Jimmy Mac

[larrym]

If McNeal and Matthews play tonight, as is being reported, that is indeed good news. 

All this talk about getting knocked out in practice reminded me of Jim McIlvaine's freshman year.  NYWarrior may be able to add details to this, but as I remember he kept getting knocked out in practice.  Many times it wasn't even that hard of a shot that would put him out.  For a short time he wore a bicycle helmet in practice because of this, but that didn't solve it.  He missed at least the first game (at Duke) and maybe the second game (at Kansas) because of this.  In the end, the solution was a fitted mouthguard because it had something to do with his jaw.  Definitely a better looking solution than the bike helmet, and more effective too.

[NYWarrior]

good call, Larry.......Jim had a 'glass jaw' of sorts and got knocked out a few times early in practice.  Once I remember him getting knocked out cold before hitting the floor -- it was pretty scary.  Once he used the mouthguard, it was never a problem for him again.

[IAmMarquette]

that's an interesting subject -- concussions/KO's and mouthguards. a while back i read an article in ESPN the mag about the NFL's concussion problem, and how the league doctor - the jets' team physician, allegedly a quack - concluded, based on the NFL's own study, that concussions pose no significant risk of recurrence/serious injury. also mentioned in that article was a dentist (ohio, i believe?) who had outfitted his local high school's entire football team with custom mouthpieces, and the incidence of concussions dropped dramatically. if i can find the article i'll link it for those interested.