“You don’t want to be a noodle.”

Whether they like it or not, Tennessee Titans players can't help but think about the scary situation facing Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

The Titans (0-3) visit the Dolphins (1-2) at Hard Rock Stadium this week for a “Monday Night Football” game (6:30 p.m. CT, ESPN). The Dolphins will be without Tagovailoa, the NFL's reigning passing leader, as he recovers from his fourth diagnosed concussion in the last five years. That includes three in his NFL career.

His most recent fumble, suffered in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills, landed him on injured reserve and sparked discussion and speculation among media and fans alike as to whether Tagovailoa should consider retiring.

“It's something we don't like to think about as players, but it's a reality of the game,” Titans quarterback Will Levis said. “It’s so (easy) to act like this isn’t a potential for any of us.”

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There were 219 reported concussions in the NFL in 2023. This is 22% less than the record year of 2017, but a trend upwards compared to the 172 in 2020 and the 187 in 2021. It remains unknown, given the constant number of collisions in football and the causes on which the diagnosis of concussion is based for symptoms noticed by third parties or reported by players themselves. How many concussions are sustained but undiagnosed?

Like all NFL locker rooms, the Titans' roster is littered with players who have struggled with concussions in the past. Wide receiver Treylon Burks has missed five games in the last two years because of two concussions, including three games last season after he had to be carried off the field on a stretcher following a helmet-to-helmet hit in Pittsburgh.

Titans backup quarterback Mason Rudolph was knocked unconscious after a head-on collision in a game against Baltimore in 2019. Linebacker Luke Gifford suffered a concussion on the first play of the 2024 preseason and ironically sustained the injury on the dynamic kickoff play.

And this season, tight end Josh Whyle became the first Titans player to wear a Guardian Cap — essentially a soft outer shell that adds another layer of padding to the helmet — in games as a preventative measure after he suffered a concussion in 2023 was diagnosed and another in the 2024 preseason.

Tagovailoa’s situation resonates with all of these players. Coming back from a concussion isn't as easy as waiting for the brain to heal.

“Basically, no matter how long you’re out there, you lose your mind,” Burks said. “It’s hard to explain until you have one.”

“It was hard to come back from that,” Rudolph added. “I tried to come back two weeks later. It only takes a minute to feel comfortable on the field again. No (I don't regret it) at all; I felt like it was more of a confidence issue in my opinion. You.” I missed a few weeks of having a little post-traumatic stress disorder, and some of the best specialists in Pittsburgh filled me in on it. “

Doctors told Rudolph after his concussion that the loss of consciousness usually had nothing to do with the severity of the injury. The difference, says Rudolph, lies in the optics. Everyone remembers the image of an unresponsive player surrounded by medical staff.

When he returned for the first time 22 days later, coincidentally for a “Monday Night Football” game against Miami, he was a little nervous. He admits it took him a few rides to calm down and feel like himself.

Tagovailoa's repeated situation makes the already complicated puzzle even more complicated for players. Levis said he believes the more cautious someone acts, the more likely they are to get hurt. Gifford and Burks say that to survive as a pro, it's not enough to have a certain number of concussions in mind after which you would call it a career.

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