- Joined
- Feb 9, 2014
- Messages
- 20,922
- Name
- Peter
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...d-safety-chair-sees-a-future-without-helmets/
NFL health and safety chair sees a future without helmets
Posted by Mike Florio on June 18, 2015
As the NFL continues to look for ways to make the game safer, one way to make the game safer could come from a removal of one of the first significant pieces of football safety equipment.
The helmet.
Dr. John York, co-chair of the 49ers and chairman of the NFL’s health and safety advisory committee, believes that in the future helmets eventually could become a thing of the past.
“Can I see a time without helmets? Yes,” York told the BBC. “It’s not around the corner, but I can see it.”
York explained that removing helmets would require the elimination of the three-point stance, with linemen upright at the snap.
While the removal of helmets would reduce concussions that currently happen when players use those helmets as weapons, players who aren’t wearing helmets would be more prone to skull fractures via accidental collisions occurring at full speed. And skull fractures are far more likely to cause death than concussions.
The better approach would be to minimize opportunities for head involvement while still providing maximum protection from accidental contact. Switch to the two-point stance, ban all helmet-to-helmet hits, prevent players from launching in all situations, but keep the helmets on the players to guard against the inevitable elbows and knees and feet that routinely strike heads currently protected from being split open.
---------
Football without helmets is called “flag football”
---------
Works for rugby…just saying
--------
There’s a reason no one watches rugby
-------
I’d rather watch lingerie football
--------
The name “York” leads me to believe he is related to someone name “Jed” who is in the middle of bottoming out the Santa Clara 49ers, and now John wants to do the same thing the entire league! Get the Yorks out of the NFL …now!
-------
The answer is really quite simple and it doesn’t include going without helmets; just get rid of the face mask.
Players will think twice about charging in head-first if they don’t have a face mask. No deadly head-to-head hits; just a slightly uglier set of faces.
-------
Interesting take for someone who is not a man, according to Jim Harbaugh
-------
This will never happen. If you remove helmets you would have to change tons of rules. It would be completely different sport.
-------
No wonder the 49ers players are retiring with that guy as chair of their team.
------
The helmets do exactly what they are designed to do. They prevent skull fractures. No helmet design will prevent concussions in an impact game with speed. They can minimize the impact trauma a little but the concussions in the NFL are mainly caused by the brain slamming against the skull due to the sudden stop of momentum.
Padding will not stop this. All padding will do is increase friction at the point of impact (limits glancing blows) and add more risk to neck/spinal injury. All the league can feasibly do is limit intentional head contact by hammering the headhunters with fines and suspensions.
NFL health and safety chair sees a future without helmets
Posted by Mike Florio on June 18, 2015
As the NFL continues to look for ways to make the game safer, one way to make the game safer could come from a removal of one of the first significant pieces of football safety equipment.
The helmet.
Dr. John York, co-chair of the 49ers and chairman of the NFL’s health and safety advisory committee, believes that in the future helmets eventually could become a thing of the past.
“Can I see a time without helmets? Yes,” York told the BBC. “It’s not around the corner, but I can see it.”
York explained that removing helmets would require the elimination of the three-point stance, with linemen upright at the snap.
While the removal of helmets would reduce concussions that currently happen when players use those helmets as weapons, players who aren’t wearing helmets would be more prone to skull fractures via accidental collisions occurring at full speed. And skull fractures are far more likely to cause death than concussions.
The better approach would be to minimize opportunities for head involvement while still providing maximum protection from accidental contact. Switch to the two-point stance, ban all helmet-to-helmet hits, prevent players from launching in all situations, but keep the helmets on the players to guard against the inevitable elbows and knees and feet that routinely strike heads currently protected from being split open.
---------
Football without helmets is called “flag football”
---------
Works for rugby…just saying
--------
There’s a reason no one watches rugby
-------
I’d rather watch lingerie football
--------
The name “York” leads me to believe he is related to someone name “Jed” who is in the middle of bottoming out the Santa Clara 49ers, and now John wants to do the same thing the entire league! Get the Yorks out of the NFL …now!
-------
The answer is really quite simple and it doesn’t include going without helmets; just get rid of the face mask.
Players will think twice about charging in head-first if they don’t have a face mask. No deadly head-to-head hits; just a slightly uglier set of faces.
-------
Interesting take for someone who is not a man, according to Jim Harbaugh
-------
This will never happen. If you remove helmets you would have to change tons of rules. It would be completely different sport.
-------
No wonder the 49ers players are retiring with that guy as chair of their team.
------
The helmets do exactly what they are designed to do. They prevent skull fractures. No helmet design will prevent concussions in an impact game with speed. They can minimize the impact trauma a little but the concussions in the NFL are mainly caused by the brain slamming against the skull due to the sudden stop of momentum.
Padding will not stop this. All padding will do is increase friction at the point of impact (limits glancing blows) and add more risk to neck/spinal injury. All the league can feasibly do is limit intentional head contact by hammering the headhunters with fines and suspensions.
