Please, Don't Play It Again, Sam

Several reports originating in the the Rose City suggest Windsor Lancers No. 1 quarterback Sam Malian is, take your pick now, day-to-day or a game-time decision for Saturday's game against the No. 5 Western Mustangs.

Malian, you see, is still suffering from post-concussion syndrome. He suffered the injurious blow to the head during Windsor's victory against Toronto in Week 2.

He then forwent the team's trip to Kingston, where the Queen's Gaels defeated the Lancers 40-7 last week.

And Malian hasn't been able to practice on two consecutive days this week due to the seriousness of the injury and its lingering effects.

Yet he may start Saturday in a game the Lancers are all but sure to lose — Western's won six consecutive games against Windsor, including wins by scores of 60-7, 58-5 and 49-0 the last three meetings, respectively.

“He got the OK from the doctor, but he will be a game-time decision,” Morencie told Morris Dalla Costa of the London Free Press.

Morencie may not be the best when it comes to in-game decisions (see: frequent second-half collapses vs. Waterloo in consecutive seasons). But surely he's smart enough, caring enough and selfless enough to not risk Malian's future, off-field career included.

A win against Western surely won't save Morencie's job — his contract mercifully expires this season. And a win won't put Malian in the CFL. Danny Brannagan he's not. And Brannagan, as good as he was at Queen's, isn't even on the Argos dress roster.

Coincidentally, Morencie — and presumably Malian — are considering the pivot starts just days after the U.S. Feds passed legislation to increase the government's role in protecting young athletes from sports-related concussions, according to the Associated Press.

"Studies have found that many student athletes don't report symptoms of possible concussions despite growing evidence that untreated concussions can have long-term physical and mental consequences."

And we all remember the moving, thought-provoking CBC piece, "Head Games: What's killing the professional football players."

By Malian playing against one of the OUA's best defences — Western's is ranked fifth, but has played arguably what were to be the three best offences in the league in Laurier, Ottawa and McMaster — he puts his career after football at risk.

Even if he plays, there is no guarantee Malian will escape unscathed. Last season, he injured a knee, bruised his throwing hand and injured the same knee a second time.

"Funny ... I told (second string quarterback) Austin Kennedy's mom that he would be the Lancer QB within several games due to Malian's vulnerability to injury. I was right, again," one close to the Lancers wrote me the day after the Queen's game.

And Malian will be just that Saturday: Vulnerable. He and his inexperienced porous offensive line will have Craig Butler, John Surla and Jason Kosec to contend with — an inside game that on paper looks as lopsided as the game itself.

According to a previous piece by the Windsor Star's Jim Parker, "Windsor's offensive line has two fifth-year veterans at the tackle positions in Chris Cowan and Nick Cicchini. However, the interior of the line features three second-year players that had one career start between them coming in with Samir Mouawad at left guard, Nick Corrado at centre and Jared Olsen at right guard."

Given the circumstances, this game-time decision is no-brainer. So long as Morencie and Malian wisely choose to use theirs.

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