Michael Vick Injury: Why Did It Take Hand, Not Concussion, to Sideline QB?

Michael Vick has a broken right hand. That's the story this week.

Vick had a concussion. That was the story last week.

Ask anyone, and they'll happily tell you they'd rather suffer a major hand injury than a major head injury.

Well, anyone other than Vick, apparently. Vick can play with a concussion, but he can't play with an injury to his non-throwing hand. 

That's the story we'll hear about next week.

And that story should raise an important question: Why did it take a hand injury, not a head injury, to sideline one of the greatest comeback tales in NFL history? 

The simple answer is that you can see a broken hand. Vick might wear a cast, or at least some sort of brace, after today's mishap. After last week's ding, there was no visible evidence. Vick's head wasn't bandaged like an extra in a civil war movie, and he didn't suddenly have the word "concussion" tattooed on his forehead. (For the record, I doubt he'll have "broken" tattooed on his hand, either, but that's beside the point.)

The NFL has taken major steps to guard against head injuries. They treat first-time concussion victims with the same caution as a guy suffering through his third of the year. Or at least that's what they'd have us believe. It's not true, though.

It can't be. Michael Vick was forced from last week's game after having his head hit so hard that his brain was bruised against his skull, but he was out there against New York today, falling forward and battering offensive and defensive linemen alike with his noggin.  But next week, when the worst off-field consequence his injury could cause would be an inability to grasp a video-game controller, he'll be sitting on the sidelines.

So, the answer to that question we talked about, the one pitting hand injuries against head injuries and why the seemingly softer of the two is the one causing missed time, is another question. 

Why didn't Mike Vick simply suffer another concussion so he'd still be able to suit up against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 4?