Detroit Lions: Amari Spievey's Absence Raises Concussion Red Flags

At his most recent press conference following yesterday's OTAs, Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz answered a litany of questions regarding Nick Fairley, Mikel Leshoure and Titus Young.

The media was interested in knowing how he—and the team—were going to address ongoing discipline issues.

At the end, as almost an afterthought, Schwartz was questioned about Amari Spievey's absence and he gave a very brief answer (Detroitnews.com):

"

He's going to start working his way back; we have protocol we have to follow there with getting him back. We'll get him back on the field pretty quickly.

"

At first glance this doesn't appear to be significant, but there is a word in that sentence that should make all Lions fans cringe: Protocol.

As Justin Rodgers from MLive.com points out, this is the same language Schwartz has used in the past to update the media about players recovering from a concussion. Players like Jahvid Best and Justin Durant.

If you read into his statement it would appear that Spievey is not yet medically cleared from a concussion.

If this injury is a surprise to anyone it's understandable. There hasn't been much talk of it since immediately following the Lions playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints last January.

During the first quarter Spievey suffered a concussion but didn't report it. He played the rest of the game and afterward the team announced the injury.

It's been four months and that blip has long since disappeared from everyone's radar; until yesterday.

Schwartz never actually said the word "concussion" but his terminology certainly makes it the most reasonable explanation. If this is true it raises red flags about the severity of Spievey's injury.

The Lions know too well how long players can be out with concussion symptoms. Jahvid Best missed almost the entire year last year. Now Spievey is not medically cleared after four months.

He's a valuable starter for a young Lions defensive backfield. If he's hampered for a prolonged period of time with concussion issues, it will hurt that unit's overall performance tremendously.

Injury issues plagued the secondary last year and this would just be a continuation of that problem.

It's still early. We're not even into training camp yet. He could return well before the regular season starts showing no ill effects. The fact that Schwartz says he will be on the field quickly is encouraging.

With the amount of time that's passed and the fact that Spievey's still not at full strength, concerns are legitimate though. 

One must also consider the NFL's focus on concussion prevention and that Spievey's case was mentioned by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on a 60 Minutes piece about concussions in the NFL. Perhaps the Lions are handling this injury with extra care.

There's no reason to rush an injury that had so much attention paid to it.

Whatever the case, Spievey's health is paramount to a Lions defense that desperately needs consistency in the secondary. If his absence continues much longer you can bet more attention will be paid to it and then Schwartz won't be able to get away with short and sweet answers.