Browns TE Watson may have concussion (AP)
BEREA, Ohio (AP)—The Cleveland Browns hope a head injury sustained by
tight end Ben Watson at their first practice is not too serious.
The Browns’ leading receiver a year ago walked off with an apparent
concussion midway through new coach Pat Shurmur’s first day of drills Saturday
after taking a blow to the back of his head.
“He was running a pattern, lost his footing and got a knee in the back of
his head,” Shurmur said of the pass play over the middle.
NFL teams are particularly sensitive in caring for all head injuries, so
even though Watson quickly got up and went to the sidelines, he slowly walked to
the locker room a minute later. He was accompanied by trainers.
Two other offensive starters, wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi(notes) and lineman
Eric Steinbach(notes), did not practice. Massaquoi wore a walking boot on his right
ankle. Steinbach had his left knee wrapped.
“Mo has a little foot deal,” Shurmur said. “He came in with it and we’ll
evaluate it as we go. We want to make sure it’s just right. Steinbach has the
same type of deal with his knee. They’re nothing we feel are serious.”
Shurmur said he could not elaborate on how or when Massaquoi was hurt. The
third-year receiver appeared fine a couple of weeks ago when he was seen working
out with quarterback Colt McCoy(notes) and other Browns in Texas.
“There’s some question as to when it happened,” Shurmur said. “I’m not
being evasive. I’m just not sure.”
Both Steinbach and Massaquoi opened camp on the active/non-football injury
list and can be activated anytime.
Losing Watson for any length of time would be a serious blow. After six
years with the New England Patriots, he became the go-to receiver in Cleveland
with 68 catches for 763 yards and three touchdowns in 2010. He was one of the
bright spots in an otherwise disappointing 5-11 season in which all three
quarterbacks got hurt and the offense was in a constant state of flux. Only
Carolina scored fewer points than Cleveland’s 271.
Linebacker Scott Fujita(notes), a member of the NFL Players Association Executive
Committee, spoke of how safety issues were of primary concern during recent
negotiations. It led to a number of changes in training camp procedures,
including the abolition of dreaded two-a-day drills.
“That was long overdue,” Fujita said. “Guys keep themselves in shape
year-round now.
“The big thing is it eliminates the constant concussive impacts. We’re not
only talking about the big helmet-to-helmet hits, but in trying to reduce all
head-to-head impacts.”
Fujita said studies revealed that 60 percent of serious injuries have taken
place in the first two weeks of camps in the past. He added that past two-a-days
produced about 60 to 70 more straight-on hits a day. The hope is that getting
rid of all the extra pounding will result in fewer head injuries, not only in
camp but during the season.