"Doctors examined 49ers quarterback Alex Smith for a concussion six plays before he dove head-first into a pile of players and emerged with blurred vision, coach Jim Harbaugh said Monday. Smith eventually left Sunday's game with a concussion, and he saw a neurologist Monday afternoon, the first step in the NFL's more stringent protocol for dealing with head injuries. "(He's) doing much better, had a good night's sleep last night," Harbaugh said. "And symptoms are positive today." Smith absorbed at least two big hits during a 12-play drive that spanned the first and the second quarters. On the first, he slid awkwardly after a short scramble and was struck in the back of the shoulder and the helmet by Rams linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar. Smith seemed to get up slowly after the play, and team doctors – presumably between quarters – examined him for signs of a concussion. "That was a good-sized hit," Harbaugh said during his Monday news conference. "Our doctors were good; they were very pro-active on that hit. They watched it on the monitors, and Alex had no symptoms after that hit. He was cleared to play."" Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/11/13/4980683/smith-examined-before-vision-blurred.html
