Pat Shurmur Not at Fault in Colt McCoy Concussion Mess
The 2011 Cleveland Browns have turned the creation of negative headlines into an art form, and it continues with the saga of quarterback Colt McCoy’s concussion.
On Monday, head coach Pat Shurmur explained that the Browns handled McCoy’s injury properly on the sidelines, administering the correct procedures before allowing McCoy to come back into the game. However, Shurmur declined to say whether or not the standard concussion test was performed.
But that doesn’t mean Browns fans should immediately blame Shurmur for allowing McCoy back onto the field. McCoy was treated properly to the best of Shurmur’s knowledge, so why should he question it? Is it his job to walk over to McCoy and make sure that he doesn’t have a concussion? No – that’s why the training staff is there. If McCoy said he felt well enough to go back into the game and the training staff gave him the go-ahead, how could this possibly be Shurmur’s fault?
The real issue here lies with the training staff. If the proper concussion tests were not performed on McCoy, then the Browns deserve whatever punishment the league decides to hand down. But Shurmur – dealing with so much already at a critical juncture in the game – had to take his staff at their word.
NFLPA representatives are meeting with the Browns today to further investigate the situation. Before they even come to a conclusion, one thing is for sure: this entire concussion issue is a mess.