In the wake of the injury to Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett in the season opener, we should be amazed that there aren't more instances like that throughout football.

We should particularly be thankful that more kids aren't hurt at the high school level, where the quality of both immediate medical response and teaching of proper tackling techniques can vary greatly from school to school.

We're reminded of all of that this week as we pass the third anniversary of former Loyola defensive back Van Brooks' injury during an early season game as his head struck the knee of another player while Brooks was making a tackle. Brooks, who was immediately paralyzed, has gradually and remarkably regained a great deal of upper-body movement, and hopes to walk again someday.

But even with such a high-profile case as Everett's, who also has regained some motion and was moved last week from Buffalo to suburban Houston to rehab, there are still reasons to worry. Two weeks ago, Jonathan Caban, a senior free safety from Iona Prep in New Rochelle, N.Y., suffered a neck injury during a game making a tackle, and had to be carried off the field by stretcher. Caban never lost consciousness and retained the ability to wriggle his legs. He returned to the sideline as a statistician, but has been ruled out of play until he sees an orthopedist next week.

For any players reading this space, the most important phrase you'll read comes courtesy of ESPN Radio's Mike Golic, a former NFL defensive lineman and the father of two football players himself. Speaking this week about potentially catastrophic injuries, Golic said he tells his kids to always see what they're hitting, meaning to keep their heads up when making tackles. It's good and potentially life-saving advice.