To some, a one-month break from work might sound like the perfect way to cap off a summer.

For Tyler Willis, it's been anything but a vacation.

The Wheatland bull rider suffered a head injury at Cheyenne Frontier Days last month and has been waiting out a 30-day doctor's release ever since.

Right now, all he can do is wait with his fingers crossed, hopeful that the layoff doesn't destroy his bid for a spot in the National Finals Rodeo.

"I've just been at home, being lazy," Willis said. "I can't stand sitting at home doing nothing. I'm ready to get out there, and I've still got some good rodeos to go to and can still make the NFR."

Willis had himself right in the mix heading into the final week of July.

A third-place check in Salt Lake City netted him $3,000 on his way to Cheyenne, but perhaps the worst wreck of his young career put his eye-opening rookie campaign on hold.

Willis got hung up on his bull, was jerked down and knocked unconscious. He broke his cheekbone in three places and busted his eye socket, injuries which required a plate and six screws.

"My freshman year of high school, I broke my femur and I got a rod in there for that, and I've broke some bones in my lower leg before," Willis said. "But I've never had anything with my face like this before."

The injury certainly won't deter the world's leading rookie bull rider from returning to the arena, but it has prompted Willis to try riding with a helmet -- something he's never done before.

His doctor's release runs out Aug. 27, but they recommended he sit out another month -- a layoff that would effectively end his year.

Instead, Willis will attempt an early comeback with the added protection of the helmet.

"I'll just kind of play it by ear," Willis said. "Some people say the transition to a helmet can be bad, I guess. But there wouldn't be any sense to not wearing one if I could get along all right."

Willis admitted he doesn't know much about the Bulltough helmet that cost him about $500.

But he plans to test it out when he returns to Vernon College next week -- though not while riding bulls -- before he gets back into the arena in Washington during the last week of this month.

If he can make that transition work, Willis -- who is still ranked 21st in the world -- will still have a shot at finishing in the top 15 and making the NFR in December in Las Vegas.

"I was looking the other day and there's a lot of opportunities to make a lot of money," Willis said. "I'll still be in reach."

Contact sports reporter Eric Schmoldt at (307) 266-0578 or eric.schmoldt@trib.com.

RODEO TRACKER

CRUNCH TIME: Rodeo athletes now have less than two months to make their final push to finish in the top 15 in the standings, ensuring a spot in the National Finals Rodeo.

WILLIS WAITS: Wheatland bull rider Tyler Willis, currently 21st in the world, suffered a head injury last month in Cheyenne and will have just one month to make up for lost time.

HE SAID IT: "I can't stand sitting at home doing nothing." -- Willis.

NFR WATCH: If the rodeo season ended today, 13 cowboys with Wyoming ties would make the NFR.