NFL playoff notebook

Times wires
Sunday, January 16, 2011

SEAHAWKS LOSE TWO TO CONCUSSIONS

CHICAGO — The Seahawks had two players carted off the field with concussions, TE John Carlson in the first quarter and CB Marcus Trufant in the third.

Coach Pete Carroll said both players were hospitalized and were expected to stay overnight for observation. He said "all indications are that they are okay."

Carlson grabbed a short pass from Matt Hasselbeck and went 14 yards, then was upended on the sideline by Bears S Danieal Manning and came down on his head. The game was delayed for about five minutes as Carlson was attended to on the sideline. He could move his legs.

Trufant made a tackle on Bears TE Kellen Davis with about seven minutes to go in the third quarter. The game was delayed again before he was carted off.

BYRD inspires: Dennis Byrd wrapped up his old, torn jersey, the one cut from his body more than 18 years ago, and sent it to Jets coach Rex Ryan as a gift.

A few days later, he stood in front of the team and provided what WR Braylon Edwards called on Twitter "the most inspirational message of my life."

Byrd, who recovered to walk again after breaking his neck in a 1992 game playing for the Jets, gave a moving speech Saturday night at the team hotel.

"It's that moment for men to put that stamp on who they're supposed to be, who everybody thought they could be," Byrd said Sunday of his message to the team. "This is that time. There comes those moments where you've got to rise to that challenge. This is the one."

MORE JETS: WR/KR Brad Smith sat out with a strained groin. CB Drew Coleman, a nickel back and a key special teams player, was active after injuring a knee in practice Thursday.

BEARS: A left hip injury forced S Chris Harris out of the game, but he said, "My leg will have to be cut off for me to miss this (NFC title) game next week."

PATRIOTS: WR Wes Welker sat out the first offensive series against the Jets amid reports that he was benched for mocking Ryan earlier in the week. Welker received a punt after the Jets' opening drive stalled. But when the offense took the field, Julian Edelman was at receiver. On Thursday, in front of the media, Welker made more than a dozen references to toes and feet, a not-so-subtle reference to recent foot-fetish reports involving the Jets coach and his wife. On the CBS television broadcast, the announcers said Welker was being punished for his comments.

Times wires

Source: http://www.tampabay.com/sports/nfl-playoff-notebook/1145941

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