Change the rules, not the equipment

It's not a new helmet by any standard, quite a few years old actually. The point is that these players:

1- May not know they don't have the best equipment to prevent concussions
and
2- Have adopted this unspoken rule that if you wear your helmet securely, you're an idiot or something.

Maybe you wouldn't get concussions if the helmet hits your head just as hard as the opposing player does. You don't see James Harrison getting concussions from his hits ever. Why? Because that helmet is like a second skull for him (like it should be.)

The fact of the matter is, the defensive players KNOW they need their helmets secure when they lay these big hits. The only player I've known to get hurt on defense from a big hit would be Ryan Clark's hit on McGahee and for all I know he wears his helmet loose too.

 

If the players wore the equipment properly we'd see less sever injuries. Half these guys aren't wearing their mouth pieces, don't strap up their chin strap, or are wearing the wrong size helmet and shoulder pads. NO ONE wears all of their leg pads, but no one is dying from bad knees or bruised tail bones so it's not that big of an issue.

 

The story is about Desean Jackson and you don't even remember Dunta Robinson getting hurt when he hit Jackson?

 

They can make some improvements but there is no such thing as a concussion-proof helmet.

 

What rules are they considering changing?

 

NASCAR dilly dallied until their best and brightest got killed and then they did something about safety issues. I hope the NFL doesn't follow the same path. They should be researching every new safety innovation in order to find the best possible material for the helmets. In the meantime, every coach should be assigning someone to see that the players wear their helmets and other safety gear properly. Maybe had they been doing that, a lot of these injuries would not have happened, or would not have been so severe. Maybe they have just been complacent lately.

 

Dunta wasn't wearing a tight helmet, the only thing keeping that helmet on was the chin strap and the size of his dreads.

I really can't tell if Clark ever had his helmet on tight or not in his injury.

The idea is this,

Trends in offensive players being injured when hit in the helmet >> Trends of defensive players being injured when hit in the helmet.

In a sensible world, those two are even. Clearly the offensive players are more susceptible to injury and the main reason behind a lot of that, IMO, is that their helmets are far too loose.

 

I said it before and I'll say it again. Jackson could have had six couch cushions strapped to his head; he still would have had a concussion. I don't think this is an equipment issue. Harrison doesn't get concussions because his brain isn't vibrating inside his skull when he hits someone. That helmet might keep him prettier, but it's probably not going to protect him from serious injuries in this sport, at least not when it comes to hits like the one he took.

 

Didn't jackson get hit more in the chin than the actually helmet itself? A better fitting helmet probably wouldn't have helped that.