Packers WR Davante Adams Expected to Play Sunday vs. Cowboys
After going limp on Lambeau Field's hallowed turf less than nine days ago, Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams isn't expected to miss a game.
Adams suffered a concussion after a blatant helmet-to-helmet shot from Chicago Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan, who was initially suspended by the NFL for two games before appealing and getting it docked to just one.
The hit hospitalized Adams overnight, but teammates and coaches recall that he was in good spirits, even after the vicious blow that marks the second concussion of Adams' young NFL career. This comes almost a year after his first against the Dallas Cowboys.
Coincidentally, Adams is cleared just in time to face that same Cowboys team on Sunday.
On Friday, coach Mike McCarthy said Adams was still in the concussion protocol and that he would see an independent neurologist the following day to determine whether or not he'll be able to play. According to ESPN's Rob Demovsky, Adams traveled with the team to Dallas and is no longer in the protocol. He's expected to play.
It took a lot of rehabilitation work throughout various stages of the week for Adams to get to this point, a subtle testament to the Packers' training staff for having him ready in time and maintenance what could typically be something very complex, pertaining to head and neck injuries.
He was even able to do light work in pads during Thursday's practice, but he was a limited participant all week. Now, the Packers may very well be able to count on him suiting up.
Other question marks on the injury report are running back Ty Montgomery (ribs; doubtful), left tackle David Bakhtiari (hamstring; questionable) and right tackle Bryan Bulaga (ankle; questionable). Montgomery practiced with a protective vest under his jersey during the week, but the odds of him playing aren't in his favor.
Both of the starting offensive tackles, however, are looking at much more of a likelihood that they play. It would be the first time in 2017 that both Bakhtiari and Bulaga are on the field together protecting quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
__________________________
Zachary Jacobson is a staff writer/reporter for Cheesehead TV. He's the voice of The Leap on iTunes and can be heard on The Scoop KLGR 1490 AM every Saturday morning. He's also a contributor on the Pack-A-Day Podcast. He can be found on Twitter via @ZachAJacobson or contacted through email at [email protected].
Comments (6)
TKWorldWide
October 07, 2017 at 09:27 pm
Amazing that DA is even in consideration. My daughter got a concussion in HS soccer and took several MONTHS to recover.
God speed.
Turophile
October 08, 2017 at 03:42 am
I guess not all concussions are the same.
It would seem there is a long-term element to concussion injury, which is why you find CTE in brains of ex-football players who haven't played for decades. Time doesn't heal this. Each time the brain takes a significant hit, it adds to the long-term effects and makes the brain increasingly less able to avoid concussion with the next hit.
For the short term, it appears that once you are over the symptoms (nausea, amnesia, dizziness, confusion, headache, ringing in ears), you are as good as you'll ever be. The short term effects are what the neurologists test for, they are particularly looking to see that you reach a cognitive baseline, established before the concussion.
I doubt Montgomery plays. Those broken ribs would be targeted by the Cowboys D, you don't want a busted rib piercing a lung or something equally bad. There might have been more pressure on him to play if the Packers didn't have Jones and Mays (who was an inactive, last week) backing him up, not mention Cobb having come out of the backfield before. Ripkowski is still there as FB (though not playing at his best recently). It should be enough to get through the Cowboys game, Heck, they only went with 2 RBs on the squad starting the 2016 season (Lacy, Starks).
Bearmeat
October 08, 2017 at 08:05 am
That's because your daughter's school (and kudos to you- the parents) have their heads screwed on straight. Your daughter's long term health is far more important than the placement of a HS soccer team.
It gets more ethically challenging to make a call like that when it concerns adults who are getting paid. The NFL is big business.
I really hope Adams is ok through the next 3 weeks.
flackcatcher
October 08, 2017 at 09:05 am
I like this comment 1,000 times if I could get away with it. CTE is the unavoidable side effect of ground combat. We are only now coming to terms with that ugly fact. As much as I hate to say this, the NFL cares very little for the effects (both long and short) hits have on their players. The bright spot in all of this is what TK daughters school did. That is becoming standard policy for both high schools and now division 2-3 colleges in the united states. It's not mandatory yet, but will be based on the hard facts we know. The division 1, and 1-A have a more flexible standard, but that won't last giving the pressure on them. The NFL has no choice, they can either get with the program, or die. Personally, I hope Adams does not play this week. The after effects of concussions are far more tricky and long lasting, and need more time for a complete recovery.
stockholder
October 08, 2017 at 09:54 am
The NFL is about money. They move clubs now. It's about how many people they can put in the stands, and Tv ratings. Just look how the pro Bowl is failing. College football and sports has become what people want. The money, drugs, steroids, personal BS, etc. Has wrecked how professional sports is viewed. And when the costs of the ticket keeps going up. People will get their fix elsewhere. Their tired of not just beating the home team but the refs too. They want their children to view sports as building blocks for life. Todays players whine. The money isn't enough. They give their best in Contract years, and ride the IR in between. Damn right Adams will play.
Johnblood27
October 08, 2017 at 10:06 am
AS the usual voice of dissent. here is a new thought on the CTE issue.
I would like to see more everyday people's brains tested after their death.
The baseline might surprise some.
I never played college sports, just pick-up and IM, but I know I had some concussions, not only from sports but also from leading an active life and working in construction for 25 years before I finished my advanced degree and basically retiring from physical work..
The amount of damage incurred throughout leading a "normal" life needs to be the baseline, not just looking at skewed data points .