The NFL's concussion protocol cannot possibly be considered adequate if it allowed Houston Texans quarterback Tom Savage back into Sunday's 26-16 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. The policy has been improved and expanded dramatically in recent years, most recently to include discipline for failure to comply, but clearly it remains lacking in a fundamental way.
The image will be seared in our minds for some time. We all saw Savage's helmet slam off the NRG Stadium turf in Houston. He rolled over, his arms bracketed in an apparent display of what's known as the "fencing response.