Buffalo Barbarian Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 If the League is serious about reducing concussions it needs to mandate all players wear Helmets that have padding on the outside as well as the inside like Mark Kelso used to wear. I think the padding should be much thicker than he had and of a medium density so that there is a lot of give to it. Imagine to marshmallows coming together, it would be practically impossible to get a concussion with helmets like that. They may look retarded at first but huge shoulder pads probably looked funny too. They can come up with all these new helmets they want but until they cover the hard shell exterior of today's helmets, concussions will likely continue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim in Anchorage Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 They will fight Gazoo helmets to the end. Bad for cool guy image. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Barbarian Posted May 10, 2012 Author Share Posted May 10, 2012 (edited) They will fight Gazoo helmets to the end. Bad for cool guy image. with all the deaths and dementia they will change the their tune. Jacob Bell just retired because of fear about concussions. "“One of my biggest concerns when it comes to the game in general is my personal health. One thing that's obviously on the minds of a lot of people lately is brain research and all the stuff that's going on with that. One of the big things that I thought about when I was considering this is how much do I love the game? How much can they pay me to take away my health and my future and being able to be with my family and just have a healthy lifestyle?” http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/post/bengals-jacob-bell-retires-with-junior-seau-suicide-a-factor/2012/05/09/gIQAtU6SDU_blog.html Edited May 10, 2012 by Buffalo Barbarian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuckeyeBill Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 Kelso may have looked like a dork out there, but today he doesn't have migraines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truth on hold Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 Why not make the center strip of the helmet the soft material? Thats the part defenders hit offense players with on helmet to helmet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmjoyce113 Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 If the League is serious about reducing concussions it needs to mandate all players wear Helmets that have padding on the outside as well as the inside like Mark Kelso used to wear. I think the padding should be much thicker than he had and of a medium density so that there is a lot of give to it. Imagine to marshmallows coming together, it would be practically impossible to get a concussion with helmets like that. They may look retarded at first but huge shoulder pads probably looked funny too. They can come up with all these new helmets they want but until they cover the hard shell exterior of today's helmets, concussions will likely continue. I have had several concussions and have talked to mark at great length on a number of occasions on just this topic. I have also spoken to several helmet companies as well. Everyone I have spoken to gave me the same answer: these helmets aren't safe. They spread the blow rather than absorb it and they cause great strain on the neck which caused a second concern. Because of this you will never see this helmet again. At the time it was the best option, now it's not. There will never be concussion proof helmets but there are cooncussion preventative helmets. Riddell and Schutt have better products yearly that are helping this. The NFL is doing something about this problem it's just not a problem with an over night solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eme123 Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 Give the players a choice to wear the marshmallows first. Lets see which one they choose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truth on hold Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 (edited) Here's the dreaded helmet to helmet where Romanowski shattered kerry Collins jaw http://www.sportsdds.com/images/BroncoHit2.jpg This shows how defenders lead with the top of the helmet. Conversely getting hit is typically on the side or jaw. By making the top center strip the soft material they can reduce the damage from helmet to helmet and leave in place the hard material needed for protection in the most commonly hit areas. Edited May 10, 2012 by Joe_the_6_pack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wiz Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 with all the deaths and dementia they will change the their tune. Jacob Bell just retired because of fear about concussions. "“One of my biggest concerns when it comes to the game in general is my personal health. One thing that's obviously on the minds of a lot of people lately is brain research and all the stuff that's going on with that. One of the big things that I thought about when I was considering this is how much do I love the game? How much can they pay me to take away my health and my future and being able to be with my family and just have a healthy lifestyle?” http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/post/bengals-jacob-bell-retires-with-junior-seau-suicide-a-factor/2012/05/09/gIQAtU6SDU_blog.html You really have to give him a lot of credit. This is exactly the type of thing that needed to happen to show everyone that it is what it is. If you want to play football and be paid millions, you'll have to be willing to give up your health. They all have the same choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toshiero Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 If the League is serious about reducing concussions it needs to mandate all players wear Helmets that have padding on the outside as well as the inside like Mark Kelso used to wear. I think the padding should be much thicker than he had and of a medium density so that there is a lot of give to it. Imagine to marshmallows coming together, it would be practically impossible to get a concussion with helmets like that. They may look retarded at first but huge shoulder pads probably looked funny too. They can come up with all these new helmets they want but until they cover the hard shell exterior of today's helmets, concussions will likely continue. Doesn't matter. The manufacturers have said they can't build a helmet that will stop concussions. Stop hitting the head. It is simple. You don't have to in order to make impactful hits. Stop going to the head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
playman Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 enforce the rules. it states that the helmet must not be used as a weapon. if done, its an automatic ejection. do this for a season and play will adjust Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollars 2 donuts Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 I actually think we are missing the point and going in the opposite direction. ...go back to leather helmets. It is my understanding that someone could tap you on the head with their finger and you'd feel it all the way down to the soles of your feet. I have a feeling a good number of players would reduce their head first game of attach. For that matter no more pads, just padding in thick jerseys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwksilver Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 (edited) If the League is serious about reducing concussions it needs to mandate all players wear Helmets that have padding on the outside as well as the inside like Mark Kelso used to wear. I think the padding should be much thicker than he had and of a medium density so that there is a lot of give to it. Imagine to marshmallows coming together, it would be practically impossible to get a concussion with helmets like that. They may look retarded at first but huge shoulder pads probably looked funny too. They can come up with all these new helmets they want but until they cover the hard shell exterior of today's helmets, concussions will likely continue. Here is an another article from a few years ago w Kelso and Wallace: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=easterbrook/101026_tuesday_morning_quarterback&sportCat=nfl I can;t believe we haven't seen this since the 90's. its been almost 20 years. Also it might help to make HGH blood tests mandatory. It can't be good that most players are walking around with 20+ lbs of muscle on their frames. It makes the hit more violent. Edited May 10, 2012 by qwksilver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donald Duck Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 (edited) If the League is serious about reducing concussions it needs to mandate all players wear Helmets that have padding on the outside as well as the inside like Mark Kelso used to wear. I think the padding should be much thicker than he had and of a medium density so that there is a lot of give to it. Imagine to marshmallows coming together, it would be practically impossible to get a concussion with helmets like that. They may look retarded at first but huge shoulder pads probably looked funny too. They can come up with all these new helmets they want but until they cover the hard shell exterior of today's helmets, concussions will likely continue. The cohesion created from anything on the outside of the helmet has already been proven to be just as dangerous to your neck because it prolongs impact which basically equates to someone grabing you by the head and twisting it. My idea as a possible solution to help reduce impact is liquid inner helmet padding, the displacement properties in liquid would greatly reduce impact and also help counteract the sloshing affect on the brain in my opinion. Edited May 10, 2012 by Fig Newton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
widerightradio Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 Doesn't matter. The manufacturers have said they can't build a helmet that will stop concussions. Stop hitting the head. It is simple. You don't have to in order to make impactful hits. Stop going to the head. To say that manufacturers can't build a helmet that will stop concussions does not mean that they can't (and haven't) built helmets that reduce concussions and other types of traumatic brain injuries. Gregg Easterbrook has written extensively on this issue. http://espn.go.com/espn/print?id=6759254&type=story There may have been changes over the past 10 months since he wrote the article, but look at this research by Virginia Tech: "[T]he VSR4 -- Virginia Tech's second-lowest-rated helmet -- was the most common helmet in the NFL last season." Changes need to be holistic, from equipment to rule changes. Transparency would be a good start. All teams should be required to disclose the types of helmets used and by which players. The NFL should employ doctors independent of teams to report concussions with fines and suspensions for both players and teams where traumatic brain injuries are not reported. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike in Syracuse Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 (edited) Want to stop defenders from leading with their helmets? GET RID OF THE DAMN HELMETS. Teach players to tackle with their shoulders again. Rugby and Australian rules football are every bit as violent as the NFL and they have a fraction of the concussions. The players would love it because their stupid faces would be on TV all the time! Edited May 10, 2012 by Mike in Syracuse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chandemonium Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 Want to stop defenders from leading with their helmets? GET RID OF THE DAMN HELMETS. Teach players to tackle with their shoulders again. Rugby and Australian rules football are every bit as violent as the NFL and they have a fraction of the concussions. The players would love it because their stupid faces would be on TV all the time! But the owners would hate it because their logos wouldn't be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
todd Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 While I agree with you about needing better helmets, concussions would not come to an end. Concussions happen because of a sudden change in speed causing the brain to hit the inside of the skull. While the helmet would lessen that crack of hitting, the change in speed that happens when the helmet hits something would not be changed. Fixing the hard shell exterior wouldn't do much to reduce concussions, although it is probably still worth it. If the League is serious about reducing concussions it needs to mandate all players wear Helmets that have padding on the outside as well as the inside like Mark Kelso used to wear. I think the padding should be much thicker than he had and of a medium density so that there is a lot of give to it. Imagine to marshmallows coming together, it would be practically impossible to get a concussion with helmets like that. They may look retarded at first but huge shoulder pads probably looked funny too. They can come up with all these new helmets they want but until they cover the hard shell exterior of today's helmets, concussions will likely continue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 While I agree with you about needing better helmets, concussions would not come to an end. Concussions happen because of a sudden change in speed causing the brain to hit the inside of the skull. While the helmet would lessen that crack of hitting, the change in speed that happens when the helmet hits something would not be changed. Prime example... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UB Bull Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 (edited) Helmets don't affect the change in speed, but they increase the time over which the change in speed takes place, lessening the impulse to the brain. More padding leads to a more gradual change in momentum, and thus a lower impulse. This is the important factor. The density of the padding is the result of helmet manufacturers "guessing" at the momentum of the most common and most dangerous collisions the helmets will see, and then optimizing the density of the padding for those collisions. There is, of course, some margin-of-error While I agree with you about needing better helmets, concussions would not come to an end. Concussions happen because of a sudden change in speed causing the brain to hit the inside of the skull. While the helmet would lessen that crack of hitting, the change in speed that happens when the helmet hits something would not be changed. Fixing the hard shell exterior wouldn't do much to reduce concussions, although it is probably still worth it. Edited May 10, 2012 by UB Bull Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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