Lions linebacker Zack Follett may miss Sunday's game against the Vikings because of a concussion. Follett suffered the concussion after making a hit on a kickoff against the Eagles, and he took a concussion test yesterday and it apparently didn't go well. Like the two Eagles players who suffered concussions against Green Bay (Kevin Kolb and Stuart Bradley) and missed the game against the Lions, Follett needs to pass tests in order to even start working out, so his status for Sunday is definitely in doubt.
Although Follett was clearly woozy following the hit that gave him a concussion, he returned to the game. Why? Well, he passed the initial concussion tests and didn't start to actually feel the effects of the concussion until later on.
"They gave me a concussion test on the field," he said. "They asked questions like what the score was; they had me count backwards and do the days of the week. I was passing all of those. I felt fine but it felt like I was out there in a kind of a dream.
"I was able to play and get through. It was after when the headaches set in."
Right now, I would say Follett is unlikely to play against Minnesota. To even start working out he has to pass concussion tests, and then he has to continue passing them to get into the game on Sunday. If he fails today, for example, he is going to be behind with the game plan and could be ruled out just like Kolb and Bradley were for Philadelphia. Follett could pass a concussion test closer to the game on Sunday, but that would likely merely set him up to return next week.
"Like I said, we will err on the side of caution," Schwartz said. "We're not going to be putting a guy out there who doesn't have all his cognitive senses."
With someone like Follett, who is known for his big hits, it's smart to be careful. The last thing you need is to put Follett back out there too soon and have him get concussed more severely because he wasn't fully recovered.