The NFL required all linemen, linebackers and tight ends to wear Guardian Caps, the soft-shell helmet covers, for part of training camp in 2022. This year, the safety measures have expanded to include running backs through all of preseason and regular-season contact practices. And it's possible the Caps could someday be worn in games, according to NFL executive Jeff Miller.
"I think the day could come," Miller, who oversees NFL player health and safety, told Good Morning Football Thursday. "But at the same time, a lot of the helmets are also making advances, too, and so some of the protective benefits you get from the Guardian Cap hopefully will be seen in helmets in the next year or two." |
LOL
Of course I could be dead wrong. But it was always a feeling and thought of mine.
Also, I always thought there should be a way to design the shoulder pads (or a neck brace) on the QB's to prevent the head from snapping back against the turf. Something to stop the whiplash and maybe make it so the head doesn't hit instead the shoulders take the force. Seems so obvious to me, so I'm sure they tried it and it didn't work.
Also, I always thought there should be a way to design the shoulder pads (or a neck brace) on the QB's to prevent the head from snapping back against the turf. Something to stop the whiplash and maybe make it so the head doesn't hit instead the shoulders take the force. Seems so obvious to me, so I'm sure they tried it and it didn't work.
Steve Grogan used to wear something like that.
That's a great question. Deny it as outside uniform code and you're potentially opening yourself up to increased liability if said player sustains a head/neck injury in a standard league-approved helmet.
That would help, no doubt, but would do little to protect against recoil and snap back of the head on hits, as when one is rear-ended in an auto collision. Sudden bounce of the brain and recoil back inside the skull probably more directly related to head trauma than softening of a direct blow.
It was Steve Wallace:
Of course I could be dead wrong. But it was always a feeling and thought of mine.
I almost got into the equip recertification business many years ago. The sound that is made with plastic on plastic was engineered intentionally. This was openly discussed as a goal from the manufacturers, Bike in particular.
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My guess is that they will become molded onto the helmet instead of being something that snaps on. It makes sense to me to have a soft outer shell on the helmet as well as the advancement they made to the interiors.
That would help, no doubt, but would do little to protect against recoil and snap back of the head on hits, as when one is rear-ended in an auto collision. Sudden bounce of the brain and recoil back inside the skull probably more directly related to head trauma than softening of a direct blow.
I expect people thought leather helmets were goofy when they came in. And hard helmets. And facemasks. I remember facemasks that were a single loop and how odd it seemed when everybody had to adopt the cage version. It'll look goofy at first but we'll get used to it.
Matt M, the 'We care about the health of the players!' line never fails to crack me up. Yes, if the owners seriously gave AF about the health-short & long term-of the players, we wouldn't have TNF or expanding the season.
Excellent post. I'm sure this will be part of the spin, using these bulbous helmets, when the league forces the 18th game. Because you know it's coming...
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The reality is this will have little impact on concussions and less on CTE because of the nature of this injuries/conditions. This is just an obvious visual for them to point to to say hey we care about your health. If they really cared, they wouldn't have gone to 17 games and they wouldn't have made Thursday night games a regular every week occurance.
Excellent post. I'm sure this will be part of the spin, using these bulbous helmets, when the league forces the 18th game. Because you know it's coming...
If the NFL actually cared about player safety, it would be much more effective to reduce it back to 16 games, unbloat the NHL-like playoffs, and get rid of that damned terrible thurs dame.
So there are exterior forces, but also interior, brain into skull forces.
All these have to be taken into consideration.
Do I mind that? Not as much as I probably should.
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In comment 16170421 Matt M. said:
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The reality is this will have little impact on concussions and less on CTE because of the nature of this injuries/conditions. This is just an obvious visual for them to point to to say hey we care about your health. If they really cared, they wouldn't have gone to 17 games and they wouldn't have made Thursday night games a regular every week occurance.
Excellent post. I'm sure this will be part of the spin, using these bulbous helmets, when the league forces the 18th game. Because you know it's coming...
If the NFL actually cared about player safety, it would be much more effective to reduce it back to 16 games, unbloat the NHL-like playoffs, and get rid of that damned terrible thurs dame.
Im sure they care about the players. But they care about making $$ much more. If increasing safety doesnt interfere with their cash flow...sure why not. But Thursday night games and the extra game are here to stay I think.
Also....just curious...why do people always cite the NHL for having a bloated playoff season? If im not mistaken, isnt the NBA also 4 rounds of 7 game series?
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"I onew it, I'm surrounded by assholes"
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In comment 16170421 Matt M. said:
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The reality is this will have little impact on concussions and less on CTE because of the nature of this injuries/conditions. This is just an obvious visual for them to point to to say hey we care about your health. If they really cared, they wouldn't have gone to 17 games and they wouldn't have made Thursday night games a regular every week occurance.
Excellent post. I'm sure this will be part of the spin, using these bulbous helmets, when the league forces the 18th game. Because you know it's coming...
If the NFL actually cared about player safety, it would be much more effective to reduce it back to 16 games, unbloat the NHL-like playoffs, and get rid of that damned terrible thurs dame.
You're preaching to the converted. Ownership is clearly driven by $s over safety. By many multiples.
Fortunately for them, too, the NFLPA is as dumb as a bag of hammers and are incapable of adequately defending themselves.
It sounds off the wall, and it would change the game some, but if "helmets" were more similar to those worn by Aussie rules footballers, in time there would be far fewer head and neck injuries. Open faces, too, would be a positive for the game, IMO.
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But I think if they reduced the size of pads and helmets people would be a bit more protective of their bodies as opposed to launching themselves head first like missiles.
It sounds off the wall, and it would change the game some, but if "helmets" were more similar to those worn by Aussie rules footballers, in time there would be far fewer head and neck injuries. Open faces, too, would be a positive for the game, IMO.
Much easier to go from less protection to more than the opposite.
People point to rugby players as an example of players with less protection doing just ifne, but as somebody once pointed out, rugby players don't need to fight for/over every inch of forward progress. The game doesn't work that way. So a lot of rugby techniques are inherently different from gridiron football techniques.
Here you go...see article on the Gladiator.
The Gladiator (H/T UniWatch) - ( New Window )
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But when I played football back in the 80s and 90s as a kid, the one thing that truly bothered me was the sharp sound from the helmet during contact. I’ve always thought that has a correlation to the injuries and that inside of helmets should be lined with a thick but soft leather to absorb the sound and shock. Never understood why that was never discussed more.
Of course I could be dead wrong. But it was always a feeling and thought of mine.
I almost got into the equip recertification business many years ago. The sound that is made with plastic on plastic was engineered intentionally. This was openly discussed as a goal from the manufacturers, Bike in particular.
So that sound is a good thing??
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That came up with a softshell helmet that looked absolutely massive and goofy. Can't find the original article.
Here you go...see article on the Gladiator.
The Gladiator (H/T UniWatch) - ( New Window )
Yes!