Bulldogs Looking To Get Their Heads On Straight

The Dayton Bulldogs finally seem to be at full strength with the eagerly awaited return of both presumptive starting quarterback Anthony Cioffi and last season's Mid-State 39 Honorable Mention running back  Jesse Bell, as the team heads into its final pre-season scrimmage, Thursday, at Robbinsville.      

Despite only being a sophomore – and this being his maiden season at quarterback -- Cioffi is already considered a huge asset to the offense, while the Bulldogs have certainly missed Bell's execution.

Both players suffered concussions during last week's scrimmage with South River. While Cioffi returned to practice following his mandated time off, Bell had an additional week added to the practice-time he missed last week.       

The time away was certainly a thorn in Cioffi's side. During practices he was on the sidelines in street clothes, throwing the football to anyone who was able to play catch. He was also seen giving pointers to the running backs and receivers, no doubt falling into his role nicely as a team leader.   

Being a pseudo-coach, however, was certainly something that Cioffi didn't want to get accustomed.          

"Physically I'm feeling fine. I wanted to go out and practice but if I took a hit – a wrong hit on my head – it could've been a serious injury," said Cioffi, who said he's definitely playing the Robbinsville scrimmage.   

Cioffi said he hurt his head early in the first scrimmage but didn't really feel the effects of the concussion until after the game on the team bus ride back to Springfield.  

"It was the sixth play of the first series and the guy put his helmet right into my chest and I got whiplashed when I fell on my back," he said. "I kind of blacked out on the sidelines but still went back in there and finished the scrimmage. It didn't set me back that much until right after the game when it hit me and I passed out on the bus."    

Bell could only sigh and look frustrated when discussing his plight. The swift running back will miss important game action, as he still needs to pass the required extensive concussion tests.   

"Two weeks, man," said Bell when asked how he was doing during a recent practice. "I could pass the first part of the test but the other parts are a little harder for me to pass. So, now I have to wait two weeks to play."    

Fortunately for Cioffi his concussion wasn't deemed as severe. Sure, his black-out episodes were scary moments for the young signal caller but what really puts fear in him is the thought he might be letting his teammates down by not being out there. Following that hard-hitting scrimmage there were three Bulldogs who sat out with concussions, causing some trepidation for an already undermanned JDHS squad.       

"With these injuries we're missing six positions for scrimmages because all three of us start on offense and defense," said Cioffi, who is also a starting cornerback. "We can't be missing anymore kids."     

Head coach Joe Goerge expressed his concerns but is confident he'll have a full squad by opening day, Sept 11. The longtime coach knows times have changed from when he played when "bell rungs" and "head-knocks" were considered part of the game. He's all for the precaution medical staffs, coaches, and players take with head injuries – even if it leaves his practice roster decimated to a minimal number of 28 healthy bodies.   

"We lost three kids in the first scrimmage," he said incredulously. "We need some questions answered from the helmet guy because I've never seen that happen. And I didn't even see what you'd call 'major hits' out there."            

The coach knows such a litigious society in which we live now – and with the medical advances we fortunately have with head traumas -- to err on the side of caution is the right call.     

"With concussions these days – and probably better so – there's an eight to twelve [days] or even two weeks of precautions," he said. "It's better like that [because] these kids may come in on a Monday practice and be like, 'Coach, I'm fine.' And maybe they are but we're not going to risk them. Now, it's like a minimum of 10 days that guys will have to sit out."       

Once the concussed guys are all completely cleared, it'll give Dayton great options in the backfield; Cioffi especially, as he'll be the engine that makes the triple-option work. Both player and coach know he missed valuable practice reps so in the meantime, Cioffi was only allowed to run "walk-through" plays where he mimicked the action step by step. No contact but at least he still got in the mental reps.       

"He was just doing walk-throughs for us because he needs to be up on ball-handling and steps," Goerge said. "It's a key part of what we do and he needs to be in there – at least going through the footwork."      

When Dayton has everyone back, they can proceed with its usual well-oiled option machine. And when that happens, upcoming scrimmage participants and the rest of the league will again be on notice. 

Note: The Super Essex Conference recently had a seminar about the risks and impact of concussions that occur during school sporting events. Read about it here: