Brady Quinn Played With Concussion

John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

Kansas City Chiefs QB Brady Quinn was named the starter by head coach Romeo Crennel the week before the team’s game against the Oakland Raiders; however, Quinn was knocked out of the game with a concussion after just one quarter.

Apparently, Quinn did not initially report his injury. In an interview with the Kansas City Star, Quinn reports suffering the concussion on a QB scramble up the middle. He then came back into the game and tried to play another series.

I remember the strange events leading up to Quinn’s departure from the game. On game day, I am active talking with fans on Twitter and in the AA live game thread. During one commercial break, I noticed that one of the media members at Arrowhead tweeted that Quinn had grabbed the wrong helmet and had to run back to the sideline. The media member used the opportunity to poke fun at the Chiefs (something easy to do on game day) but I remember thinking it was somewhat odd that Quinn would take the wrong hat onto the field.

Apparently, Quinn was already suffering from the symptoms of his injury.

On the first play after returning to the field, Quinn was sacked.

“On the sack, I couldn’t even see (McClain) coming off the edge,” Quinn said. “I tried to play through it, thinking it was going to go away. That was my fault for not being smarter.

“It actually got worse after that hit.”

Yikes.

Perhaps the most upsetting about Quinn keeping himself in the game is his reasoning.

“That’s one of the reasons when I first got hit I tried to stay in,” Quinn said, “because it was the first opportunity for me in a while.”

It is easy to sometimes view these players with detachment. Fans want the players to play well and if that doesn’t happen, they want them off the field.

Quinn has had a rough road since coming to the NFL. He’s been through QB controversies in Cleveland and Denver and now KC. He’s always been very professional and hasn’t spent a lot of time complaining.

But it is his play that has kept him off the field, not his desire to do well and win. You have to feel for Quinn, who clearly knows that this is probably his last shot at becoming a starter in the NFL. Actually, it might be his last shot to play in the NFL period. He had been named the starter and basically promised that it was his job for the rest of the season. Then, after just one quarter, he was injured.

Quinn will probably return this year and if Romeo Crennel is a man of his word then he will be given back his starting gig.

For now, however, Matt Cassel remains the best healthy QB on the roster. He will start until Quinn is cleared to play.