You don't have to be a brain surgeon to know that T.J. Watt took a serious blow on the first play of the Patriots game last Thursday:

#Steelers TJ Watt took a hit to the head from Zeke Elliot pic.twitter.com/htaaOLjIhR

— Tanner Phifer (@TannerPhifer) December 8, 2023

Watt would return to the game after missing only a few plays. But that has raised some eyebrows following his admittance into the concussion protocol and an answer that Coach Tomlin gave on Monday:

Say What?

"I assume that he was [checked for a concussion], but again, I'm managing the game. I leave that to the medical experts," Tomlin told reporters, on Tuesday. "They essentially tell me whether someone is out, whether they're subject to return or whether they're back. I got a report that he was subject to return and then I got a report that he was back. And that was just my knowledge of the details of what transpired with him during the time that he was out in the game."

The game day knowledge is fair – HC isn’t assessing injuries on game day, he’s doing what doctors say.

But not having examined that process in the multiple days since Watt was put back into the game w/ a concussion? Inexcusable for a HC imo. You gotta know what happened there. https://t.co/obqfXoIMgz

— Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) December 11, 2023

Now, I have no issue with what Coach Tomlin said here. That is standard operating procedure in the NFL on gameday. 

It would be selfish to think that Tomlin should do anything other than focus on his team. What concerns me is what happened next when you put two and two together:

"I wasn't aware of that, to be honest with you, so I don't have a response to that," Tomlin said when asked about T.J. Watt changing his visor to a dark tint. "I wasn't aware that he changed visors; he normally wears a visor. You mean the tint of his visor was different? I wasn't aware of that."

Here's the issue. You could cut off one of T.J. Watt's hands and he would still go out there and record a sack. So the fact he changed visors lets you know something was up. 

That something points to the sign of a concussion. A dark-colored visor is analogous to sunglasses. Why would you wear a dark-colored visor in a night game? Probably because the bright stadium lights were bothering your eyes. And why would that happen? Probably because you had a concussion. 

Now, I don't blame Watt, and I don't blame Tomlin. But the same UNC (Unaffiliated Neural Consultant) that ruled Highsmith out (who also entered the concussion protocol after the game) somehow passed Watt through the series of examinations when he obviously wasn't himself after the above hit and wardrobe change. 

So someone has some explaining to do, and Pittsburgh had better hope that the league doesn't get involved and launch an investigation. It's certainly possible to pass the in-game examination and then develop symptoms after the game as players self report concussion-like symptoms all the time. But that seems unlikely when a player as tough as T.J. is asking for a visor because the light is hurting his eyes. 

And as much as it would hurt to lose Watt for the Colts game, that may be the least of the Steelers' worries if things weren't followed by the book on Thursday night. 

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