The NFL’s top medical experts believe they can take the knowledge

NCAA to make football safer — together.Dr. Allen Sills and Jeff Miller Rock Ya-Sin Jersey , the NFL’s executive vice president for health and safety initiatives, spent Monday and Tuesday in Indianapolis sharing data about their findings on the prevention and treatment of injuries. It’s the most formal presentation league executives have had with college officials, and Sills and Miller hope this presentation leads to a broader conversation that includes discussions about lower-body injuries.“We’re able to show them what we’re working on and what we’re finding and how we’re applying that knowledge into the day-to-day care of professional athletes,” Sills told The Associated Press during a break. “I think we hope this is the start of even more regular interaction between the two organizations because we share the exact same goals, which is improving the health and safety of players.”The two-day meeting included participants from the NFL’s health and safety team, the NCAA’s Sport Science Institute and medical staffs from schools in each of the power five conferences. It comes amid a rapidly evolving landscape of injuries in football. Sills is the league’s chief medical officer.Over the past decade, Miller estimates the NFL made between 50 and 60 rules changes to enhance player safety. Members of the league’s competition committee now routinely contact the medical team before considering making additional changes.Plus, as Sills and Miller have collected more data they found NFL coaches and players increasingly receptive to their recommendations and conclusions.Players, they say, are asking more questions about equipment, such as helmets. Coaches and assistant coaches, they add, have shown greater interest in how they can reduce the number of injuries at practices.“They (coaches) care about these people,” Miller said. “They care about the performance of them and they care about their long-term viability in the league, and those are all real good reasons to be open minded about how we practice, train and treat athletes as they go through an NFL training season or regular season.”The NCAA also has put a premium on player safety.It has introduced rules such as “targeting” in football http://www.indianapoliscoltsteamonline.com/ben-banogu-jersey , established a formal concussion protocol that includes guidelines for players returning to action after suffering a head injury and adding a section on the well-being of athletes to the governing body’s web site.But the key to success may be developing how to get the message out about additional safety measures.Until now, much of the focus publicly was on concussions: Last year’s statistics showed a 24 % decrease in the number of concussions, dropping from 281 in 2017 to 214.While Sills and Miller agree such work must continue, they also believe it’s time to specifically tackle another key issue: lower-body injuries such as sprained ankles, strained hamstrings and knee injuries, which wind up costing athletes more playing time than concussions.“We’re taking a very, I think, comprehensive approach to understanding foot, ankle or knee injuries and the contributing aspects of that,” Miller said. “I think, we are looking at the performance of certain cleats; their traction; how easily they release from different turf surfaces; how much different turf surfaces contribute to potential injuries; how we train our athletes, the load they go through on a daily basis or through a training camp and whether that correlates with particular sprains or strains.”The league has invested more than $60 million over the past 3½ years to get those answers, which they want others to use.It’s not just injuries, either.Sills and Miller spoke Tuesday about handling emergency situations when players suffer cardiac arrests or heat illnesses, in addition to brain and spine injuries, and they back the NFL’s new mental health initiative that was announced last month.What they want most Parris Campbell Jersey , though, is to share this information with schools that can help the sport remain strong and safe.“We know that our knowledge is expanding rapidly and there are many things we can learn from each other,” said Sills, a neurosurgeon who worked at Vanderbilt before taking the NFL’s post in March 2017. “There’s a lot of potential for collaboration around the research questions we’re both working on. For example, we have a major research effort around playing surfaces and how cleats interact with playing surfaces. We can look at 1,800 athletes in the NFL, but imagine the power of being able to expand those observations to a number of NCAA athletes. That’s going to allow you to reach conclusions a lot quicker and with more power because we’ll have more athletes.” FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Jason McCourty has taken longer than usual to do things around the Patriots practice facility this week as he’s prepared for their divisional playoff matchup with the Chargers.He’s been one of the first to arrive at breakfast with his teammates. He’s lingered in meetings and often been one of the last players to make it off the field following workouts. Whatever the task, he has savored it.That’s because McCourty’s about to do something he’s never done during his NFL career: play meaningful football in January.In his nine previous seasons — eight in Tennessee and one in Cleveland — McCourty was never on a playoff team. Drafted by the Titans in 2009, the defensive back only got close to the postseason twice as a member of 9-7 Tennessee teams in 2011 and 2016.He signed with the Browns in 2017, only to suffer through a winless season before being dealt to the Patriots.This season has brought a list of firsts: his first division title, his first week of playoff practices and on Sunday, his first postseason game.“I’m enjoying every moment,” McCourty said. “Typically, I’ve already flown home or doing whatever I’m doing for the offseason. I’m definitely trying to savor each and every moment.”The move to New England has been a career refresher in other ways. First, it reunited him with his twin brother Will Harris Jersey , safety Devin McCourty, whom he hadn’t played with since they starred at Rutgers. It’s also given Jason his first realistic chance to appear in a Super Bowl, something he and Devin dreamed about during their Pop Warner days.Devin, who won rings with the Patriots after the 2014 and 2016 seasons, has been Jason’s biggest mentor and fan.The twins are separated by only a single stall in the locker room and are typically only a few feet apart at the facility. They do a weekly segment with a Boston TV station and are active members of the NFL Players Coalition.They also share a Twitter account and have a YouTube show called “Double Trouble,” which they use to promote social justice causes and their sickle cell awareness initiative.Devin was a rookie on New England’s 2010 team that went 14-2 but lost to the Jets in the divisional round. He said he wants to ensure his brother’s first playoff experience doesn’t end the same way.“There’s no more, ‘My bad,’ or ‘I’ll get that next time,'” Devin said. “Ten years in the NFL, not tasting the playoffs, I think he probably realizes that more than any of us. He knows it’s not guaranteed and it doesn’t happen all the time.”Jason says in some ways the past few weeks have made him feel like a rookie again.“I joked with a lot of guys after every win, I was probably the loudest guy in here yelling and celebrating just because of what it means,” he said.Jason arrived in New England in March as part of a collection of defensive backs the Patriots signed to help fortify the secondary following the departure of cornerback Malcolm Butler, who signed with Tennessee.Jason wound up starting 12 games at left cornerback after Eric Rowe went on injured reserve in October with a groin injury. He also contributed on special teams.Jason’s lone interception of the season came late in the Patriots’ 24-12 win over Buffalo last month, which secured New England’s 10th straight AFC East title.“I think his leadership, his communication http://www.detroitlionsteamonline.com/austin-bryant-jersey , his professionalism has been outstanding,” coach Bill Belichick said. “Been great to work with. Couldn’t ask for any more.”As proud as Devin is of his brother, he said their mother, Phyllis Harrell, might be more excited than both of them. She used to wear a custom half-Patriots, half-Titans jersey on game days. She updated it to a half-blue, half-white Patriots jersey this season honoring her sons.“I’ve won Super Bowls and all, but I think the thing she’s most wanted in our (NFL career) is Jason playing in the playoffs,” Devin said. “I’m sure she’ll be fired up to see him play in his first playoff game. She said that over and over, she just wanted him to get some type of success that I’ve had as far as the playoffs, the post-regular season, as far as the atmosphere. The McCourty gang will be pretty fired up Sunday.”