It's The Beginning Of October And The Dolphins Are Right Back Where They Started

Over the past few seasons it's been exhausting being a Dolphins fan. Most recently, it was the whole Nick Satan debacle, and an offseason that saw some popular players depart and some curious draft decisions.

And now it's the beginning of October, and the Dolphins(and their fans) are in the same spot they were a number of months ago. Looking for a quarterback to lead the team.

Thanks to Trent Green's decision to block a defender in the knee with his head on Ted Ginn's reverse(You remember him right? Miami's #1 pick.), Cleo Lemon is the starter for the forseeable future. He may even be the starter for the rest of the season because this is Green's second bad concussion in as many seasons. If he can't go, then it will be up to Lemon and second round pick John Beck to try and end Miami's eight game losing streak.

Does passing on Brady Quinn after he fell into Miami's lap seem like such a great decision now, Coach Cameron? I know that Ginn's 51 yards of total receiving have made a huge impact, but seriously, passing on Quinn? [sarcasm]It's still a great idea six months later![/sarcasm]

College Wrestlers, Still Dirty. Concussions, Increasing.

The NCAA released their findings of a study that covered 16 years of data, and a couple of items were pretty interesting.

First the humorous, then we'll get to the more serious ones.

"In men's wrestling, skin infections proved to be a larger problem than previously thought, with about 20 percent of practice injuries related to skin infections. The report recommended better hygiene, for wrestlers and the mats."

Remember that the next time someone tells you they were a wrestler in college, and then shakes your hand or gives you a hug. Purell, stat!

The study also concluded that "more than half of all injuries were to the lower extremities", "injury rates were two to three times higher during preseason practices than during the regular season" and that the rate of concussions has increased dramatically.

"Rates of concussions increased from .17 per 1,000 athlete exposures in 1988-89 to .34 per 1,000 exposures in 2003-04. An exposure is every time an athlete participates in a game. Authors attributed the increase in part to improved reporting and identification of concussions."

Wow, the rate of concussions has increased twofold over the past 16 years. Yes, advances in medicine that have led to better detection has probably bumped the rate up a bit. However, with athletes becoming stronger and faster every year, and equipment staying relatively the same, something obviously needs to be done. The NCAA might want to follow the NFL's approach, and make this a priority in the near future.