Donald Driver Wins At Life
ESPN's Tim Keown has a must-read piece on Donald Driver telling Aaron Rodgers to take a seat after the quarterback suffered a concussion against the Lions.
By PackerAaron
If you read only one Packers-related article today, make it this one.
Money quote:
Nine days ago, when Driver told quarterback Aaron Rodgers that he didn't look right, that he should leave the game and that his future as a human being was more important than another play, he committed the single most important act in an NFL game this season.
The fact that Driver's actions served to greatly diminish his team's chances this season -- and his own individual statistics -- only accentuates the significance of what he did. Throughout the Year of the Concussion, anybody with an interest in football has asked the same question: How will we know whether they're making progress?
Donald Driver showed us.
What Driver did was bad for the team but good for the person. You know how much easier it would have been for him to sit back and hope Rodgers could clear his head fast enough to get back into the game? That's what Rodgers wanted to do, and it seems as if the Packers' trainers were either unaware of the situation or otherwise occupied immediately after the injury. Rodgers didn't want to hear what Driver was telling him, so he stood up and stared back at him.
What Rodgers saw -- legitimate concern from a respected veteran who cares about him -- was enough to make him realize Driver was right.
Read the whole thing. It's just fantastic.
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Comments (12)
December 22, 2010 at 11:12 am
And just when you think you can't possibly love Double D anymore than you already do.....
No matter what happens on Sunday, or for the rest of this season, let me say this: I love this Packers team, these guys have played their butts off in the face of some major obstacles.
December 22, 2010 at 01:40 pm
they've played hard (excluding det.) - just not always smart.
and that might cost them.
December 22, 2010 at 11:18 am
Driver's not Heinz Ward, that's for sure.
Thing is, we KNOW this about him. He proves that he's a top notch human being every year, on and off the field. So, did it surprise me when he did this? Not really. I'd expect this out of Jennings, as well.
Our receivers are the anti-Bengals.
December 22, 2010 at 11:34 am
"That's what Rodgers wanted to do, and it seems as if the Packers' trainers were either unaware of the situation or otherwise occupied immediately after the injury".
Your franchise guy is woozy and your health staff is preoccupied elsewhere. Or, worse, checked him out and declared him healthy.
Kinda of sad when your teammates are more on top of the health situation than the professional staff. But, with the injury rate this team is experiencing this level of service is par for the course.
December 22, 2010 at 01:05 pm
Don't always agree with your "medical analysis" but you are spot on here .... Even a novice fan watching on TV could clearly see the helmet to ground hit & AR grasping for help just to get back to his feet ...... He was clearly out of it but the medical staff & about 15-20 coaches on the sideline did nothing ..... AR then proceeded to take another solid smacking on the sack .....
Kudos to DD for stepping up .... Sad that the med & coaching staff fell short ......
December 22, 2010 at 12:00 pm
Glasses raised to Double D, one of the classiest acts in the NFL.
"What Driver did was bad for the team but good for the person."
What Driver did was great for the team. For those of you who still think that the NFL's caution regarding concussions is a big deal about nothing read up about the Minnesota Wild's Center Pierre-Marc Bouchard.
December 22, 2010 at 12:11 pm
This is the wisdom of a football veteran and an overall great person.
The Packers are lucky to have him on the team.
December 22, 2010 at 03:13 pm
Packer fans have known this for years. Driver is pure class.
We have alot of players like this on our team.
December 22, 2010 at 03:15 pm
And unfortunately this will not get the TV media play it should.
December 22, 2010 at 04:52 pm
It would if Driver played for NE, NYG, NYJ, PHI, DAL, WSH, PIT or BAL...
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The East coast media bias in this country is disgusting. If there is ever any east coast team in a championship game in any sport, I root for the other team. (Exception: CHI, MIN)
December 22, 2010 at 10:39 pm
It's not like they are going to cut into Tom Brady's hair coverage.
December 22, 2010 at 05:58 pm
I'm am going to be so damned depressed the day Donald Driver retires. What a guy!