Helmets
A football helmet was initially designed of course to protect the head from collisions. The helmet started as leather and then plastic. Each version of the plastic helmet has been an improvement from the previous helmet. The plastics have changed, and the durometer of the plastics have varied. The end result is this, the helmets from the 70’s are better than the ones from the 60’s. The helmets from the 80’s are better than the helmets from the 70’s. You probably get the picture.
So why the hell do 32 guys in the NFL want to keep their helmets that are ten years older in design than the helmets of today?
These old helmets have been proven not to be protective for the job they were designed to do. Yes, great for the time, but that time was ten years ago. How was your phone ten years ago? Get it? Times have changed.
Football helmet design has changed. I coached football for over 25 years. I was always trying to upgrade the protection my players could have on their head. I raised money. I would do anything to make sure our players were better protected for the game of football. The process took place every year infusing the best products available for that year.
Antonio Brown wants to play in his 10-year-old helmet. Why? Because the new helmets are an inconvenience? Bull Crap. No, they aren’t. I will say every helmet, and every manufacturer’s helmet will fit differently. The different styles of helmets made it for why I each year I would spend the time to research the new technology in helmets from the major manufacturers. There is always a helmet that fits. Plus the many variations of facemask design allows for each position to maximize protection and performance.
I know the helmet Antonio Brown is in. We bought about 30 of them or more for our program. Great helmet in 2009. Today. Not a chance. And he is asking for the NFL for an exemption? When the NFL is under huge scrutiny about head trauma. Maybe Antonio gets lucky and doesn’t get a concussion for the rest of his career. Perhaps, he won’t. The research backs up the idea that football helmets can not stop concussion, but what if a better helmet is proven to be better in a lab to help reduce the risk? For an athlete to not want to be in the best possible equipment is ludicrous.
Some of the guys are bitching about having to change. My old helmet is just fine. Well, your old helmet is just that, old. Put the whole situation this way. Every manufacturer is under incredibly heavy pressure to put out the very best technology and development they can to protect the players. Why wouldn’t you as a player want to benefit from these advancements?
Why not just sign a waiver? I know football players are playing with a waiver today — physical waivers. I don’t think the NFL should allow these either. Play or you can’t play. Which is it? Just signing a waiver doesn’t make the decision the correct one to do for the player. If the player is healthy enough to play then play. The league should be making this decision from the league office. Not each team on their own. Each team has their standards where the league should set one standard. The highest standard.
The NFL has set the bar for helmets. End of discussion. Get a helmet that fits, works for your position, and a play ball.
What does the whole discussion say to younger players? What is the message? The message is terrible. If the game of football is going to move forward, players can’t be fighting safety measures meant to keep them as safe as possible in a fast-moving sport played by guys fitter than you, and I could ever try to be. The game of football is under attack; the players can not undermine anything that helps keep the game safer.
Why not a leather helmet or padded non facemask headgear? Doing this would take leading with the head out of the game. Rugby has worn a soft cap for years. Yes, there are concussions in rugby. I’ve worn the cap to play. And I can tell you from experience the cap has saved me from almost all head hits. Is this the answer to head contact, probably not as the risk to go this direction is too steep for any contact football league to take. But the difference is: without a helmet; players aren’t going to lead with their head. Will this change happen? No. But just a thought.
Why the NFL has an offensive problem.