Chomps
Well-known member
- Mar 18, 2019
- 2,323
- 0
Browns cornerback Denzel Ward made the Pro Bowl as a rookie last season, but he suffered two concussions late in the year that had him thinking about changing the way he plays.
Ward says he’s putting more thought into hitting with his shoulders, not his helmet, to protect himself.
“The first concussion I got really wasn’t on a tackle,” Ward said, via the Akron Beacon Journal. “I kind of got my head in there on two guys coming across from me. Once you get your first concussion, you’re susceptible to another one. It was kind of a short period of time. I ended up getting another concussion going up against a tight end on the sideline. I just have got to be smart about the tackling.”
Ward says leading with his head was a problem for him last year, something his coaches addressed with him.
“I got my head in there a few times on plays that I shouldn’t,” Ward said. “I think I was just trying to be too physical at times and go up against guys that were 260 [pounds]. So I just got to get lower and just tackle a lot smarter if I could.”
Ward says he’s now 100 percent healthy and symptom-free. He’ll try to stay that way.