Reid comes under fire for head injuries
GLENDALE — The following are odds and ends from the local sports scene.
REID DEFENDS
MEDICAL STAFF
It’s been a rough couple of days for Glendale Community College alum Andy Reid.
The Philadelphia Eagles head coach is dealing with his team’s Week One loss to the Green Bay Packers, a slew of injuries and backlash for how his team dealt with those injuries.
During the Eagles’ 27-20 loss to the Packers, starting quarterback Kevin Kolb was injured with a concussion, paving the way for controversial reserve quarterback Michael Vick to take his spot.
Also injured with a concussion was linebacker Stewart Bradley, while center Jamaal Jackson (torn triceps) and fullback Leonard Weaver (ACL tear) were likely lost for the year.
Both Kolb and Bradley returned to the game in some capacity, though. It brought on a lot of questions and brought Eagles head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder under scrutiny, but Reid defended his colleague.
“We stuck to the criteria there and then followed up on it,” Reid told the Philadelphia Daily News. “That’s the most important thing. We didn’t stick [Bradley] out there without following the protocol and we stayed on top of it and made the decision to take them out when symptoms were there.”
Kolb was initially diagnosed with a jaw injury and Bradley, according to Reid, was “clear-minded” after the initial hit that caused the injury. After both returned to play and did show signs of injury, they were pulled from action once again, this time for the remainder of the game.
“Nobody does it better than what Rick does and our docs,” Reid said. “The important thing is we took care of them and got them out of there.”
Just as big a topic was whether or not Vick, who was previously jailed for his involvement with a dogfighting ring while a member of the Atlanta Falcons, would get the start on Sunday at Detroit. Vick rushed for more than 100 yards and passed for 175 in the Eagles’ comeback bid.
Reid was clear, though, that if Kolb was OK to play, he was and is the Eagles’ starting quarterback.
QB CLUB TO
BEGIN NEW YEAR
The Glendale YMCA Quarterback Club will hold its first meeting at 11:30 a.m. today at The Elk’s Lodge, 120 E. Colorado St., Glendale.
The club, which is in its 68th year, is geared to support the Crescenta Valley, Hoover, Glendale and St. Francis high football teams and the Glendale Community College football program.
The club will meet Tuesdays through Nov. 23.
Today’s guest speaker will be Michael Roth, vice president of communications for Anschutz Entertainment Group.
FALCONS STILL
AT NO. 1
Despite taking fifth over the weekend at the Thousand Oaks Tournament, the Crescenta Valley High boys’ water polo team held strong to its CIF Southern Section Division V top spot.
While the Falcons are still ranked No. 1, Glendale fell from No. 3 to No. 5 and Hoover’s one-win showing in Thousand Oaks saw it fall out of the rankings after previously being ranked No. 10.
Flintridge Prep’s football team also fell from the Northeast Division top 10 after having been ranked eighth, due to its opening loss to St. Genevieve.
St. Francis’ football team, on the other hand, jumped up from No. 5 to No. 4 in the Western Division after opening up with a win over Arcadia. Gardena Serra is ranked No. 1 in the division and Chaminade is No. 3, meaning three Mission League squads are in the top four.
In boys’ cross-country, Flintridge Prep is ranked sixth in Division V.
In girls’ cross-country, Crescenta Valley moved up to the No. 10 spot in Division I, while Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy is fourth in Division IV and Flintridge Prep is eighth in Division V.