Mid-week thoughts

As one who was a victim of a major auto accident many years ago, I can only imagine what Myles Garrett went through earlier this week when he totaled his vehicle while returning home following practice. His late model Porsche 911 traveling at an excessive speed hit a ditch and a fire hydrant before flipping over a few times before coming to a stop.

According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol crash report, Garrett reported pain in his right hand, left shoulder and cuts and abrasions on his right hand and left side of his face. He also did not remember the crash.

The accident in Medina County fortunately was not life-threatening to Garrett and his female passenger, but caused enough physical damage for the Browns to list the All-Pro defensive end as questionable for Sunday's game in Atlanta.

According the National Football League's Personal (Injury) Report Policy, questionable indicates an uncertainty whether the player in question will play. It is vague from a nomenclature standpoint because it is not definitive. It sort of means he might play; then again, he might not.

This is where common sense enters the picture. Garrett is easily the best player on the Browns defense, the one player they can ill afford to lose. Right now, the front office indicated the team doctors will make the call whether Garrett suit ups and plays.

These are the same doctors who irresponsibly greenlighted Baker Mayfield to play most of last season when the quarterback was seriously hampered by a multitude of injuries that would have idled most other quarterbacks. 

Sure it would be nice to see Garrett out there against the Falcons, albeit under 100%, which in his case is still pretty good. Again from a common-sense viewpoint, why not sit him just this one game, let him fully recover and then bring him back?

If he does play, there's a chance he might cause further damage from the accident. Wouldn't it be wiser to give him another week to heal rather than chance losing him for a longer period of time if he aggravates his injuries?

Most of the damage is soft-tissue related with a sprained shoulder and strained bicep, parts of the body he uses quite a bit to achieve his ultimate goal of harassing opposing quarterbacks in an effort to take them to the ground.

I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on the Internet, but I know the hardest types of injuries to determine length of recovery from them are of the soft-tissue variety such as tendons and ligaments associated with issues affecting arms and legs. 

Hamstrings and quadriceps injuries, as well as groin muscles, tend to linger. Most teams are extremely cautious not to put players back too soon in an effort to prevent recurrence and an even longer stay on the sidelines. 

But when it comes to trauma associated with a car accident, full recovery is not immediate. And when you play a sport where a large part of your job is colliding with the opposition, extreme caution is generally the way to go.

I was T-boned at an intersection while driving home from work -- it wasn't my fault -- and remember nothing about the crash. Everything seemed surreal. Slow motion. I was dazed and confused. (Don't even think about it,)  I'm guessing that was due to shock. I began remembering what happened in bits and pieces later in the hospital.

Garrett's reaction on video provided by the Highway Patrol looked awfully familiar. He looked and acted disoriented. Know that feeling. It truly is surreal.

Garrett later was cited for failure to control his vehicle and traveling at an unsafe speed (65 mph in a 45 mph zone). It was determined alcohol and drugs were not involved and Garrett and his passenger wore seat belts. 

Since signing with the Browns in 2017 as the No. 1 overfall choice in the annual college draft, Garrett reportedly has been cited at least six times in the Greater Cleveland area for excessive speeding.