If there is anything NFL fans can ever count on, it's that the NFL league office and the NFLPA will rarely see eye0to- eye on something. For example, take the news the NFL announced last month concerning the number of concussions players were diagnosed with this season—281.

But NFLPA’s executive director, DeMaurice Smith, has a different take on the data.

During a press conference Thursday in Minneapolis, Smith referred to the numbers as a positive. He explained the number of concussions is higher because of the improvements the NFL and NFLPA have made in medical care.

“We need you guys to hold us accountable,” Smith said, via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “We love the fact that when people believe there’s been a violation that that’s a media issue. That’s the way, sometimes, that we force compliance.”

He also referred to the number of evaluations done this season—over 400. Those improvements led to the concussion protocol which diagnoses players and makes it possible for them to get the treatment and care they need after suffering a serious injury.

On the other side of the argument, the NFL’s Chief Medical Officer, Allen Sills, referred to the news as a “disappointment.”

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It’s not hard to understand why he’d say that. In the six years that the league has been tracking concussions, 281 is the highest.

Smith and the league also commented on some of the more controversial “evaluations” from the season. Both agreed that the Seattle Seahawks erred regarding Russell Wilson’s infamous and very quick test. They also agreed that the Houston Texans did nothing wrong in regard to quarterback Tom Savage.

But Smith and Stills held differing opinions on Cam Newton’s case from the Carolina Panthers loss to the New Orleans Saints in the playoffs. According to the protocol, Newton should have received an evaluation in the locker room, but he never went. The team later said he had been poked in the eye.

The league asked that people refrain from making a medical diagnosis based on what they see on television. But Smith encouraged people to go right ahead and ask questions.

Fully understanding the severity of this topic, it'll be on the minds of all involved moving forward. We'll see how the 2018 numbers shake out.