team, plus unaffiliated consultants and spotters for a training session dedicated to head trauma and concussions. Those sessions will continue.

Sills bristles when he hears that the NFL is not doing enough regarding head injuries. Standing in a specialized X-ray room underneath the Super Bowl stadium, he vigorously defends the NFL concussion policy.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Free-agent acquisition Sam Bradford and 10th overall draft choice Josh Rosen combined to provide a promising outlook for the Arizona Cardinals‘ quarterback situation.After Bradford completed all six of his passes for 61 yards, Rosen went 10 of 16 for 107 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown to rookie Christian Kirk in a 20-15 preseason victory over New Orleans on Friday night.Rosen gave himself mixed reviews, saying he wanted some throws back, made some “procedural” mistakes and at times held the ball too long. But he sounded pleased with his scoring strike, in which he bought time with his movement in the pocket and rifled a throw to Kirk.“I had to put it kind of high and away where it’s kind of a him-or-no one ball and he managed to snag it,” Rosen said. “Christian made some great plays.”Kirk, the Cardinals’ second-round draft choice, finished with four receptions for 49 yards.“It seems like he has an extra gear on game days,” Bradford said of Kirk. “He’s got some burst. He’s got some speed and it’s really nice to see that.”Bradford said Rosen “looked pretty good to me. … He is just extremely talented.”David Johnson bowled his way into the end zone from 9 yards for the Cardinals’ opening score, capping a 61-yard drive led by Bradford.Arizona’s Chad Williams caught three passes for 44 yards.Bradford said the offense looked “pretty sharp” while he was in the game.“There were a lot of good things that were done tonight and things that we can really build on,” Bradford said.Arizona’s defense racked up four turnovers for a second straight game to go with four sacks.Quarterback Drew Brees sat out, as he did in the Saints‘ preseason opener last week.Saints coach Sean Payton said he’d play starters more in New Orleans’ third exhibition http://www.clevelandbrownsteamonline.com/anthony-zettel-jersey , but was more concerned with evaluating players vying for roster spots this week.“At some point, we’ve got to see where we’re at as a team,” Payton said. “There’s that fine line of trying to get the work in … trying to get the evaluation and trying to come up with what we think is the best 53 (players). That’s what weighs on our minds.”The two reserves competing to back up Brees — Taysom Hill and Tom Savage — were inconsistent and had issues with ball security, combining for four fumbles, two of which resulted in turnovers by Hill.Hill, a second-year pro who got the start, also was intercepted twice and finished 11 of 15 for 68 yards to go with 43 yards rushing, all of it coming on one long scramble.Savage, who played most of the second half, was 6 of 7 for 53 yards, but was sacked three times.Former Ohio State QB J.T. Barrett played the final six minutes for New Orleans, completing 3 of 5 passes for 45 yards and scrambling for a 12-yard TD.Saints rookie receiver Tre’Quan Smith, a third-rounder, caught three passes for 60 yards.HUMBLED HILLHill led several possessions across midfield, only to be done in by turnovers and another fumble that he recovered himself for a 13-yard loss, forcing New Orleans to settle for Wil Lutz’s 52-yard field goal.The Saints drove to the Arizona 30 on the opening drive before Hill’s tipped pass was intercepted by linebacker Haason Reddick. Hill lost his first fumble when the ball slipped out of his hands on a first down play from the Cardinals 35.Hill overthrew Ted Ginn on a deep pass toward the right sideline, where cornerback Bene Benwikere made a leaping interception http://www.detroitlionsteamonline.com/jahlani-tavai-jersey , narrowly touching his toes inbounds.Late in the first half, Hill completed five straight passes to move New Orleans to the Arizona 13, but fumbled on Olsen Pierre’s sack. Arizona defensive end Vontarrius Dora recovered and returned it 16 yards to the Arizona 43.“I’ve got to be better. It was frustrating tonight,” Hill said. “There were some good things, but it’s hard to attack when you have four turnovers.”TECH TALKTwo young pros out of Louisiana Tech who grew up in the Gulf South had productive nights in the Superdome, where they played as teammates in a 2015 New Orleans Bowl win.Dora, who began his NFL career as an undrafted free agent in 2016, recovered two fumbles and assisted on a tackle.Saints rookie running back and return man Boston Scott, a sixth-round draft choice, returned three kickoffs for 87 yards, had a 16-yard run among six carries for 28 yards, caught a short pass and returned a punt 13 yards.INJURIESCardinals: Robert Nkemdiche left with a foot injury in the first half and did not return.Saints: Safety Rickey Jefferson had an apparent leg injury covering the kickoff at the start of the second half. On the ensuring series, cornerback Arthur Maulet limped off the field. Devaroe Lawrence was shaken up later in the third quarter and walked off on his own.ANTHEM UPDATEThere were no apparent protests during the national anthem.UP NEXTThe Saints play the Chargers in Los Angeles on Aug. 25.The Cardinals visit Dallas on Aug. 26.