Injuries in Week 1 raise questions about new NFL policies

Los Angeles Times NFL writer Sam Farmer examines the fallout from Week 1 and how it could affect Week 2:

Kevin Kolb and Stewart Bradley didn’t have legs, but their stories do.

The two Philadelphia Eagles starters — Kolb the quarterback, Bradley the middle linebacker — now find themselves in the middle of the NFL’s concussion controversy.

Both players suffered concussions in the second quarter of the opener against Green Bay, yet both were cleared to re-enter the game — seemingly in direct conflict with the league’s new policy, which bans players who show any signs of a concussion from rejoining a game or practice the same day.

After brief stints on the sideline and cursory checkups from the Eagles training staff, both Kolb and Bradley came back into the game and played the remainder of the second quarter. They were pulled at halftime.

Whereas Kolb looked glassy-eyed, Bradley was obviously in distress, staggering sideways and falling over like a boxer tumbling through the ropes.

New NFL rules say any players who show signs of a concussion need to be completely free of symptoms before they can return to play, and that they cannot come back the same day as suffering the injury. These guys were out 15 minutes, tops.

“I was shocked that Bradley was back so quickly,” said concussion expert Chris Nowinski, president of the Sports Legacy Institute, which studies the treatment and prevention of brain injuries among athletes. “It would be hard to show more symptoms of a concussion and still be walking off the field.”

Not surprisingly, Eagles Coach Andy Reid adamantly defended the decisions of trainer Rick Burkholder. What is surprising, though, is both the NFL Players Assn. and the league’s Brain, Head and Neck Medical Committee said they were comfortable with the way the situations were handled.

That invites a question: If those players — and especially Bradley — didn’t sufficiently show they were suffering from concussions, what would have convinced those trainers?

Moore good news?

Carolina Coach John Fox says quarterback Matt Moore is feeling better after sustaining a concussion on a blind-side hit against the New York Giants. Moore had three red-zone interceptions in the loss but will start this week against Tampa Bay, health permitting. Rookie Jimmy Clausen is the Panthers’ backup.

Dallas back in line

Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Marc Colombo and guard Kyle Kosier, both nursing knee injuries sustained in training camp, have been cleared to return to practice Wednesday.

That can’t come soon enough for the Cowboys, who had several breakdowns in Sunday’s loss at Washington. Fans are clamoring for Colombo’s return, in particular, after replacement Alex Barron had three holding calls against the Redskins — including one that wiped out the potential tying touchdown (and winning extra point) on the final play.

Extra points

--Detroit Coach Jim Schwartz says quarterback Matthew Stafford, who left Sunday’s game against Chicago with a shoulder injury, will not need surgery.

--Minnesota second-year receiver Percy Harvin, his career plagued by migraine headaches, says doctors believe he is suffering from sleep apnea and that could be a contributing factor to his problems.

--NFL Vice President of Officiating Carl Johnson says the league stands behind the ruling in the Chicago-Detroit game where a potential game-winning catch was ruled incomplete when the football came out of the hands of Calvin Johnson after he landed in the end zone.