New Helmet enters the NFL

[Gothamite]

8 hours ago, Gold Pinstripes said:

The league is addressing this issue, and this new helmet is an example of manufacturers stepping up. The honest conversation happened several years ago

 

No, it absolutely has not.  

 

Not so so long as the NFL pretends that concussions are the problem, instead of the repeated sub-concussive hits that happen in every play of every game.  Not so long as the NFL is withholding full funding from CTE research.  Not so long as any teams still keep CTE deniers and minimizers on their payrolls. 

 

When all that has been addressed, then we can begin our "honest conversation".  Until that day, though, it's anything but. 

 

[Gold Pinstripes]

3 hours ago, Gothamite said:

 

No, it absolutely has not.  

 

Not so so long as the NFL pretends that concussions are the problem, instead of the repeated sub-concussive hits that happen in every play of every game.  Not so long as the NFL is withholding full funding from CTE research.  Not so long as any teams still keep CTE deniers and minimizers on their payrolls. 

 

When all that has been addressed, then we can begin our "honest conversation".  Until that day, though, it's anything but. 

 

 

One team doctor is hardly indicative of the movement the league has made on this issue, and Super Bowl Nation has a strong anti-football bias. I can find high school students with better writing chops than those people. The problem with CTE, is that we still don't know how many minor hits it takes to cause damage. Why a college player has a problem, but many older pros are just fine? So we have to be careful with the assumptions until the facts come in. The repetitive articles don't advance the issue at all, everyone knows a long term NFL player will likely have multiple concussions. These are grown men, making a business decision. No one has ever been forced to play pro ball, many didn't take high school or college seriously when other careers offer more safety and security.

 

Developments like this new helmet are a positive sign moving forward. As usual, facts and reason will carry the day over hysteria. Smart people know we'll be able to have the physical essence of the game, lowering the head trauma, and football will continue to be a positive in our society.

[Gothamite]

"Hysteria"?  "Smart people know"?  

 

You know, it would be easier to lean those facts we all want if the NFL wasn't obstructionist.  If, say, they were funding the research they promised to fund.  If they'd refused to employ any people at all who have been more problem than solution.  

[debo0775]

20 hours ago, Gothamite said:

 

No, it's not.  

 

Except that the league and manufacturers are denying the problem and selling bogus cures.  Until they stop, we can't have an honest conversation and we can't actually address the problem. 

 

I got temporarily blocked from a major helmet manufacturer's facebook page arguing helmet safety. They touted a new helmet with facemasks specially designed for just that helmet to reduce head trauma...and then touted how you could interchange facemasks from other helmet models to suit your personal #swag.

 

They're dangerous. They don't give a damn about player safety unless it means they can tout some new, safer model at a ridiculous price point.

[fmedges]

I'm not the biggest football fan but of the games I watch it sure seems like the majority of the defensive players like to use their helmets and by extension their heads as the principal point of contact. It's foolish to blame the NFL or helmet manufacturers because you chose to participate in an activity that is inherently bad for you. The trade off of choosing that particular profession in life is that there is the risk of short and long term injuries. 

[Webfooter]

I think one of the biggest issues with college and pro football right now is people trying for knockout or overly hard hits to get noticed when making clean, basic tackles is all that's really necessary to get the job done.

[guest23]

3 hours ago, Webfooter said:

I think one of the biggest issues with college and pro football right now is people trying for knockout or overly hard hits to get noticed when making clean, basic tackles is all that's really necessary to get the job done.

 

Players have learned to weaponize themselves with modern equipment. When rigid/braced, the area from the crown of the helmet to the end of the shoulder ends up acting as a battering ram or a projectile when airborne. Modern equipment has made things worse because materials are lighter and stronger so they inflict more damage and the players feel less impact which makes the situation exponentially worse. Lastly combine modern traning and strength you've created a negative feedback loop where the level of safety and the risk of catastrophic injury rivals that of the early 20th century when the sport was on the verge of becoming outlawed. I honestly think somebody may die from a hit in the near future.

 

Much like other sports (e.g. auto racing) the league and ncaa may have to detune equipment and enact some rules like prohibiting launching and mandating wrap tackles.

[BrandMooreArt]

17 minutes ago, guest23 said:

Much like other sports (e.g. auto racing) the league and ncaa may have to detune equipment and enact some rules like prohibiting launching and mandating wrap tackles.

 

just curious, what example are you hinting at here? restrictor plates in NASCAR?

[oldschoolvikings]

11 hours ago, Gold Pinstripes said:

 

Developments like this new helmet are a positive sign moving forward. As usual, facts and reason will carry the day over hysteria. Smart people know we'll be able to have the physical essence of the game, lowering the head trauma, and football will continue to be a positive in our society.

 

Wow.

 

Is that you, Roger?

[WavePunter]

20 minutes ago, guest23 said:

 

Players have learned to weaponize themselves with modern equipment. When rigid/braced, the area from the crown of the helmet to the end of the shoulder ends up acting as a battering ram or a projectile when airborne. Modern equipment has made things worse because materials are lighter and stronger so they inflict more damage and the players feel less impact which makes the situation exponentially worse. Lastly combine modern traning and strength you've created a negative feedback loop where the level of safety and the risk of catastrophic injury rivals that of the early 20th century when the sport was on the verge of becoming outlawed. I honestly think somebody may die from a hit in the near future.

 

Much like other sports (e.g. auto racing) the league and ncaa may have to detune equipment and enact some rules like prohibiting launching and mandating wrap tackles.

You do realize the occurrence of catastrophic injuries and deaths from collisions has steadily decreased from the game's inception, right? 

[WavePunter]

And I'm no rocket surgeon, but I find it odd that the only non-inflatable pad in a football helmet is the FRONT pad.. So, the pad that gets the most action and protects players in the bulk of the severe collisions is the pad with the least amount of technology.. It's literally just a block of foam in every helmet model I've ever handled... Seems to me that THAT would be a decent place to start improving helmets..

[twi]

6 minutes ago, WavePunter said:

And I'm no rocket surgeon, but I find it odd that the only non-inflatable pad in a football helmet is the FRONT pad.. So, the pad that gets the most action and protects players in the bulk of the severe collisions is the pad with the least amount of technology.. It's literally just a block of foam in every helmet model I've ever handled... Seems to me that THAT would be a decent place to start improving helmets..

Different impacts involved, but the same holds true for hockey helmets. All of the cutting edge passing and innovations feature on the sides, back, and top. I believe it has to do with the mounts that hold the cages in each sport, but that seems like something that can be worked around for sure. 

[WavePunter]

3 minutes ago, twi said:

Different impacts involved, but the same holds true for hockey helmets. All of the cutting edge passing and innovations feature on the sides, back, and top. I believe it has to do with the mounts that hold the cages in each sport, but that seems like something that can be worked around for sure. 

The access for air in the padding by the temples in a Revo and Speed is in the back of the helmet.. The top access is much closer and could easily provide an air access for the front pad.. But I agree that the hardware is probably the excuse for keeping technology away from the front

[#ConceptLeagues]

[Around the Horn]

[dont care]

2 minutes ago, Around the Horn said:

All I can think of 

[neo_prankster]

Any word on who else is trying out the new Vicis besides Wentz?

[MJWalker45]

1 hour ago, dont care said:

All I can think of 

If it works like they believe it will I'm all for it.

[dont care]

20 hours ago, MJWalker45 said:

If it works like they believe it will I'm all for it.

Trust me I'm all fo safety too and think the technology is really neat. But they do look like a bunch of pop warner football players with those helmets, at the least

[FiddySicks]

On 5/18/2017 at 7:59 AM, Gold Pinstripes said:

 

One team doctor is hardly indicative of the movement the league has made on this issue, and Super Bowl Nation has a strong anti-football bias. I can find high school students with better writing chops than those people. The problem with CTE, is that we still don't know how many minor hits it takes to cause damage. Why a college player has a problem, but many older pros are just fine? So we have to be careful with the assumptions until the facts come in. The repetitive articles don't advance the issue at all, everyone knows a long term NFL player will likely have multiple concussions. These are grown men, making a business decision. No one has ever been forced to play pro ball, many didn't take high school or college seriously when other careers offer more safety and security.

 

Developments like this new helmet are a positive sign moving forward. As usual, facts and reason will carry the day over hysteria. Smart people know we'll be able to have the physical essence of the game, lowering the head trauma, and football will continue to be a positive in our society.

 

Alright, awesome. Really good to see Aaron Eckhart's character from Thank You For Smoking has found more work.