11-05-2011, 04:37 PM
As I write this, the only published reports I've seen say Owusu has movement in his limbs, which is a good sign. We can only hope that he's able to recover fully from this.
Hindsight is 20/20, and, assuming Owusu passed whatever baseline test was administered after the SC game, it would have taken someone stepping up above and beyond typical football protocol to force him to take the week off. The HC typically follows what the doc says. The player wants to play at all costs. The position coach who spends the most time with the player doesn't have an opinion. The family trusts the program to look out for their son and doesn't want to make too much noise.
Maybe all this doesn't absolve anyone.
The hit was an obvious kill shot type, with absolutely no attempt to wrap up. Yet that's what you see every Sunday in the NFL. This was not an egregiously dirty hit like last week, nor a case where a player was making second-contact and possibly head hunting like the hit sustained by Owusu in Autzen last year.
Such plays rarely get flagged. Maybe they should. But I don't blame OSU for complaining about the flag because, whatever the rulebook says, this type of play, where the receiver has the opportunity to take a step like Owusu did and theoretically protect himself, happens so very, very often.
Hindsight is 20/20, and, assuming Owusu passed whatever baseline test was administered after the SC game, it would have taken someone stepping up above and beyond typical football protocol to force him to take the week off. The HC typically follows what the doc says. The player wants to play at all costs. The position coach who spends the most time with the player doesn't have an opinion. The family trusts the program to look out for their son and doesn't want to make too much noise.
Maybe all this doesn't absolve anyone.
The hit was an obvious kill shot type, with absolutely no attempt to wrap up. Yet that's what you see every Sunday in the NFL. This was not an egregiously dirty hit like last week, nor a case where a player was making second-contact and possibly head hunting like the hit sustained by Owusu in Autzen last year.
Such plays rarely get flagged. Maybe they should. But I don't blame OSU for complaining about the flag because, whatever the rulebook says, this type of play, where the receiver has the opportunity to take a step like Owusu did and theoretically protect himself, happens so very, very often.
