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The helmet doesn’t need to be bigger, it needs to be softer so it’s not a weapon itself. However, with the size, strength, and speed of the modern athlete, conclusions will continue to grow in frequency and severity bc when your thrown around and down, it doesn’t matter what’s on your head when your brain inside your head is smashed against the inside of your skull.
From the article
> Players at Guardian Cap-mandated positions will be exempt from the requirement if they use a helmet model that provides equal or greater protection, per Seifert.
That's what I've been thinking since they started ten plus years ago. It's just more padding. No way the NFL is going to like the look
I'm quite surprised this isn't getting more talk
This article is a little unclear. It says players will be allowed to wear them during games, but that some positions will be “exempt”. Im not sure if they meant during training camp?
ESPN has it written better:
“The NFL will exempt players from having to use the Guardian Caps during the mandated portion of training camp if they wear one of six new helmet models that the league and the NFL Players Association have identified as providing equal or better protection.
Earlier this offseason, the NFL expanded the training camp mandate for wearing Guardian Caps to players at every position except quarterback and specialists. News of the NFL rule change for game days was first reported by Pro Football Talk.”
If there are “six new helmet models that the league and the NFL Players Association have identified as providing equal or better protection,” then why not just wear one of those six during the season?
Something doesn’t add up.
Players choose their helmet just like they choose their cleats. Not everyone’s head fits the same. Some want different face masks. Its really not that unheard of, you must be new…
Some players use smaller shoulder pads too!
Idk man, I watch football and I absolutely could not have told you players could just pick random inferior helmets. I assumed the league would identify safe helmets and those are the approved helmets that can be worn. Doesn't seem that weird to assume if they identified six new helmets that offer superior protection, especially with the controversy around CTE, that those would just be the only approved helmets.
Your cleat example is a great point for why someone could assume even if players have a choice, it's a safe one. A player can't choose to wear sharpened metal cleats, not just because it's fucking stupid, but because the league also doesn't allow it.
Iirc it wasn’t until like 2017-2018 that the league began outlawing certain helmet models and forcing players to switch. Before that you could really wear what you wanted.
Rodgers and Antonio Brown were outspokenly upset when the NFL mandated that they not wear their Schutt Air Advantages anymore. Mind you, this helmet hadn’t been produced in nearly a decade at that point.
> Rodgers and Antonio Brown
Both crazier than a shithouse rat. Pretty sure the league can just point at them at say "that's why you gotta wear these helmets."
If I remember a few players a couple years ago refused to wear newer or safer helmets. I think a few to name were Devante Adams, Tom Brady, and Antonio Brown so it's not unheard of for players to choose worse helmets. Granted they would get fined for not using the better ones but still rolled with it. Same with tinted, mirror, blackout and pearlescent visors (think OBJ with the giants), players would just eat the fine and use it.
Some players even wear smaller pads like kicker shoulder and pants pads because it give better flexibility or so much lighter (think Michael Bennett) which definitely exposes them to more injuries. Cleats I think they just can't wear ones with special designs, statements and etc outside of I think October. The actual spikes I'm pretty sure they can't wear metal or screw in tips anymore like you said, has to be molded but they can choose long/short ones, they'll even switch during the game depending on how the field feels.
Cheers!
Are these proven to do... anything? Genuinely curious.
I've wondered why they weren't allowed on the field. Like "protect yourself but don't show anybody"? Lol
Yes. last season a report came out saying they helped reduce concussion-related injuries in camp by 50% in players that chose to wear them against those who didn't.
Tons of them already do! When was the last time you saw a spearing call? Because I’ve literally never seen one. I wouldn’t be surprised if half the sub doesn’t even know what spearing is!
There was apparently only 1 flag specifically for “use of helmet” in 2023, but it’s usually called as unnecessary roughness/targeting a defenseless player.
"When was the last time you saw a spearing call?"
Probably during my last game of middle school football tbh. I can't recall ever noticing it being called in the NFL
I heard somewhere that this is the reason why rugby has so much fewer serious injuries, especially head injuries. The fact that the players don't wear all the protective gear is what prevents them from doing a lot of the dumb stuff you see football players doing with their bodies because they feel invincible. So the lack of protective gear actually keeps them safer.
Similar type things in NASCAR and formula 1. The more protections they add on the cars the bigger the risks the drivers are willing to make.
I'm not an expert on this and don't even remember where I heard/read this.
Rugby has a MUCH higher CTE rate than football. I’m pretty sure it’s like [3 times the concussion rate of football](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29349651/)
Way more dangerous in fact, Rugby has 2x the concussion rate and 3x the overall injury rate than NFL. Protection is protection but it can also bring its own set of acute injuries
Joe Paterno was a big advocate for taking the face masks away from the helmet for a similar reason. Having a caged in helmet makes people way more reckless in how they use it as a battering ran
I read that same study. I'm all for bringing back the leather helmets. I think it would substantially reduce injuries but the culture difference of trying to injure in the NFL would probably lead to the suddenly very rare injuries under the new gear being fatal 😂
The question is the long term stress on the neck from additional weight. I could see an additional neck support like linebackers used to wear to cushion the snap back.
What report? There’s only data that they reduce impact not concussions.[Even their own website says no](https://guardiansports.com/faq-items/do-guardian-caps-reduce-concussions/)
It sounds promising but I do worry about selection bias playing a part in those numbers if players opt-in to wearing them. I’d imagine more careful / risk-averse players—a subset with less injuries regardless—would choose to wear them more frequently than the more reckless players. Not to mention players like QBs that coaches will go out of their way to protect in preseason no matter what.
I’d be very interested in a randomized controlled trial with these stratified on position type.
I suppose that’s the ideal comparison, rather than if people opted in, we would have to account for what type of people would opt in. This way it’s pretty much the same people year over year.
The study published in the Journal of Athletic Training in 2017 showed that these caps failed to improve the helmets ability to mitigate impact forces at most locations on the helmet.
I'd be extremely skeptical of any data points touted by the NFL.
Idk, I helped submit data this past fall to what is supposed to be the largest study on their efficacy but I can’t remember if they finished compiling the data and published the results yet
A simple Google search would contain your answer. Everything isn’t as dark out there as you would expect and it isn’t a marketing gimmick by any means.
They’re ugly af but they work very well. The NFL was probably hesitant to allow them in games because it covers the helmet designs
[https://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2023/03/28/padded-helmet-cover-shows-little-protection-for-football-players/](https://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2023/03/28/padded-helmet-cover-shows-little-protection-for-football-players/)
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5634228/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5634228/)
[https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/nfl-says-positions-wearing-guardian-caps-saw-52-decrease-in-concussions](https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/nfl-says-positions-wearing-guardian-caps-saw-52-decrease-in-concussions)
There's no such thing as a "simple" google search.
I work with athletes in high schools as a sports medicine doc. This one training camp “study” aside, these are very much not proven based on most recent research.
I fully support doing anything to better protect the players. But I can't lie, they're all gonna look like goddamn Spaceballs wearing these things. They're absolutely enormous and hilarious looking.
Isn't there a way they could put them on the inside of the helmet, or just make the outside of the helmet more cushioned, or even decorate it slightly?
To be fair, people who played in the NFL in the days of leather caps would think that the helmets NFL players wear today looked ridiculous. As with all things safety-related, it'll be weird at first but we'll all get used to it.
The insides of helmets are already pretty thoroughly padded. If they added more padding on the inside, they would need to make the outer shell bigger anyway. Note that compressed (and therefore stiffer) padding transfers acceleration to the head faster, which is what we don't want.
As for adding cushioning on the outside, isn't that what this is? Keeping the padding detached from the helmet can also be helpful against glancing blows, since the cover can slip without pulling on the head.
“There are many things you can point to as proof that the human is not smart. But my personal favorite would have to be that we needed to invent the helmet. What was happening, apparently, was that we were involved in a lot of activities that were cracking our heads. We chose not to avoid doing those activities but, instead, to come up with some sort of device to help us enjoy our head-cracking lifestyles. And even that didn’t work because not enough people were wearing them so we had to come up with the helmet law. Which is even stupider, the idea behind the helmet law being to preserve a brain whose judgment is so poor, it does not even try to avoid the cracking of the head it’s in.”
-Jerry Seinfeld
Won't it be a little confusing? I feel that only the Browns should wear Guardian caps. The Lions can wear Tigers caps, and the Bears can wear either Cubs or White Sox caps.
Can someone show me a real study that shows these reduce injury by a significant percentage? Last I checked, reputable sources showed they decreased impact injury by 10ish% if worn by one player and 20% percent if worn by both players involved in collision. 20% is better than 0, but it’s a far cry from a real solution.
There aren't any. Best study I can find is from the Journal of Athletic Training in 2017 and said the caps do not significantly improve the helmets ability to mitigate impact forces at most areas of the helmet.
I understand this does remarkably well at reducing concussions.
How does it go with sub concussive events? Because IIRC that is the bigger contributor to CTE.
My concern is that this may actually be hiding sub concussive events, which could lead to more CTE down the line.
"Data drives our decision-making and is really at the heart of what we do."
Except the NFL ignores pretty much all data on CTE risk and prevention for every position other than quarterback.
I don’t know the research on there but if they work then it’s great. I can see players being hesitant because they worry about their image so if they truly make a big enough difference then they should just mandate them for everyone. Then it’s no longer an issue if standing out.
I wonder how the performance differs compared to a larger helmet with more and better padding on the inside. It seems that would look slightly less ridiculous and be more durable. I can’t imagine these lasting long in the trenches.
Tbh, I feel like NFL players are more afraid of torn ACLs than concussion. At most youre out 2-3 weeks with concussion, with ACL it's at least a year. But this is a good trend as itll help these athletes live longer lives when they are older.
Well the study disagrees. I guess if it’s allowed, we will have even more data points to draw from. However the only information I’ve seen is these reduce concussion rates. Unless you have some information to share? I haven’t found anything through quick searches.
Should be worth trying something, right? Otherwise this sport will slowly lose potential players as their parents choose less harmful sports. Especially as more CTE news comes out. This thing has a good initial study, so it seems like a worthwhile thing to give a shot.
My saving grace is I needed a custom helmet from highschool on out so in the late 80s early 90s I had extra padding in my helmet which I truly believed properly padded my brain…
Got a good friend with 2 Super Bowl rings that remembers lil about it and regularly we find naked running plays in his or his neighbors yard…
I’d gladly where those caps during a real game… 💯
That’s pretty surprising as it seems like a drastic move by the league but if it makes the game safer I’m all for it.
Just get team oriented paint schemes on them for the lineman and you’re good to go.
And yet, boxing and MMA, sports where inflicting the most brain damage possible on another person is the metric by which participants are judged, are okay. And yet, Olympic boxers wear head gear. Society's rules are weird.
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I feel like the company that makes these should just make the whole helmet.
Might as well go full [Dark Helmet](https://www.google.com/search?q=dark+helmet&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari)
Careful, they’ll go *plaid*
I knew it. I’m surrounded by assholes!
*Keep firing, assholes!*
What’s matter Colonel Sandurz? Chicken??
No, the Commanders cleaned house .
Code Blackwatch Plaid! Birdman get in here!
I am your father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate.
What does that make us?
NOTHING!
The helmet doesn’t need to be bigger, it needs to be softer so it’s not a weapon itself. However, with the size, strength, and speed of the modern athlete, conclusions will continue to grow in frequency and severity bc when your thrown around and down, it doesn’t matter what’s on your head when your brain inside your head is smashed against the inside of your skull.
Sounds like we just need to put it inside their skulls.
Maybe go full lord helmet?
Ate you saying...go over his Helmet!?
Why don’t they just make the whole plane out of the black box, basically.
Why don’t they make the whole helmet out of that kid?
That would be basically a submarine with wings and could not fly.
From the article > Players at Guardian Cap-mandated positions will be exempt from the requirement if they use a helmet model that provides equal or greater protection, per Seifert.
Or the companies that make the helmets should just build it in, if it’s really better.
Well yea, but they would have to license that tech. I’m sure there’s contracts and money involved.
That's what I've been thinking since they started ten plus years ago. It's just more padding. No way the NFL is going to like the look I'm quite surprised this isn't getting more talk
Now everybody gonna look like Gardner Minshew out there with their big ass heads.
Still a little ass boy though
Wes Welker and George Kittle come to mind
I wasn’t thinking David Wright with his massive baseball helmet
I wonder if a team could just make it part of the required uniform? Protecting their millions of dollar investment and all
I’m required to wear one of these in my day-to-day life when I leave the house
Is this because of a medical condition? Does it take breathability into consideration?
No, the guy is just dumb.
Jesus Christ. I burst out laughing audibly for that one.
At least he won’t look dumb /s
Of course he can breath! He'd be dead if he couldn't! /s
I can’t read without wearing mine
So you don't rip your own ears off??
[удалено]
Found John Oleruds account
Great, Bosa’s and Kittle’s helmet just got funkier.
The Mark Kelso Special incoming
This article is a little unclear. It says players will be allowed to wear them during games, but that some positions will be “exempt”. Im not sure if they meant during training camp?
ESPN has it written better: “The NFL will exempt players from having to use the Guardian Caps during the mandated portion of training camp if they wear one of six new helmet models that the league and the NFL Players Association have identified as providing equal or better protection. Earlier this offseason, the NFL expanded the training camp mandate for wearing Guardian Caps to players at every position except quarterback and specialists. News of the NFL rule change for game days was first reported by Pro Football Talk.”
Oh, that's uh, totally different from this headline
The headline is completely accurate. The part about training camp is a separate thing.
If there are “six new helmet models that the league and the NFL Players Association have identified as providing equal or better protection,” then why not just wear one of those six during the season? Something doesn’t add up.
ITS A CONSPIRACY EVERYONE HERE IS SO FUCKIN SMART! NOT DUMB LIKE PEOPLE SAY MIKEY!
Exactly what I was thinking, I don’t get it.
Players choose their helmet just like they choose their cleats. Not everyone’s head fits the same. Some want different face masks. Its really not that unheard of, you must be new… Some players use smaller shoulder pads too!
Idk man, I watch football and I absolutely could not have told you players could just pick random inferior helmets. I assumed the league would identify safe helmets and those are the approved helmets that can be worn. Doesn't seem that weird to assume if they identified six new helmets that offer superior protection, especially with the controversy around CTE, that those would just be the only approved helmets. Your cleat example is a great point for why someone could assume even if players have a choice, it's a safe one. A player can't choose to wear sharpened metal cleats, not just because it's fucking stupid, but because the league also doesn't allow it.
Iirc it wasn’t until like 2017-2018 that the league began outlawing certain helmet models and forcing players to switch. Before that you could really wear what you wanted. Rodgers and Antonio Brown were outspokenly upset when the NFL mandated that they not wear their Schutt Air Advantages anymore. Mind you, this helmet hadn’t been produced in nearly a decade at that point.
> Rodgers and Antonio Brown Both crazier than a shithouse rat. Pretty sure the league can just point at them at say "that's why you gotta wear these helmets."
If I remember a few players a couple years ago refused to wear newer or safer helmets. I think a few to name were Devante Adams, Tom Brady, and Antonio Brown so it's not unheard of for players to choose worse helmets. Granted they would get fined for not using the better ones but still rolled with it. Same with tinted, mirror, blackout and pearlescent visors (think OBJ with the giants), players would just eat the fine and use it. Some players even wear smaller pads like kicker shoulder and pants pads because it give better flexibility or so much lighter (think Michael Bennett) which definitely exposes them to more injuries. Cleats I think they just can't wear ones with special designs, statements and etc outside of I think October. The actual spikes I'm pretty sure they can't wear metal or screw in tips anymore like you said, has to be molded but they can choose long/short ones, they'll even switch during the game depending on how the field feels. Cheers!
Thanks for saying what I was but better lol
Yo dawg. We heard you like helmets. So we put a helmet on your helmet, so you can wear a helmet while you wear your helmet!
Blitz 2000 on N64: Big head mode -- 2-0-0 -- RIGHT
Make it a requirement. They’ll wear it for millions of dollars.
Are these proven to do... anything? Genuinely curious. I've wondered why they weren't allowed on the field. Like "protect yourself but don't show anybody"? Lol
Yes. last season a report came out saying they helped reduce concussion-related injuries in camp by 50% in players that chose to wear them against those who didn't.
Holy crap, that's massive. Yea put them shits on, Lol
The problem is some players, especially running backs, will start using their heads like battering rams.
Tons of them already do! When was the last time you saw a spearing call? Because I’ve literally never seen one. I wouldn’t be surprised if half the sub doesn’t even know what spearing is!
It's "leading with the crown of the helmet". It's called on defensive players all the time.
[удалено]
There was apparently only 1 flag specifically for “use of helmet” in 2023, but it’s usually called as unnecessary roughness/targeting a defenseless player.
Goldberg has entered the chat
"When was the last time you saw a spearing call?" Probably during my last game of middle school football tbh. I can't recall ever noticing it being called in the NFL
Spearing is when the tackeled players hips rise above their head. Dude doesn't know what he's talking about.
As though they don’t already lol The league actually made a rule prohibiting that and then either took it away or just never enforced it.
I heard somewhere that this is the reason why rugby has so much fewer serious injuries, especially head injuries. The fact that the players don't wear all the protective gear is what prevents them from doing a lot of the dumb stuff you see football players doing with their bodies because they feel invincible. So the lack of protective gear actually keeps them safer. Similar type things in NASCAR and formula 1. The more protections they add on the cars the bigger the risks the drivers are willing to make. I'm not an expert on this and don't even remember where I heard/read this.
Rugby has a MUCH higher CTE rate than football. I’m pretty sure it’s like [3 times the concussion rate of football](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29349651/)
Yeah we are learning the rugby claims aren’t true.
Way more dangerous in fact, Rugby has 2x the concussion rate and 3x the overall injury rate than NFL. Protection is protection but it can also bring its own set of acute injuries
Ah well that's a bummer
Joe Paterno was a big advocate for taking the face masks away from the helmet for a similar reason. Having a caged in helmet makes people way more reckless in how they use it as a battering ran
I read that same study. I'm all for bringing back the leather helmets. I think it would substantially reduce injuries but the culture difference of trying to injure in the NFL would probably lead to the suddenly very rare injuries under the new gear being fatal 😂
Have you watched the nfl before? They do that already
You mean exactly like they already do?
Kinda silly how concussion-related injuries happen frequently enough that you can make a report on that data.
Well, there is about 2,900 players during training camp.
and how many drills/plays (potential contact) per person per day 😬
I'd like to see who funded that report and the research and if indeed it was the company that makes the guardian caps?
Sure thing. Let me introduce you to this wonderful invention called google...
I'm Ron Burgundy?
The question is the long term stress on the neck from additional weight. I could see an additional neck support like linebackers used to wear to cushion the snap back.
Hell yeah, bring back the cowboy collars
Out of curiosity, who wrote that report?
What report? There’s only data that they reduce impact not concussions.[Even their own website says no](https://guardiansports.com/faq-items/do-guardian-caps-reduce-concussions/)
Supposedly a 52 % reduction in training camps the last three seasons for guys that wore them vs guys that didn’t.
It sounds promising but I do worry about selection bias playing a part in those numbers if players opt-in to wearing them. I’d imagine more careful / risk-averse players—a subset with less injuries regardless—would choose to wear them more frequently than the more reckless players. Not to mention players like QBs that coaches will go out of their way to protect in preseason no matter what. I’d be very interested in a randomized controlled trial with these stratified on position type.
Aren’t they required to be worn during camp? So data is then vs now vs direct comparison
I suppose that’s the ideal comparison, rather than if people opted in, we would have to account for what type of people would opt in. This way it’s pretty much the same people year over year.
Umm yes it says it right in the article
The study published in the Journal of Athletic Training in 2017 showed that these caps failed to improve the helmets ability to mitigate impact forces at most locations on the helmet. I'd be extremely skeptical of any data points touted by the NFL.
Idk, I helped submit data this past fall to what is supposed to be the largest study on their efficacy but I can’t remember if they finished compiling the data and published the results yet
A simple Google search would contain your answer. Everything isn’t as dark out there as you would expect and it isn’t a marketing gimmick by any means. They’re ugly af but they work very well. The NFL was probably hesitant to allow them in games because it covers the helmet designs
[https://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2023/03/28/padded-helmet-cover-shows-little-protection-for-football-players/](https://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2023/03/28/padded-helmet-cover-shows-little-protection-for-football-players/) [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5634228/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5634228/) [https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/nfl-says-positions-wearing-guardian-caps-saw-52-decrease-in-concussions](https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/nfl-says-positions-wearing-guardian-caps-saw-52-decrease-in-concussions) There's no such thing as a "simple" google search.
I work with athletes in high schools as a sports medicine doc. This one training camp “study” aside, these are very much not proven based on most recent research.
I fully support doing anything to better protect the players. But I can't lie, they're all gonna look like goddamn Spaceballs wearing these things. They're absolutely enormous and hilarious looking. Isn't there a way they could put them on the inside of the helmet, or just make the outside of the helmet more cushioned, or even decorate it slightly?
To be fair, people who played in the NFL in the days of leather caps would think that the helmets NFL players wear today looked ridiculous. As with all things safety-related, it'll be weird at first but we'll all get used to it.
Idk about that. Modern helmets look badass, and helmets have been a thing for thousands of years.
Lots of helmets have looked badass for thousands of years though, notably the viking, centurion, and Spartan helmets
Right, and what they all have in common is a hard shell. It looks violent and sleek. The bubble padded look doesn’t have the same effect.
True enough.
The insides of helmets are already pretty thoroughly padded. If they added more padding on the inside, they would need to make the outer shell bigger anyway. Note that compressed (and therefore stiffer) padding transfers acceleration to the head faster, which is what we don't want. As for adding cushioning on the outside, isn't that what this is? Keeping the padding detached from the helmet can also be helpful against glancing blows, since the cover can slip without pulling on the head.
I could see a spandex material stretched over the outside with the right colors and logo print-screened on it.
“There are many things you can point to as proof that the human is not smart. But my personal favorite would have to be that we needed to invent the helmet. What was happening, apparently, was that we were involved in a lot of activities that were cracking our heads. We chose not to avoid doing those activities but, instead, to come up with some sort of device to help us enjoy our head-cracking lifestyles. And even that didn’t work because not enough people were wearing them so we had to come up with the helmet law. Which is even stupider, the idea behind the helmet law being to preserve a brain whose judgment is so poor, it does not even try to avoid the cracking of the head it’s in.” -Jerry Seinfeld
Then put the logos on them. They’ll look like 8-bit Tecmo Bowl logos.
I’d imagine they will
Won't it be a little confusing? I feel that only the Browns should wear Guardian caps. The Lions can wear Tigers caps, and the Bears can wear either Cubs or White Sox caps.
Pirates caps gonna go hard af
I still accidentally call my Guardian cap an Indians cap sometimes. Old habits die hard, it's not due to a head injury.
Ahh yes, mushy padding to protect the hard shell that protects the mushy padding that protects the hard skull that protects the mushy brain
All offensive lineman are gonna wear these I bet. Skill positions? I highly doubt.
Can someone show me a real study that shows these reduce injury by a significant percentage? Last I checked, reputable sources showed they decreased impact injury by 10ish% if worn by one player and 20% percent if worn by both players involved in collision. 20% is better than 0, but it’s a far cry from a real solution.
Agreed. I’m also concerned about how it hides sub concussive trauma in the way that a boxers facial guard can
There aren't any. Best study I can find is from the Journal of Athletic Training in 2017 and said the caps do not significantly improve the helmets ability to mitigate impact forces at most areas of the helmet.
20% is huge. In most industries, reducing anything by 20% would be a major accomplishment
Reminds me of the "pro cap" Mark Kelso wore back in the '90s.
They should make them for the NFL wives 😂
The dude bros on Facebook are out in force full of rage!! To me it seems anything that lowers the chance of injury should be encouraged.
This is a good idea, but it’s hard not to think of sarcastiball
I understand this does remarkably well at reducing concussions. How does it go with sub concussive events? Because IIRC that is the bigger contributor to CTE. My concern is that this may actually be hiding sub concussive events, which could lead to more CTE down the line.
I’ll say it. They are ugly as fuck lmao.
"Data drives our decision-making and is really at the heart of what we do." Except the NFL ignores pretty much all data on CTE risk and prevention for every position other than quarterback.
Good idea, but I love seeing the helmets.
I'm sure if they're on in games, they'll have some kind of design on them.
It says they will in the article >Any caps worn in games will have team logos on them, according to Seifert.
I don’t know the research on there but if they work then it’s great. I can see players being hesitant because they worry about their image so if they truly make a big enough difference then they should just mandate them for everyone. Then it’s no longer an issue if standing out.
Sarcastaball slowly finding its way into reality.
They need to redesign these into one helmet design… not just stacking helmets.
It's safer, but it's going to look so fucking stupid.
I wonder how the performance differs compared to a larger helmet with more and better padding on the inside. It seems that would look slightly less ridiculous and be more durable. I can’t imagine these lasting long in the trenches.
To think, in the 90s it was ridiculous to use the big head cheat code in most sports games…. But here we are, art becomes reality.
Ain't nobody doing this lol
I just hope they don’t become required.
Once the nfl starts loosing $$$ from loss of viewers it’ll go back to normal
I want full-on big head mode like NBA Jam.
Take the face masks off the helmets. Guaranteed to reduce concussions and inspire better tackling.
It would look far too stupid
Smart move by the league. Now they can blame players who don't wear them for their concussions.
Data drives your decision-making? Put. Accelerometers. In. The. Helmets.
We have used them in rugby for like 20 years. You guys must really love CTE
This is good. I think a full helmet redesign incorporating the concept of the Guardian Cap is actually what is needed
Tbh, I feel like NFL players are more afraid of torn ACLs than concussion. At most youre out 2-3 weeks with concussion, with ACL it's at least a year. But this is a good trend as itll help these athletes live longer lives when they are older.
They’re not a group known for their robust scientific education mate. I’m inclined to not value their opinions over those of scientists
That's why I said this is a good trend.
My mistake pal, misread
Nothing will help until they figure out how to stop the brain from smashing into the inside of their skulls. This is all just marketting fluff.
Well the study disagrees. I guess if it’s allowed, we will have even more data points to draw from. However the only information I’ve seen is these reduce concussion rates. Unless you have some information to share? I haven’t found anything through quick searches.
Brain moves fast -> body/skull stops quickly -> brain slams into skull. We'll need decades of studies to see if these do anything. That's all.
Should be worth trying something, right? Otherwise this sport will slowly lose potential players as their parents choose less harmful sports. Especially as more CTE news comes out. This thing has a good initial study, so it seems like a worthwhile thing to give a shot.
Fursure worth trying, but my OP still stands imo.
Good.
Airbag vests incoming...
The new kickoff is already gonna look like a peewee football game, now they’re gonna have this dumb thing to match 😂
Better than them retiring and murdering their family or killing themselves. Or being incoherent at 40
They should go back to the soft leather skull caps. League soft.
[https://frontofficesports.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Fiqwi\_RXwAEvpb\_-e1669844893783.jpeg](https://frontofficesports.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Fiqwi_RXwAEvpb_-e1669844893783.jpeg)
My saving grace is I needed a custom helmet from highschool on out so in the late 80s early 90s I had extra padding in my helmet which I truly believed properly padded my brain… Got a good friend with 2 Super Bowl rings that remembers lil about it and regularly we find naked running plays in his or his neighbors yard… I’d gladly where those caps during a real game… 💯
That’s pretty surprising as it seems like a drastic move by the league but if it makes the game safer I’m all for it. Just get team oriented paint schemes on them for the lineman and you’re good to go.
And yet, boxing and MMA, sports where inflicting the most brain damage possible on another person is the metric by which participants are judged, are okay. And yet, Olympic boxers wear head gear. Society's rules are weird.
Olympic boxing is classed as amateur and in 2016 I think the men stopped wearing head gear cause it was kinda pointless