Giants' Tyrod Taylor questioned NFL concussion protocols before his head injury

Concussions have dominated pockets of NFL headlines early into the fall after both Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cameron Brate were permitted to play coming off presumed head injuries. Between those instances, New York Giants backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor suffered a concussion in relief of injured starter Daniel Jones during this past Sunday's win over the Chicago Bears. 

Taylor spoke with Bob Brookover of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com before the Week 4 victory about multiple subjects, including the league's concussion protocols that have been criticized by football and sports personalities as of late. 

"I think everybody questions the protocols after seeing (last Thursday) night," Taylor explained about Tagovailoa going down for a second straight game during the "Thursday Night Football" contest involving the Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals. "It shouldn’t just be players, either. Obviously, the players because we’re in it, but a lot of people — coaches — a lot of questions need to be answered because clearly everyone thought that he was concussed in the Buffalo game (four days earlier). So how is it that he played in the Thursday night game? Even if you did drop the ball on Buffalo, and I understand as a player you want to be out there, but it shouldn’t be in the players' hands."

Taylor has now suffered four diagnosed concussions since August 2017. At least one of those could potentially be linked to the equipment he's used on football fields. 

"I wear an older helmet," Taylor told Brookover. "Mine is legal, but it’s an older one. It’s about a comfort level. I’ve been playing longer than a lot of these kids. A lot of the guys are used to the helmet they played with in college. They don’t really make the helmet I play with in college anymore." 

Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Dungy is among those who have recently blasted the NFL's in-game system for evaluating head injuries. Meanwhile, the NFL/NFL Players Association review of the Tagovailoa matter could be completed as early as Thursday.