A New Helmet For Football's Concussion Problem

Re: A New Helmet For Football''s Concussion Problem

Hankster2 said:

What I mean by that is, if you build a better helmet that allows people to hit or get hit harder before they're concussed, players are going to utilize that increased threshold and hit even harder than before.

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The helmets, by themselves, cannot solve this - but all of the new rules are not going to be taken off of the books because the helmets make these hits safer. This may not solve the problem, but it is absolutely a step in the right direction.

Re: A New Helmet For Football''s Concussion Problem

B1GTide said:

The helmets, by themselves, cannot solve this - but all of the new rules are not going to be taken off of the books because the helmets make these hits safer. This may not solve the problem, but it is absolutely a step in the right direction.

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Understood and agreed, but my point wasn't for or against what this helmet manufacturer is doing. It's more along the lines of: From the days of no helmets to now, technology has been consistently applied to make the game safer by wrapping heads in the most protective cocoon possible. What we've found is that it hasn't worked because it's allowed the players to act more dangerously (as Earle points out above). Why not instead/also apply technology to help curb the unsafe actions and habits that are causing injuries.

Another interesting bit I noticed on the video was the turf underlay for preventing concussions.

I'd be interested to know how something like that would affect lower body ligament injuries. The argument against the cleats players use is that the traction technology a long time ago surpassed what the ligaments of the body are able to handle, and that's why there are some many ACL's, MCL's, etc. Seems like a surface that was designed to deform would just compound this.

About time!

It's getting to be big money with all the humongous lawsuits, so there should be a lot more competition in this space.

Re: A New Helmet For Football''s Concussion Problem

I still believe the modern helmet caused more concussions. It turned onto a weapon. It created a new way of tackling, not with your shoulder to the mid section as many of us grew up with. I am a skeptic that any helmet will cure the problem. Learning how to tackle without your head will.

A question........do rugby players have this problem? If not, it is the evolution of the helmet, and the false perception of protection, the highlights of lowering the boom on ESPN is to blame.

Human nature. We would have less concussions with no helmet imo. Teach the young how to tackle without using your head.

Re: A New Helmet For Football''s Concussion Problem

Sabanizer said:

I still believe the modern helmet caused more concussions. It turned onto a weapon. It created a new way of tackling, not with your shoulder to the mid section as many of us grew up with. I am a skeptic that any helmet will cure the problem. Learning how to tackle without your head will.

A question........do rugby players have this problem? If not, it is the evolution of the helmet, and the false perception of protection, the highlights of lowering the boom on ESPN is to blame.

Human nature. We would have less concussions with no helmet imo. Teach the young how to tackle without using your head.

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Yes, they do. They bang heads in scrums a lot. Their problems are more akin to that of linemen in the NFL, with many, many micro-concussions. Soccer players also suffer from concussions - a lot of them.

I think that we are more likely to see better gear implemented than gear eliminated. While common sense seems to agree with your premise, there is no scientific evidence to support it. If they remove helmets as an experiment and someone gets killed on the field in front of a live TV audience (skull fracture), the sport might never recover. I just don't see them taking that chance.

Re: A New Helmet For Football''s Concussion Problem

The concept here is basically the same that Nascar implemented by installing safer barriers at their tracks. About 2000 Nascar mandated stiffer chassis's on their cars and drivers started getting killed (ala Irwin, Petty, and Earnhardt). No one has died since Nascar started using safer barriers. Agree that the rapidity of hits in football makes concussion a tougher issue (Cumulative effect) , but anything that will lessen the risk of concussion should be implemented. It's either that or they will change the rules to where football as we know it will not be the same. Bring on this technology.

Re: A New Helmet For Football''s Concussion Problem

Intl.Aperture said:

So sort of like the idea of driver aids on cars, E.G. lane recognition, back-up cameras. They were invented because people weren't diligent enough to consistently check their blind spot or use blinkers - which caused auto accidents. Now that these driver aids are being added it's just going to make people even less diligent because they think the technology will keep them safer than before, causing them to, potentially, be more reckless. Is that a good comparison for what you are saying?

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There is some evidence about this. I remember when "they" added the third brake light at the top of the rear window. It was because people were so used to seeing the two standard brake lights that they tended to overlook them. Well, O.K. I wondered if they would add a fourth and a fifth and so on when the third was taken for granted and then forth and so on.

Now we still have only three brake lights and I guess all three are taken for granted. Just saying everything "they" come up with doesn't do what they think it will.

Re: A New Helmet For Football''s Concussion Problem

Redwood Forrest said:

...I remember when "they" added the third brake light at the top of the rear window. It was because people were so used to seeing the two standard brake lights that they tended to overlook them....

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The reasoning was that people overlooked them, not because there were only two, but because those two were too low. As this 1985 LA Times story confirms, an elevated third brake light was mandated so that it would be "in the line of vision of the driver in the car behind..." Anecdotally, I can attest that it worked exactly as the regulators intended (which sort of outcome is as welcome as it is rare)...

Kind of like a strike zone in baseball, I wonder if there is a way to implement a tackle zone on the players body?

I played a ton of backyard tackle football and loved it. Got a brusied kidney once but no concussion. We had only 3 linemen. Played with a 3 Mississippi rule that the play was dead if the QB was still holding the ball. 4 plays to go 20 yards instead 10.

I am not sure how much fun it was to watch but we had a blast playing this way.

I think it would be interesting to see if football experimented playing games with less equipment what would happen? Maybe sunglasses instead of helments, Kevlar vests instead of shoulder pads.

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There are very good points being made in this thread. If I had a son still playing however, I know which helmet I'd want him to wear. I do think if improvements aren't made through education, rule changes and technology the game we love may fade into history.

Re: A New Helmet For Football''s Concussion Problem

B1GTide said:

The helmets, by themselves, cannot solve this - but all of the new rules are not going to be taken off of the books because the helmets make these hits safer. This may not solve the problem, but it is absolutely a step in the right direction.

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I agree, improve the helmet with more outer buffer at hit points, but crucial to educate going back to basic tackling and prohibit lineman from using hands to the head when engaged in battle, both sides of the line, because no helmet will ever stop brain shift.