FLOWERY BRANCH – Falcons defensive coordinator Dean Pees is recovering from a collision he suffered in the pre-game warm-ups that caused him to miss most of the Saints’ game on Sunday in New Orleans.
“I was just standing there on the field in pre-game talking to (Fox reporter) Kristina Pink,” Pees said on Wednesday. “We were just having a good conversation. Then all of sudden, I just got hit. I didn’t see it coming. I don’t think anybody saw it coming. He didn’t see me obviously. Didn’t mean to do it.”
Saints returner Rashid Shaheed, while backing up to field a punt, slammed into Pees and knocked him to the ground.
“Normally, I’m out there and very cognizant of punts going on, quarterbacks throwing and guys warming up and stuff,” Pees said. “Didn’t see that one. Just got hit from the side and went down.”
Pees, 73, was dazed, but doesn’t believe he suffered a concussion.
“If I was out, it was for a very, very short time,” Pees said. “I don’t think I was ever totally out. I remember hitting the ground and just kind of looking up (and thinking) what the hell just happened.”
Falcons offensive coordinator Dave Ragone didn’t see the collision, but was concerned for Pees as he received medical attention about 40 minutes before the scheduled kickoff.
“I’ve known Dean a long time,” Ragone said. “It was personal for all of us. We are just fortunate that he’s alright.”
A few days later, Pees could joke about the encounter.
“The good thing was the doctor asked me where I was and as I was looking up, they print Superdome on the top there, so it was good,” Pees said of the roof of the dome stadium. “I looked up and said, ‘Ok, Superdome.’ So, the good thing was I had a good answer for him. They just asked me a bunch of questions and stuff.”
Pees tried to bounce up and carry on, but because he takes blood thinners the doctors were concerned about internal bleeding.
“I tried to tell them that I thought I could go and let me get up and let me go and walk around,” Pees said. “Part of the reason, just to give you a reason, that they told me I had to go to the hospital, one of our team doctors or whoever was there, knows that I’m on blood thinners.
“Because I’m on blood thinners, if there is any bleeding in the brain, it can be very serious. It can lead to a stroke. They said you could even not know that its bleeding. The only way you can do that is through a cat scan.”
Pees kept trying to get up and get ready for the game.
“That’s why they wouldn’t let me get up and go,” Pees said. “I kept telling them I think I’m good. I’m beat up a little bit, but I don’t feel like I’m concussed or anything like that. But then they said no, they just took the precautionary measures of putting the stuff on my neck, which always looks terrible, but it was precautionary.”
They put Pees on a back board and rolled him off the field on cart. He went to a local hospital to receive the CAT scan.
“Other than I was sore and beat up a little bit,” Pees said. “I felt Ok in the hospital. They did a great job. The people there in New Orleans at the hospital did a great job. Then when he finally came in and told me that the CAT scan was clean ... then I knew I was Ok.”
Pees got back to stadium in the final minutes of the game.
“I got to actually sit in the training room in the dark and watch the TV,” Pees said. “I thought we were going to pull it off.”
Pees was back at practice on Monday. Falcons coach Arthur Smith said the team will monitor Pees’ condition over the week.
“It puts things back in perspective about health, life,” Smith said. “He’s doing better. He’s here. He’s working. So, make sure he’s doing alright and continue to follow up.”
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Atlanta Falcons 2022 schedule
Sept. 11: Saints 27, Falcons 26
Sept. 18: Rams 31, Falcons 27
Sept. 25 Falcons 27, Seahawks 23
Oct. 2 Falcons 23, Browns 20
Oct. 9 Buccaneers 21, Falcons 15
Oct. 16 Falcons 28, 49ers 14
Oct. 23 Bengals 35, Falcons 17
Oct. 30 Falcons 37, Panthers 34 OT
Nov. 6 Chargers 20, Falcons 17
Nov. 10 Panthers 25, Falcons 15
Nov. 20 Falcons 27, Bears 24
Nov. 27 Commanders 19, Falcons 13
Dec. 4 Steelers 19, Falcons 16
BYE WEEK
Dec. 18 Saints 21, Falcons 18
Dec. 24 at Baltimore, 1 p.m.
Jan. 1 vs. Arizona, 1 p.m.
Jan. 8 vs. Tampa Bay, TBD
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