NFL One-Helmet Rule question

[stumpygremlin]

I'm wondering... is there a reason why teams in the NFL can't (or don't) wear some kind of wraparound decal or paint (or even the HGI water-transfer process) around their helmets when throwbacks need different helmets?

[Jungle Jim]

I've wondered the same thing. I can see them not painting them, but the wrap might work, unless it would be too difficult to work around all the holes that helmets have today.

Or, why not just do something like this?

[stumpygremlin]

I've wondered the same thing. I can see them not painting them, but the wrap might work, unless it would be too difficult to work around all the holes that helmets have today.

Or, why not just do something like this?

I would think that a wrapped decal could simply be cut where holes are, no?

[djam2410]

in ten years, helmets will be giant tv screens where you can change the logo every 5 seconds

[shaydre1019]

Timing would just be impossible. They would have to complete the whole process in a little over a day including shipping all the helmets.

[Clintau24]

Unless they did it in house, which very few teams would even be able to, it would be a huge logistics challenge for sure.

[Gothamite]

Which is almost certainly why it isn't done.

Washington could do it a couple years ago because they mad multiple helmets. Colleges can do it now because they still do. But to wrap 53 helmets in a night, and then un-wrap them in another, is a tall order.

Maybe somebody will eventually set up a shop in a team's facilities and make it happen.

[Clintau24]

Which is almost certainly why it isn't done.

Washington could do it a couple years ago because they mad multiple helmets. Colleges can do it now because they still do. But to wrap 53 helmets in a night, and then un-wrap them in another, is a tall order.

Maybe somebody will eventually set up a shop in a team's facilities and make it happen.

I would imagine the rule to go away before teams have an in-shop facility

[Jimmy!]

Which is almost certainly why it isn't done.

Washington could do it a couple years ago because they mad multiple helmets. Colleges can do it now because they still do. But to wrap 53 helmets in a night, and then un-wrap them in another, is a tall order.

Maybe somebody will eventually set up a shop in a team's facilities and make it happen.

Why is it a college team can have multiple helmets, but a pro team cannot?

[tubby34]

I've wondered the same thing. I can see them not painting them, but the wrap might work, unless it would be too difficult to work around all the holes that helmets have today.

Or, why not just do something like this?

What the hell did they do there?

[Gothamite]

Which is almost certainly why it isn't done.

Washington could do it a couple years ago because they mad multiple helmets. Colleges can do it now because they still do. But to wrap 53 helmets in a night, and then un-wrap them in another, is a tall order.

Maybe somebody will eventually set up a shop in a team's facilities and make it happen.

Why is it a college team can have multiple helmets, but a pro team cannot?

Because college players aren't unionized and don't receive either pensions or health care from their former universities. When they start to suffer the effects of CTE, they'll be sufficiently removed from their college playing days as to divert the PR blowback elsewhere.

Or, in short, because the NFL has to at least pretend to care about its players' health, while colleges don't.

[tubby34]

Which is almost certainly why it isn't done.

Washington could do it a couple years ago because they mad multiple helmets. Colleges can do it now because they still do. But to wrap 53 helmets in a night, and then un-wrap them in another, is a tall order.

Maybe somebody will eventually set up a shop in a team's facilities and make it happen.

Why is it a college team can have multiple helmets, but a pro team cannot?

Because college players aren't unionized and don't receive either pensions or health care from their former universities. When they start to suffer the effects of CTE, they'll be sufficiently removed from their college playing days as to divert the PR blowback elsewhere.

Or, in short, because the NFL has to at least pretend to care about its players' health, while colleges don't.

I'd like to see a college player try to play in a different normal helmet or spray paint his with plastic dip to call attention to this- when other teammates are in special uni's

[Jungle Jim]

I've wondered the same thing. I can see them not painting them, but the wrap might work, unless it would be too difficult to work around all the holes that helmets have today.

Or, why not just do something like this?

What the hell did they do there?

They used Adobe After Effects video editing software, so it's not real.

Peugeot did something similar as an April Fool's prank:

[guest23]

Using a wrap would require disassembling the entire helmet, wrapping, reassembling, and refitting each time you switched wraps. This method would not only be more time consuming than having multiple helmets in rotation, it could lead to other logistical issues in the middle of a season.

Again to re-emphasize, as long as a player is wearing a properly certified and fitted helmet when playing or practicing, there is no additional risk of head injury to the player. Given that colleges fit players for all of their helmets during camp and regularly rotate and maintain their helmet inventory they are effectively managing their players' safety as best they can. The only issue that they have more helmets to fit and inventory to keep track of. The maintenance on a week to week basis remain unchanged.

[martymcfry]

Which is almost certainly why it isn't done.

Washington could do it a couple years ago because they mad multiple helmets. Colleges can do it now because they still do. But to wrap 53 helmets in a night, and then un-wrap them in another, is a tall order.

Maybe somebody will eventually set up a shop in a team's facilities and make it happen.

Why is it a college team can have multiple helmets, but a pro team cannot?

Because in 2013 for some reason the NFL made up a stupid reason for the concussions going on: players wearing too many helmets. It's just them protecting themselves from lawsuits. College teams can because, unlike the NFL, they are actually trying to stop concussions. NFL teams could just repaint the helmets, but that would take too much of the equipment managers precious time. Teams do change logos on the helmet - the Bears do it, among others.

[Buster]

I've thought about this before too.

Solution...do it for Week 1, or wrap them on a bye week. Tearing the wraps off has to be quicker than applying so getting them back to normal should be a quick process.

Hey NFL, the vinyl wrap will help absorb more shock!

[OnWis97]

This all seems pretty impractical and not worth the effort and quick turnaround needed.

I also occurs to me that this rule may even be to the NFL's "protecting the shield" benefit; maybe it's a way to mitigate the use of uniforms that water down the brand (like the NY Jets/Titans). Of course we still have teams like the Steelers and Packers wearing those silly throwbacks, so I am probably off base here.

[oldschoolvikings]

I know we've had this discussion in other threads and we're just rehashing old bits here, but every time I read this outrage over the "NFL's ridiculous one-helmet rule!!" I can't help but roll my eyes.

Look, I'm a card-carrying, uniform obsessed member of this board, too. I get it. But when you come up with these elaborate ideas about in-house helmet wrapping, or syncing up the repainting of helmets to the bye-week, you need to step back from the Chris Creamer Board world and realize how silly it all is. The reason the NFL isn't going to do that is because 99.9% of the world couldn't give a rat's ass about the fact that the NFL no longer has alternate helmets. And from the Leagues point of view, even if there's just a fraction of a percent chance that multiple helmets might contribute to concussions, that is way more than enough reason to get rid of them. And even if people are right about this being all a PR move, for the NFL that would still be enough of a reason.

Tell you what... next sunday afternoon, go to your local sports bar and wander around asking people how concerned they are about the fact that the NFL has done away with alternate helmets... it'll be hilarious.

[Clintau24]

Tell you what... next sunday afternoon, go to your local sports bar and wander around asking people about how concerned they are about the fact that the NFL has done away with alternate helmets... it'll be hilarious.

Please have a camera crew with you. That would make a wonderful segment.

[Gothamite]

in 2013 for some reason the NFL made up a stupid reason for the concussions going on: players wearing too many helmets. It's just them protecting themselves from lawsuits. College teams can because, unlike the NFL, they are actually trying to stop concussions.

It's not about concussions.

Any time you hear somebody talking about concussions, you know that they're trying to deflect from the real issue, which is the regular and repeated hit players take on every single play of the game.