Austin Collie out with concussion again
The road ahead for the Indianapolis Colts has become jagged still as they lost one of their top receivers for the rest of the Season. Wide receiver Austin Collie has suffered another concussion on Sunday when the Colts faced the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Even though this is the 25-year-old's second year in the NFL, he has made a mark for himself and proved to be one of quarterback Peyton Manning’s premier receivers. Although, he has missed five games so far in the season and has been concussed three times
in this season, he still manages to lead all Indianapolis receivers with 8 touchdown passes in 58 receptions. His 58 receptions are the second highest in the team. Collie has established himself as Manning’s "go to" guy.
“He's fast, he's got a good feel for zones, he understands defenses,” Manning said. “He has his physical talents, but also, his experience has helped him play at such a high level at such a young point in his career.”
Collie's injury occurred before the second quarter on Sunday when linebacker Daryl Smith crashed into Collie. The receiver ducked his head low to catch a pass when Smith was about to make contact with him. Smith’s forearm hit Collie’s head and suffered his
third concussion. Colts' coach Jim Caldwell said that Collie is going to be missed. He said that the team was concerned primarily with Collie’s health and that sitting out the next game was the best thing for him.
The Colts are already running out of offensive players due to season ending injuries. Manning has lost tight end Dallas Clark and wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez for the season. Running back Joseph Addai has been out of the game for eight games with a shoulder
injury. On top of all that Collie’s absence would be felt by the offense. The impact would be particularly severe at this crucial stage of the season.
The Colts are fighting for the playoffs spots. They are tied for first place in the AFC South with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Manning said that the team cannot worry itself with who is not playing and who is unavailable. “You have to go with who's available,
and feel like with who's available, you can go out there and still make things happen.”
Collie established himself as one of the best receivers for the Colts when he caught 123 yards and a touchdown in the AFC Championship game last season. Collie opened this season with a 163-yard game and caught a touchdown for the Colts. Indianapolis still
lost that game to the Houston Texans. A game later Collie upped the ante and caught 171 yards for two touchdowns against the Denver Broncos in a game the Colts won 27-13.
Collie suffered a concussion in November against the Philadelphia Eagles. He caught just one pass in the game before he had to leave the game after withstanding a hit to head. He missed next week’s game but was back on the field against the New England Patriots
a week later. Collie had to leave the game early because he did not feel well. He missed the next three games and returned to play last week.
“Obviously, it's disappointing for him,” Manning said. “I know how hard he's worked all offseason. I know how excited he was to be back the other day, and how well he was playing.” Blaire White would replace Collie for the remainder of the season. The coach
said that White had gathered quite a bit of experience because of the number of games Collie had to miss and that would make White’s adjustment in the offence easier. Collie is the 17th player to be placed on the injured reserve by the Colts.
The league has established stricter guidelines that govern when a player can return to the field after suffering a concussion. The league requires players to be examined and cleared by the team’s physician and an independent neurologist before they are allowed
back on the field. A concussion following while the brain is still recovering from the trauma of a previous injury can have serious and long term consequences.
Tags: