Teddy Bridgewater was knocked out of last week’s game after one play due to the NFL’s concussion protocol.
The approved spotter for the Dolphins-Jets game said Bridgewater displayed signs of “ataxia” when he got up following being hit by New York cornerback Sauce Gardner. Bridgewater passed subsequent concussion tests but was unable to play the rest of the afternoon.
He cleared concussion protocol late in the week and came off the bench for Miami today after third-string quarterback Skylar Thompson was injured.
After the 24-16 loss to his former team, the Minnesota Vikings, Bridgewater admitted that he altered his behavior after taking hits in order to avoid a similar situation as last week.
“Teddy Bridgewater on quickly getting up after hits today to avoid any false signs of ataxia: ‘Your pop-up game has to be elite. If you get hit, you gotta pop right up,'” tweeted ESPN’s Jeff Darlington. “Teddy notes he likes to slowly get up after taking a hit — but he’s reluctant to do that anymore.”
Bridgewater, who completed 23-of-34 pass for 329 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, is not going to be the only quarterback making a conscious effort to change how they react after plays. We’d bet money on that.
How the NFL handles concussion issues the rest of the season will be fascinating to watch.