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Chomping at Bits: Will Muschamp knows things about woodpeckers and concussions

Will Muschamp, amateur ornithologist.

By Andy Hutchins
Sam Greenwood

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Will Muschamp learned something about woodpeckers and concussions this week: And he remembered it, too, and said it all yesterday to reporters. (Andy Hutchins, Deadspin | Quotes via ASAP Sports | Video via Thomas Goldkamp)

Yesterday we had Mickey Collins in who is a concussion expert. Was talking to us about when you deal with concussions and when you come back from concussions. He talked about a coach he once dealt with that made the comment this player you could take a shovel and hit him in the back of the head and nothing would ever happen, and this player could bump into a wall and he's going to have a concussion.

Mickey simply said the point is that's right, everyone is different. Everyone handles it differently. A woodpecker is never going to have a concussion. I bet you didn't know that. That's a true story. Isn't it? He said it. They have an extra bone in their neck. They have an extra bone in their neck and they never can have a concussion. You learn something new every day, you just learned something new.

...

I was in a concussion meeting yesterday, and he was an expert on concussions, so I'm going to take his word for it. I have not researched it, so it could be wrong. But he has an extra bone in the back of his neck, therefore every time he hits the wall there or a tree, obviously, he can't ever have a concussion.

It's all about ... really, concussions happen because your head is like an egg, and the yolk is your brain. So when you have violent action, those synapses are messed up, and that's how it causes a concussion. I believe it's the potassium runs out of the synapses and the calcium runs in.

Tyler Murphy to fill in for Jeff Driskel: Suppose this ends any questions about who Florida's backup is. (Chris Harry, GatorZone)

Mack Brown could step up for Matt Jones: I have heard good things about Mack Brown heading into this season. (Scott Carter, Carter's Corner | GatorZone)

Andre Debose misses Aubrey Hill: Which is too bad, really. (Nick De La Torre, Gator Country)

D.J. Humphries still bulking up: It really is surreal that 285 is considered underweight for a human. (Richard Johnson, Gator Country)

This offseason, man: This is a really good timeline. (Adam Silverstein, Only Gators)

Your Gators moment of zen:

Do you wish you were a woodpecker? Do you have more faith in Tyler Murphy or Mack Brown? Do you still expect things out of Andre Debose? Are you worried about D.J. Humphries' weight? The comments are yours.

Star-divide

Andy Hutchins writes for Deadspin and is Alligator Army's managing editor. Follow Alligator Army on Twitter and Facebook.