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Pryor won't let concussion impede style

CORTLAND, N.Y. -- Rookie safety Calvin Pryor, speaking to reporters for the first time since he suffered a concussion, said he's not concerned about future head injuries, claiming it won't affect his hard-hitting style of play.

"Not at all, I still have to be myself," said the New York Jets' first-round pick, who has yet to be cleared for physical contact. "I play physical, be aggressive, just try to make the correct tackle and lead with my shoulder pads. That hit (the concussion) came from a shot where I wasn't looking and I took it out of nowhere. It was from one of my teammates."

Actually, it happened last Saturday in a special-teams drill, when a teammate was blocked into him. Pryor is following the NFL concussion protocol, practicing on a limited basis in a red, no-contact jersey. Initially, he experienced bad headaches and sleeplessness, he said. He said this was his first concussion.

A couple of days after he got hurt, Pryor put a message on Instagram, saying he didn't have a concussion. The team already had announced that he did.

"I didn't think I had one, but then the trainers told me I had one," he said. "I had to go through all these different steps with the protocol. You know, I wasn't thinking it was that serious, but it was a serious issue."

Pryor is unlikely to play Saturday night in the Green & White scrimmage, according to Rex Ryan.