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But Garrick McGee, the offensive coordinator for No. 21 Arkansas, needed none of that to know his most important player would be ready to go Saturday morning against Ole Miss.
"He has that smile again, and he'll be fine," said McGee, who offered the assessment Tuesday evening following the first day back at practice for Razorbacks quarterback Ryan Mallett.
The strong-armed Mallett is the player who shoulders most of the high expectations the Razorbacks had for this season, expectations that can't afford many more losses.
Arkansas (4-2, 1-2 SEC) has dropped two of its first three conference games in spite of Mallett's production.
Mallett leads the SEC in passing yards (307.3 ypg) and TDs (14) and is third in completion percentage (69.1).
He has thrown the football 60 and 70 yards downfield, even while wearing a protective boot this summer following off-season foot surgery.
Many believe Mallett will be among the top 10 players taken in next spring's NFL draft, should he forego his final college season.
That's the level of player that was woozy on the turf in the first half at Auburn last week, a certain degree of fog settling over the Razorbacks' immediate future along with the uncertainty of Mallett's health.
His backup, Tyler Wilson, performed well with 300-plus yards and four touchdowns but also threw two critical interceptions as Auburn won 65-43 to remain unbeaten.
"There was a stoppage in the game, and I could tell there was something up," McGee said. "He kind of confirmed what I was thinking, and the doctors took it from there."
Initial radio reports had Mallett's injury ranging from concussion to a knee to rib problems to a shoulder.
He showed no effects, no lingering symptoms on Sunday and Monday and was back at practice with his teammates on Tuesday.
'I feel great'
Mallett said in the days that followed he experienced no headaches, no cobwebs, nothing to veer him off course.
"Great man, I feel great," Mallett said Tuesday. "We had a good practice today, and we're getting ready for Ole Miss on Saturday."
It wasn't Mallett's first brush with a concussion. He also had one as a senior at Texas High School in Texarkana, Ark., where he was an All-American before signing with Michigan.
He downplayed the significance of both concussions, as well as the talk of any other injuries.
"My left shoulder is not bad. I hit my head pretty good off the ground. That's what happened. There can be all this speculation, whatever. It happens here and it's always going to be like that," he said.
Contact Parrish Alford at 678-1600 or parrish.alford@djournal.com.