Hours Before Kickoff: Week 2

We saw the linemen fall on center Dan Koppen’s leg. We watched as he was loaded onto the cart and was driven to the locker room. When Koppen was back on the sidelines with crutches and his lower leg in a boot, cameras captured it.

When DT Mike Wright left the field and never returned, it didn’t seem like a big deal. But it could be worse than we know.

Wright suffered a concussion. He is out for Sunday’s game against San Diego. Last year a concussion cut Wright’s season short by six games. Whether he returns to action this season is unknown.

Last year Wright was part of the pass rush unit that often included NT Vince Wilfork and DL Myron Pryor. Wright was very effective in that role as he led the team in sacks with 5.5.

New England’s defensive line was crippled by injuries last year. The unit was so depleted that they signed free agent DE/LB Eric Moore out of the UFL to fill out the depth chart.

Knowing what they do now, the Patriots made sure they added plenty of depth for the D-line. If injuries continue to add up, Ron Brace and Brandon Deaderick can be activated off of the PUP list after week six. New England shouldn’t miss much, if anything, without Wright on the field.

But what does Mike Wright lose? We are learning more and more about the long term effects of repeated concussions. We already know getting a concussion makes one more susceptible to future concussions. That’s probably is what happened to Wright, even after a full off-season to recover from last year’s concussion.

Wright came to New England as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Cincinnati in 2005. He made a strong impression during training camp and earned a roster spot. Coaches quickly put Wright’s pass rush ability to work as part of a substitution package.

Wright has been pretty durable over the past six seasons, playing 16 games in a season three times in his career. More impressive is he got better year after year. Wright’s sack totals increased from zero in his rookie year to one in 2006, half a sack in 2007, 2.5 in ’08, 5 in ’09 and a career high 5.5 in 10 games in 2010.

Wright was off to a good start this year with half a sack in the season opener against Miami. But will this concussion put Wright on the shelf for the rest of the season?

It’s a tough pill to swallow for an unsung role player like Wright. He doesn’t get the attention that starters enjoy. His contribution might not be appreciated by fans as much as the starters. He never got a lucrative multi-million dollar payday that sets the market.

All Mike Wright did was quietly do his job and Wright did it well.

Wright’s health will be evaluated weekly, so we won’t know until later if Wright can return this season or if he’s done for the year. If Wright is finished for 2011, it’s a legitimate question to ask if his career is finished as well. It would be a depressing end to Wright’s career if the concussions have taken enough of a toll to make him walk away for good.

A few things I’m looking for:

Close the Gates: All training camp long we heard TE Rob Gronkowski was unstoppable. Hopefully that trend doesn’t continue with S.D.’s Antonio Gates.

Get Backs Down: RBs Mike Tolbert and Ryan Matthews are dangerous as runners and receivers. Neither goes down after first contact. Tackling must be sound.

Flip the Field: Turnovers were the reason New England beat the Chargers last year. A couple more thefts will really help the cause.

I’m on a losing streak. The last five games of any local pro sports team I attended they lost. I will disagree with my gut and believe the Patriots end my losing streak in a high scoring affair.