Disregard the Physical Effects

There were some great examples last night of the extreme measures players take to continue playing in games during the Steelers 14-3 win over the Browns.

Browns QB Colt McCoy suffered an obvious concussion, but stayed in the game. His post game press conference was shortened so that the bright lights would not bother his eyes. McCoy's father told the press that his son should have been removed from the game and was risking further medical problems with his continued play.

Roethlisberger was sent to the locker room late in the second quarter after he took a vicious hit and had his left ankle bent in an awkward position.You could see the pain in his face as he limped with a great degree of difficulty.

When the teams came back for the third quarter, Roethlisberger was back in the ball game. He threw for 179 yards during the second half, but was limited in his mobility. The Steelers edged out the Browns, but at what cost?

Roethlisberger did not break any bones, but must have been heavily medicated to be able to play on an ankle that looked severely sprained. Such is life in the NFL. Pay today and worry about the long term physical effects some other time.