Why do the helmets look so weird?
- Thread starter NittanyLionRoar
- Start date
Yes, they are meant to help prevent concussions.Are they wearing a padded exterior to prevent brain injuries?
Looks like some sort of cover on them. Look closely .Are they wearing a padded exterior to prevent brain injuries?
It's not your head in that helmet. Whatever has to be done to protect players, do it.
They don't all have it...it just appears to be the offensive and defensive linemen.
Defensive Tackle, Ellison Jordan
Cornerback TJ Johnson
If it helps prevent concussions and long-term brain injury, I would advocate for their use in games too, despite how silly they look.
Interesting. And, thanks for sharing. Maybe they are two different design/manufacturers? In 2005 the new Schutt helmet looked weird.They don't all have it...it just appears to be the offensive and defensive linemen.
Defensive Tackle, Ellison Jordan
Cornerback TJ Johnson
If it helps prevent concussions and long-term brain injury, I would advocate for their use in games too, despite how silly they look.
I have always thought that cushioning the OUTSIDE of the helmet would reduce the force of collisions but I don't have anything to back that opinion up.
Buffalo Bills' Mark Kelso wore padded helmet.Are they wearing a padded exterior to prevent brain injuries?
https://www.google.com/search?q=mark+kelso+helmet&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari
I'm sure that the first face mask looked weird, as did the first hard shell helmet, as did the first leather helmet.
Since so many fools last year said Franklin was on the bubble, the players have decided to play this year in his honor, and go in the bubble.
Interesting. And, thanks for sharing. Maybe they are two different design/manufacturers? In 2005 the new Schutt helmet looked weird.They don't all have it...it just appears to be the offensive and defensive linemen.
Defensive Tackle, Ellison Jordan
Cornerback TJ Johnson
If it helps prevent concussions and long-term brain injury, I would advocate for their use in games too, despite how silly they look.
I have always thought that cushioning the OUTSIDE of the helmet would reduce the force of collisions but I don't have anything to back that opinion up.
Actually the old style that had the padding on the outside (the padding was similar to a wrestling mat material). Actually turn out to be on the dangerous side.
The reason is that Helmets and their Shape and material were designed to create glancing blows so that the hit and slide. So the old padding would hit and stick causing a more abrupt stopping. Which is not good for the brain as we now know.
These new protective "shells" look the same as regular helmets, so my guess may be that the exterior is still a hard plastic shell with some type of cushioning material between the normal helmet shell and this newer protective shell.
It would make sense that the lineman, backs, and linebackers might have them because in practice they are the ones that have the more repetitive hitting of their helmets against others.
Just my guess of looking at the pics.
They don't all have it...it just appears to be the offensive and defensive linemen.
Defensive Tackle, Ellison Jordan
Cornerback TJ Johnson
If it helps prevent concussions and long-term brain injury, I would advocate for their use in games too, despite how silly they look.
DT Ellison Jordan is wearing a Riddell Speed Flex with some type of Resilite-type cover/accessory... i can't imagine this would be sanctioned for game-wear...
CB TJ Johnson is wearing a Schutt Air XP...
It looks like these soft-shells being tested in practice are proprietary to Riddell, as i don't see any images of Schutt helmets utilizing that marshmallow cover...
Either way - these facemasks would be better-off in neutral grey
It's a double-edged sword; you don't want to encourage players to use their helmet and head as a weapon - extremely dangerous for the neck beyond concussion issues (and a broken neck will kill or paralyze instantly). Intentionally using your head/helmet as a weapon has always been illegal and football needs to enforce these rules stringent - OL and DL should not be putting their head down when initiating contact, but rather should be looking at what their hitting.
In any event, many believe that making helmets more equipped to be using the helmet to initiate contact, which is supposed to be illegal, is the exact wrong direction to go and some believe we should go to a soft helmet and light padding like rugby or Gaelic football as it would diminish and discourage spearing and head-first, head-down attacks with the head.
My head hurts just trying to read/process that trainwreck-of-a-sentence
#nobodyisdesigninghelmetsforthepurposeofinitiatingcontact
Yeah, the first time I saw this, I was certain it wasn't right...
At least it grew on you.
I was not familiar with Mark Kelso and his "ProCap" helmet. I found an interesting article after clicking that google link with a Penn State tie-in about this very product:
http://www.crainscleveland.com/arti...shunned-for-his-padded-helmet-in-the-1990s-is
http://www.crainscleveland.com/arti...shunned-for-his-padded-helmet-in-the-1990s-is
And it might also save the sport.They don't all have it...it just appears to be the offensive and defensive linemen.
Defensive Tackle, Ellison Jordan
Cornerback TJ Johnson
If it helps prevent concussions and long-term brain injury, I would advocate for their use in games too, despite how silly they look.
Many agree with this as lighter padding and armor changes a players angle of attack and reduces straight head-on angles of attack at full speed (rugby players, Australian Rules Football players, Gaelic Football, etc...do not have violent head-on, head-first collisions and the reason is that they do not have the padding and armour to even consider initiating such collisions). If you build armour that allows severer and severer collisions, you will get them and are potentially encouraging them by making them feasible.
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I don't know of anyone that ever taught the OL or the DL to put their heads down when initiating contact. Many though, did teach OL to put their 'face in there' (your 'see what you hit' comment).
What many are teaching now is, don't put your head in there at all. 'Save the brain save the game' is the new manta. They teach to keep their head out and back, and get their hands in on the opponent first, mostly in a lifting motion.
LOL..I've been advocating something like that for 20 years. All you have to do is see what car companies have done to dashboards.
In the meantime, the Dr. featured on the CTE movie (and NFL) is releasing a book and going on a national blitz to coincide with the football season. He came out today and said that there is no way to fix the CTE problem and that, some day, making a kid play football will be considered child abuse. Boomer came out and said all players have CTE, its just a matter of how much. Terrell Davis said he's scared to death of it at the Hall of Fame Induction.
In the meantime, the Dr. featured on the CTE movie (and NFL) is releasing a book and going on a national blitz to coincide with the football season. He came out today and said that there is no way to fix the CTE problem and that, some day, making a kid play football will be considered child abuse. Boomer came out and said all players have CTE, its just a matter of how much. Terrell Davis said he's scared to death of it at the Hall of Fame Induction.
bwifan
Well-Known Member
If memory serves me correct they are finding out that CTE is more of the repetition of hitting not always that big knock hit delivered by a safety on a WR. They are finding the Oline and Dline people are having the most severe cases of CTE. Leading to the early hypothesis of repetition since the linemen don't regularly have that big collision. Think about play after play smacking heads all through training camp, the season and spring ball. A lot of hits on the brain. Would make sense why the linemen are wearing these helmets.
bwifan
Well-Known Member
Most of these designs I remember seeing prototypes a year or two ago. Most seem to have padding on the outside of the helmet. Whatever works let's get it put into use.
I could be wrong but I don't think the protective caps on the PSU helmets are necessarily for extra protection. If they were, then I suspect more guys would have them. I think the caps contain sensors that measure the number and intensity of hits. I think they are collecting the data for study purposes. If I recall correctly, I think there was an article last year talking about the purpose of the caps.
After Little League I didn't wear a helmet. I just had a liner that I put inside my baseball cap. I don't know what it was made of but it wasn't much. Most of us did that. We thought nothing of it. It was much more comfortable and didn't fly off when you ran the bases. Looked cool too.
After Little League I didn't wear a helmet. I just had a liner that I put inside my baseball cap. I don't know what it was made of but it wasn't much. Most of us did that. We thought nothing of it. It was much more comfortable and didn't fly off when you ran the bases. Looked cool too.
They wore those in the majors until like 1978. Crazy to think guys were batting without helmets in MLB.
That's right. They did. I hadn't even thought of that. We called them shells, iirc.
Riddell Speed-Flex helmets, themselves, have been available with accelerometers/sensirs for a couple years now..... my son's HS varsity squad has every one of our guys wearing the fully-instrumented Speed-flex's ... I'd hafta imagine PSU is no exception...
Those soft-covers are little more than a high-vis frill for marginal incremental protection for practice, not to mention margin-contribution ($$$). I suspect these are packaged by Riddell at no cost to PSU as part of their factory support-program (a value-added effort to separate themselves from Schutt and industry newcomer/ wannabe Xenith)... likely intended as a bell/whistle Riddell will eventually market to HS programs in well-heeled zip-codes at a hefty extra cost... you will not see these used in games any time soon, much less PSU gamedays
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