Tony Romo turned 36 in April, but when a reporter asked what he expects to be doing in 10 years, the longtime Dallas Cowboys starting quarterback says he doesn’t want things to be any different.
The Cardinals’ coaching staff’s preternatural ability to predict the future wasn’t limited to anticipating losses. Running backs coach Stump Mitchell Cam Ward Jersey very nearly predicted David Johnson’s production.
“There ain’t no reason for you not to come away with at least 150 yards,” Mitchell told Johnson. “Rushing and receiving, you’ve got to have over 150.”
Johnson averaged 131 rushing and receiving Chris Terry Jersey yards through the rest of the season. So close.
Man’s best friend
Reilly, Cardinals president Michael Bidwill’s rescue dog, stole our hearts right off the bat.
She was a rescued pit bull mix, adopted by Bidwill’s family a day before she was set to be euthanized, and despite battling through lymphoma and then kidney failure, Reilly had three and a half happy years with the Bidwills. She passed away late in the season.
Reilly was beloved by the entire Cardinals organization — even John Brown, who was initially afraid of her, but grew to love her.
Watching Bidwill discuss the loss of his best friend was wrenching. The only bad thing about loving a pet is knowing you’ll outlive them, and Bidwell’s grief resonates with anyone who has loved and lost a dog.
“As we add additional full-time medical resources to our team, it is important to recognize and express our gratitude to Dr. Elliot Pellman, who is retiring after nearly 30 years of service, first to the New York Jets and then to the NFL,” Goodell said in the memo. “We thank Dr. Pellman for his dedicated service to the game and for his many contributions to the NFL and our clubs, and appreciate his willingness to aid in this transition over the next few months.”
In December, a league official confirmed to Deadspin that Pellman played “a useful administrative role” in his position and was directly involved with the NFL’s in-game concussion spotters. Leaving him in that role undercut the league’s claims that they were working to make the game safer. It wasn’t sustainable to keep Pellman on the payroll, and it’s a shock that it took this long to exile him.
Once the team doctor for the New York Jets, Pellman was appointed to the MTBI committee in 2003 by then-commissioner Paul Tagliabue, who was also Pellman’s patient. During that time he was a leading figure in the league’s effort to deny the health impact of concussions and brain injuries on players. (ESPN’s Outside the Lines covered Pellman and his role with the league more in-depth as part of their reporting on the concussion crisis).
He was a co-author on a 2003 study that said concussed players were better off going back into the game rather than being removed from it.
“Players who are concussed and return to the same game have fewer initial signs and symptoms than those removed from play. Return to play does not involve a significant risk of a second injury either in the same game or during the season.”