hard shell helmets

[OLD FAN MAN]

nfl  please do away with the hard shell helmet before some player is killed. the hard shell is a dangerous weapon. please develop for use a soft helmet like boxing headgear to protect the players. 

[coltsva]

The helmet is only a weapon because players are allowed to use it as a weapon. I know the thought is if players are wearing soft helmets they won't use their heads as battering rams, and that may be true. However, there will always be incidental contact to the head. Can you imagine being hit in the head with a knee or shoulder moving at 20mph, while only wearing a soft helmet? The lineman bump heads all the time even though they're not necessarily lowering their heads. Heads also regularly hit the ground with a lot of force. The hard shell is better at absorbing the impact of these blows. 

 

The league can get rid of helmet to helmet "hits" any time they want. Ball carrier and tackler are not allowed to lower their heads. If they do it's a penalty and gets reviewed for possible ejection. Sounds harsh but I totally agree with you that's it's not long before someone gets killed from one of these hits. 

 

 

 

[ColtsBlueFL]

8 hours ago, coltsva said:

The league can get rid of helmet to helmet "hits" any time they want. Ball carrier and tackler are not allowed to lower their heads. If they do it's a penalty and gets reviewed for possible ejection.

 

They did this, in 2013!!  But some say the refs aren't calling it!  Well, I know it is a rule, I know VP of officiating Dean Blandino explains it right here-

 

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-videos/0ap2000000152833/Blandino-explains-new-crown-of-helmet-hit-rule

 

And the rule=

 

http://deadspin.com/giovani-bernard-and-the-unfortunate-hit-that-knocked-1752060073

 

I've collected some  pictures where there were crown of the helmet hits outside the tackle box, and the well paid Refs are not calling it and players are still getting concussed. I will inundate Blandino's mailbox with these images of unenforced head hitting rules until it becomes a point of emphasis in training camp (even ticky tack crown hits called) to train players for the season.  Only thing is, it will never be reviewable.

[WoolMagnet]

I'd be concerned with soft helmets "grabbing".  You want the head to slide when it hits. I think the "soft" improvement needs to be on the inside.

i'd look into a slightly larger helmet(keep weight same/close tho.  

This would enable a shell inside a shell scenatio.  A crumple sone so to dpeak.  Perhaps even an outer layer which absorbs and can be replaced. Another half inch or inch would do wonders.  

The helmet shell itself can be better dsigned to absorb which we've seen dome advances(front of flerner's), but i think a multi-layer interior improvement is where its at.

p

[WoolMagnet]

Sorry about my spelling above, btw.

big fingers, little phone.

as opposed to fat guy in a little coat.

[coltsva]

Unfortunately, it's not solely impact (the Bernard hit). It's also the whiplash of the hit where the brain does a quick shift/movement inside the head (the Brown hit). Technology can't prevent that from happening. 

[coltsva]

10 hours ago, ColtsBlueFL said:

http://deadspin.com/giovani-bernard-and-the-unfortunate-hit-that-knocked-1752060073

 

I've collected some  pictures where there were crown of the helmet hits outside the tackle box, and the well paid Refs are not calling it and players are still getting concussed. I will inundate Blandino's mailbox with these images of unenforced head hitting rules until it becomes a point of emphasis in training camp (even ticky tack crown hits called) to train players for the season.  Only thing is, it will never be reviewable.

Wow, I never knew this rule was put in place. Probably because I've never seen it called!

[SteelCityColt]

3 hours ago, coltsva said:

Unfortunately, it's not solely impact (the Bernard hit). It's also the whiplash of the hit where the brain does a quick shift/movement inside the head (the Brown hit). Technology can't prevent that from happening. 

 

Technology could help but it wouldn't be very conducive to use in football in some cases. 

Collisions in football are often compared to car crashes, and look at how a car is designed to protect you. Gone are the solid bodies, instead now they are designed to crumple and deform to dissipate the force. However you can't very have players swapping helmets every collision. Their are helmets out there that have looked promising as a sort of half way house by introducing air pockets that deform under force but don't pop. Other bits of technology have looked at putting accelerometers in them to identify more easily collisions that might have caused a concussion. There is an argument to be made the NFL have held back the development of helmet technology because of their proffered supplier agreement. It would be even worse at say HS level where some schools can barely afford helmets as they stand now, let alone new ones.

 

What I must stress though is, much like crumple zones can only help protect you in a car crash, not prevent the crash itself, we must recognise football is a brutal violent sport. Sorry I know you said that yourself when you said Technology can't prevent concussion.

 

No matter how hard you try and ensure player safety there will be risks. At least now, you'd hope, the players are much more aware of the risk they are taking playing the sport. 

[LJpalmbeacher2]

They need soft like helmets that protect heads as well as hard shell helmets.

Where's our Technology?

Surely Star Fleet can solve this problem.

[LJpalmbeacher2]

1 minute ago, LJpalmbeacher said:

They need soft like helmets that protect heads as well as hard shell helmets.

Where's our Technology?

Surely Star Fleet can solve this problem.

 

Perhaps if they did that would be a violation of the Prime Directive?