NFL teams
Josh Weinfuss, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Patrick Peterson passes protocol

NFL, Arizona Cardinals

TEMPE, Ariz. -- It took Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson less than two days after being briefly knocked unconscious by a teammate's hit to pass the NFL's concussion protocol.

He was on the practice field Wednesday, a day after clearing the protocol, going through some light stretching during the open portion of practice. Earlier Wednesday, Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said Peterson was "ready to roll."

"I was kinda worried when I woke up because I was like, 'Oh man, I was knocked out for a second,'" Peterson said. "But at the moment, you're out there playing football, you play for those moments.

"It was a scare for me but not only me: the fans, my family."

Peterson said he's symptom-free after a friendly-fire hit from rookie safety Deone Bucannon in Arizona's 24-20 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Late in the second quarter, Peterson was on the receiving end of a brutal hit from Bucannon that went through Philadelphia's Jeremy Maclin first. Maclin's helmet knocked into Peterson's and sent him to the ground.

Until Peterson saw the replay, he thought Bucannon had hit him directly.

"I thought it was kinda awkward, honestly," Peterson said. "Obviously, it was in slow motion so you can't really see the absorption of the hit.

"It was a kinda weird, awkward hit."

As a result of the hit, Peterson said he received a new, updated helmet model with more padding.

After passing the necessary tests Tuesday, his plan was to play a round of golf, but his wife, Antonique, a medical student, wouldn't allow him. So, Peterson was relegated to putting in the backyard.

Arians wasn't surprised Peterson passed the protocol so quickly.

"No. After seeing him in the locker room jumping on me?" Arians said. "Plus, he wanted to play golf yesterday. I knew he'd clear."

When the Cardinals returned to the locker room after Sunday's win, Peterson began celebrating, jumping on Arians and his teammates' backs, slapping guys in the head.

"I'm too old to have guys jump up on top of me," Arians said Monday. "But he was excited."

Peterson didn't contain his excitement to the coaching staff.

He was watching the end of the game on a TV in the Cardinals' locker room but the broadcast was on a delay, so Peterson said he heard the crowd cheer the win before he saw Rashad Johnson's knockdown on the final play.

When Johnson returned to the locker room, he found an ecstatic Peterson -- who didn't look like he was concussed.

"I was like, 'Dude, don't you have a concussion? You should be sitting down in the dark room with your eyes closed right now or something,'" Johnson said. "He was like the strength coach that jumps around crazy when the game is over. It was a lot of fun seeing him. You could tell he was feeling better."

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