Cassel's secret weapon against concussions - New England Patriots Forums

***MoLewisrocks*** · 11-06-2009, 11:13 AM

Considering his OL's performance and the lack of talent surrounding him, it's nice to know we sent Matty off with more than just Pioli sitting on his hands for backup... Also nice to know we are at the forefront of working with experts to more effectively minimize a scourge we have been predictably unfairly criticized over in the recent past...

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The Patriots are believed to have had the fewest concussions of any NFL team last season.

“Dr. Maher’s work with the Patriots is pretty well documented,” Cassel said. “The guys in that locker room trust the protection that his mouthguards provide, and once I tried it, I won’t wear anything else. As quarterback, you want a mouthguard that not only gives a high level of protection, but is also comfortable and still allows you to speak audibly. Dr. Maher’s mouthguard gets an ‘A+’ in all of those respects.”

Cassel’s secret weapon against concussions - KansasCity.com

***DarrylS*** · 11-06-2009, 11:14 AM

Heard this before, too bad Ted Johnson did not use it...

***PatsWickedPissah*** · 11-06-2009, 11:19 AM

This can't be posted enough. Anything rationay feasible that can prevent brain injury is imperative for the league.

Where is the players' union on this? <crickets>

Going forward I can forsee light, flexible yet strong knee braces that allow movement up to a mak point and then with hysterisis prevent further movement that would result in injury. Probably about 20 years away with nanotech 'smart' materials.

***ctpatsfan77*** · 11-06-2009, 11:23 AM

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Originally Posted by DarrylS

Heard this before, too bad Ted Johnson did not use it...

I believe if you watch the Titans game, you can see Edelman using one of those guards.

***patchick*** · 11-06-2009, 11:28 AM

I remember some articles in the past about this. IIRC the evidence is still sketchy at this point, but there's reason to believe that these mouth guards do help protect the brain in certain kinds of collisions, and the only downside is cost. Last I heard, the Pats were the only team routinely ordering them for players.

***PatsWickedPissah*** · 11-06-2009, 11:38 AM

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Originally Posted by patchick

I remember some articles in the past about this. IIRC the evidence is still sketchy at this point, but there's reason to believe that these mouth guards do help protect the brain in certain kinds of collisions, and the only downside is cost. Last I heard, the Pats were the only team routinely ordering them for players.

When you consider the dollar amount invested in a player any prudent businessman should make the investment. OK, maybe not for Bart Scott or Joey Porter, but...

But back to the players union. They should make this a major issue.

***patchick*** · 11-06-2009, 11:54 AM

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Originally Posted by PatsWickedPissah

When you consider the dollar amount invested in a player any prudent businessman should make the investment.

Oh, absolutely. Humanitarian impulses aside, we're talking about <$10,000 to outfit a team. If one player you count on can play one extra game because of it, it's a sound strategic investment.

OT, the website for the Maher mouth guard features a testimonial from "Assante" (sic) Samuel.