<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Do Saban and Bielema have a legit concern with hurry-up offenses and player safety? Concussion experts say: Yes. <a href="http://t.co/2xvI0jQhuG">http://t.co/2xvI0jQhuG</a></p>— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) <a href="https://twitter.com/slmandel/statuses/355364686637707268">July 11, 2013</a></blockquote>
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But what if Saban and Bielema are right? Given the increased awareness surrounding the long-term health of football players, shouldn't people at least look into the possible injury risks of no-huddle offenses?
The experts have an answer: Yes, very much so.
"We don't have quantifiable data to support Bret's claim, but conceptually, it makes sense and lines up with what we observed," said Thomas Talavage, a Purdue University biomedical engineering professor who, along with colleague Eric Nauman, spent two years studying brain trauma among players on an Indiana high school team.
"I think it is a very legitimate concern to the extent that there truly is an added fatigue factor," said Dr. Randall Benson, a professor of neurology at Wayne State University who testified before Congress about traumatic brain injuries in football. "When guys are fatigued they tend to use poorer technique, which can lead to having one's head in the wrong place, putting them at risk for concussions and subconcussive hits."
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
But what if Saban and Bielema are right? Given the increased awareness surrounding the long-term health of football players, shouldn't people at least look into the possible injury risks of no-huddle offenses?
The experts have an answer: Yes, very much so.
"We don't have quantifiable data to support Bret's claim, but conceptually, it makes sense and lines up with what we observed," said Thomas Talavage, a Purdue University biomedical engineering professor who, along with colleague Eric Nauman, spent two years studying brain trauma among players on an Indiana high school team.
"I think it is a very legitimate concern to the extent that there truly is an added fatigue factor," said Dr. Randall Benson, a professor of neurology at Wayne State University who testified before Congress about traumatic brain injuries in football. "When guys are fatigued they tend to use poorer technique, which can lead to having one's head in the wrong place, putting them at risk for concussions and subconcussive hits."
