New York Giants not handling tight end Kevin Boss' hits to head with care

There's a picture that was sent to Kevin Boss that summed up his season - a dramatic action shot of him making a 25-yard catch. The picture caught him just as he took a brutal, helmet-to-helmet hit from Cardinals safety Antrel Rolle in October.

He called it "funny" even though by just looking at it he could almost feel the pain.

"It was a pretty funny expression on my face, though I don't even know if you could call it an expression," Boss said. "My eyes were just closed and it looked like I was saying 'Ouch.' To say the least."

That was the first of two helmet-to-helmet hits the Giants' tight end took in a two-week span (the other came from Chargers safety Eric Weddle), and despite the look of pain and the fact that he felt like he was in a car wreck the next mornings, Boss insists he did not suffer any concussions. The Giants' doctors agreed because Boss missed only a handful of plays in each game. Even Boss admitted that's a surprise. "Yeah, I'm definitely surprised," he said. "It's one of those things where I definitely had my bell rung a little bit. But it wasn't the type of thing where I was blacked out or was knocked out and can't remember anything."
Whether he suffered a concussion or not is hard for even neurologists to say for sure, given how difficult the injury is to diagnose, especially immediately afterward on the sidelines of an NFL game. It's one reason why the NFL will soon require teams to consult with independent neurologists on any player with a concussion. There have been talks about having one present at all games, to take the difficult decision out of team doctors' hands. The Eagles used an outside neurologist to help with the case of Brian Westbrook, who suffered a concussion on Oct. 26, missed two games, suffered another one in his first game back on Nov. 15, and hasn't played since. Westbrook, who may return to practice today, was sent to the Pittsburgh Medical Center's Sports Medicine Concussion Program, whose doctors have been consulting with the Eagles on both him and receiver DeSean Jackson, who sat out with a concussion last week.

The Giants said they took a similar approach with Boss. He was examined by an independent neurologist and an independent neurosurgeon - both of whom were approved by the NFL as independent consultants. They also said his current neurological test scores are equivalent to his baseline test, which was determined in the offseason. When he was examined on the sidelines after the hits, according to the team, he did not meet any of the NFL's criteria for a concussion.

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