ATHENS – Blurred images flashed through Bacarri Rambo’s mind when he watched Atlanta cornerback Dunta Robinson’s collision with Philadelphia receiver DeSean Jackson on Sunday.
Bits and pieces of last year’s game against Auburn came rushing back to him, but not much. Rambo’s last-minute hit and break up of a pass intended for Mario Fannin near the goal line in Georgia’s 31-24 victory left him unconscious and with a concussion.
“When it first happened, I took a deep breath and just closed my eyes and just ... I don’t remember,” Rambo said this week. “When I came back to myself and out of the CAT scan, I saw [former] coach [Willie] Martinez standing over me and talking to me. That’s the only thing I remember. I don’t remember anything else. ... That’s a very scary moment, when you are just laying there not knowing what’s going on.”
The NFL said this week it will begin suspending players for helmet-to-helmet hits in the wake of a brutal weekend in which several players, including Robinson, drew fines for violent tackles. Both Robinson and Jackson are on this week’s NFL injury report with concussions.
Replays and YouTube video of Rambo’s hit on Fannin show that Rambo led with his right shoulder – not his helmet – forcing the ball to pop out and bounce away incomplete. Rambo’s head was bent awkwardly on impact and he collapsed to Sanford Stadium’s turf, where he was quickly surrounded by medical staff and teammates before being strapped to a backboard and carted off the field.
Georgia cornerback Vance Cuff was on the sideline during the play, but rushed to his friend’s side.
“I’ve seen concussions on TV, but I’ve never seen anything like that," Cuff said. "He’s eyes were big. I was like, ‘Rambo, are you all right?’ And the thing was, I’m thinking he’s coming back because he opened his eyes and said, ‘Yeah, man, I’m good. I’m good. I’m good. I’m good.’ But he was out of it. He was like, ‘He didn’t catch the ball, did he?’ He was like, ‘Hey. What happened?’ I said, ‘You laid him out. You made a big hit.’”
Rambo spent the night at St. Mary's Hospital and missed the next two games, but came back to match his career high with four tackles in Georgia's Independence Bowl victory over Texas A&M.
He said he doesn’t feel any lingering affects from the concussion, although both Rambo and Georgia coach Mark Richt agree that he was tentative in spring practice. Richt said Rambo was “hesitant to turn it loose from a physical nature, a hitting, striking point of view. I think he’s over that.”
Rambo has rebounded to become one of the most consistent members of the secondary this season and is second on the team with 44 tackles, starting every game at strong safety.
He sometimes talks to cornerback Branden Smith, who is about to miss his fourth game with a concussion-like symptoms, telling him to be patient and make sure he’s healthy before returning to the field.
“When I was first hit, I thought I was just dizzy. It felt like I was just dizzy,” Rambo said. “I knew there was a collision. It was very scary. That’s a very scary moment when you’re just laying there not knowing what’s going on. I was terrified. I just hope no one else on the team experiences what I did.”
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