It wasn’t just the offensive linemen who reacted emotionally in those moments. Outside linebacker Brian Burns also described the scene as “scary” and said hearing Zavala’s voice and seeing him give the thumbs up before being taken to the hospital was what they all needed.
“Because you never know what’s going on, and with the types of injuries that have happened in the past, you can only think the worst,” Burns said. “So, I just tried to cover him with prayers, and I It’s nice to hear he’s OK. So I’m glad he did.”
After about a seven-minute break, play resumed (with Cade Mays taking his starting spot), but it clearly didn’t go the way the Panthers had hoped. Still, head coach Frank Reich said he was grateful for the immediate medical care Zavala was able to receive.
But like others, he admitted he was scared when Zavala didn’t move at first.
“We got there and it didn’t look like he was moving much, but about a minute later I saw him move his arm. So I was hopeful about that. The medical team did a great job, right?
“It’s hard; sometimes you want to think the worst, but you really have to think the best. I think guys have been in this league long enough to know that the medical staff does a great job. They There’s always a tendency to be overly cautious and prepare for the worst. So your heart breaks. You don’t want it to get serious, but you also understand that we have the right medical staff on hand and they’re going to do a great job ”.
