PFT: Competition Committee will propose killing plays when ball carrier loses helmet

[Illini88228]

I definitely like the chin strap must be fastened securely suggestion, but it's always seemed to me and I know this was the case in the hs football I played that when a guys helmet comes off people are careful to bring them down without causing an injury. I know that there are dirty players out there, but I honestly believe most guys appreciate that it's somebodies livelihood that they're messing with and that injuries are to be avoided when it's within the control of the players.

Besides cheap shots almost always incur reciprocation.

 

[MapleLeaf]

That's what I'm thinking too - how about a rule that all players must wear a 4-buckle chinstrap and it must be fully buckled at the start of every play?

Most players are smart enough to tackle a guy safely when he loses his helmet, a la the Witten play.

It's nice to see that the players are cognizant of when a player is in a vunerable position. As they always say they don't want to be in a position of taking away another person's lunch.

As for the chinstrap, I'm reading between the lines here, but why hasn't the NFL mandates the four point, high hook up chinstrap for their league.

They mandate of all things the colour? Only white allowed in the NFL.

I'm guessing it is difficult for players to remove quickly, so you can't do an Emmitt when you want face time.

QBs obviously don't like it because it impedes your ability to bark out signals. I remember that it was much harder to breathe with the high hook up because it really pulled in your chin tight.

One thing I can tell you, on the three teams I coach in pee wee, bantam and high school we buy the best high hook up swivel chin straps and in (5) years of coaching not a single helmet has ever came off in a game or practice.

More often than not the kids are complaining of the fit of their helmet and chin strap as we coaches ensure that the fit is tight according to the manufacturers fitting guides and our equipment certification courses.

 

[MapleLeaf]

PFT: Competition Committee Will Propose Killing The Game Of Football

Seems to be a more fitting title.

...regulated a tighter fitting helmet and a different chinstrap would that bother you.

Like I said before I think the whistle is a waste of time if they are concerned about helmets coming off.

 

[Hoofbite]

...regulated a tighter fitting helmet and a different chinstrap would that bother you.

Like I said before I think the whistle is a waste of time if they are concerned about helmets coming off.

I think the helmets fit the way they do for a reason. If the helmet was spandex tight to a head, the shock would go right to the player's head.

I don't know for sure but it seems like there is a little bit of wiggle room to absorb some of the hit.

I think this whole issue is a waste of time because helmets come off pretty rarely. In the grand scheme of things, helmets are off for very few plays. I suppose you could run that argument in either direction but I don't think rules need to be made just for the sake of making rules.

 

[peplaw06]

I just remember playing in youth leagues, HS, and college where the helmet fit so tight it hurt to take it off. You watch these guys in the NFL and their helmets fit like bobble heads.

They should be altering fitting standards. Remember lining up and having refs check your cleats and making you rotate and shake your head?

It doesn't help with guys like Barber filling half their helmet with unkempt hair and bound dreadlocks. Maybe they should start there.

 

[jazzcat22]

Posted by Mike Florio on March 17, 2010 10:50 AM ET
During a conference call with reporters in advance of next week's league meetings in Dallas, Falcons president Rich McKay said that one of the safety-related rules to be proposed by the Competition Committee will, if adopted, call for the play to be ended if the ball carrier loses his helmet.

The change would bring the NFL rule in line with the college rule.

But it would take away those compelling highlights, when a player loses his helmet and keeps on going. We can't think of any specific examples right now other than Adam Sandler in The Longest Yard, but we'll keep trying.

UPDATE: Cowboys tight end Jason Witten once went nearly 30 yards with the ball after losing his hat.

--------------------

Good job, Florio.

Without reading any further posts...this rule sucks....so a player is running for a TD. The defense can't tackle him, but has a chance yank off his helmet as alast chance effort...play over...game over...

 

[MapleLeaf]

I think the helmets fit the way they do for a reason. If the helmet was spandex tight to a head, the shock would go right to the player's head.

I don't know for sure but it seems like there is a little bit of wiggle room to absorb some of the hit.

I think this whole issue is a waste of time because helmets come off pretty rarely. In the grand scheme of things, helmets are off for very few plays. I suppose you could run that argument in either direction but I don't think rules need to be made just for the sake of making rules.

...but your assumption is completely inaccurate and is the basis of all the fitting clinics put on by the three major manufacturers of helmets - Riddell, Schutt and Adams.

There has to be a continuous contact of the player's head to the absorption material designed in the helmets. Whether it Riddell's inflation system, Schutt's Skydex material or Adam's inflation and closed cell foam the greatest protection is afforded the player when the helmet fits snugly.

This way the helmet's protective layer can work even when its a glancing blow or the force is at an angle. If there was a "looser" fit there would be even more rattling in the cage, so to speak.

Please refer to previous poster's post on what he use to do in front of the refs to prove proper fit of his helmet.

Best example is take a large wad of foam and wrap it snugly around an egg, tape the foam tight and drop it from the top of your ladder. Now take the same egg, but wrap if in foam with a bit of gap around the egg (looser fit) and drop from same said ladder.

 

[jazzcat22]

...Gurode did get hurt when Albert tore his helmet off. That was an unusual one.

This proposal is not surprising. With a CBA in full discussions, NFL Network airing a infomercial on concussions and more and more articles in the media each day on the state of ex-NFL football players it's natural to expect the league to try to address all possible safety issues.

They are just trying to avoid the situation of a RB losing a helmet in between the tackles literally just a fraction of a second before a LB meets him in the hole.
Couple this with the hairstyles the players are sporting today and the loose fit many players have adopted and you see helmets popping off heads with regularity now.

Take a look at the chinstrap Favre plays with. It a wonder his helmet doesn't get torn off more often. It's an old style cheapie Adams strap you see on the old Y-4 series.

And really, how often has this happened, none that I can't ever remember.

So they want to change a rule because of hairstyles and helmets not fitting because of that. That is insane, but this is the PC stupid era. Make them cut their freaking hair, or live with the results.

 

[MapleLeaf]

Without reading any further posts...this rule sucks....so a player is running for a TD. The defense can't tackle him, but has a chance yank off his helmet as alast chance effort...play over...game over...

...can get to his head to yank off the helmet then they can tackle him.

Second if they did yank off the helmet I believe that would be regarded as a personal foul, big yards tacked on top of where the player came down and possibly a fine from the league for a flagrant act.

I can't imagine what the league would slap on a player if he yanked off the guy's helmet 2 yards from the end zone without ever attempting to tackle the player. It would look ridiculously intentional in my opinion.

 

[MapleLeaf]

And really, how often has this happened, none that I can't ever remember.

So they want to change a rule because of hairstyles and helmets not fitting because of that. That is insane, but this is the PC stupid era. Make them cut their freaking hair, or live with the results.

...you bag on the possibility that someone is running for TD and how the rule sucks being applied in that situation which is absolutely preposterous in my opinion, but something like a dive play in the trenches with lots of lineman reaching and grabbing for the ball carrier is not a valid proposition for a helmet being pulled off???

I don't think you have ever carried a football through the hole in your life. Helmets coming off on dive plays is exactly what I would be worried about if I was administering a league and talking about the greatest probability of occurrence.

 

[HanD]

...but your assumption is completely inaccurate and is the basis of all the fitting clinics put on by the three major manufacturers of helmets - Riddell, Schutt and Adams.

There has to be a continuous contact of the player's head to the absorption material designed in the helmets. Whether it Riddell's inflation system, Schutt's Skydex material or Adam's inflation and closed cell foam the greatest protection is afforded the player when the helmet fits snugly.

This way the helmet's protective layer can work even when its a glancing blow or the force is at an angle. If there was a "looser" fit there would be even more rattling in the cage, so to speak.

Please refer to previous poster's post on what he use to do in front of the refs to prove proper fit of his helmet.

Best example is take a large wad of foam and wrap it snugly around an egg, tape the foam tight and drop it from the top of your ladder. Now take the same egg, but wrap if in foam with a bit of gap around the egg (looser fit) and drop from same said ladder.

exactly! or better yet, try riding a motorcycle and tell me you are safer with a lose fitting helmet when you go down. helmets in any field including motorsports are useless if not fitted properly which is only a possible cause for so many falling off now. included in that discussion would be chin straps and crazy hair dos. I know that this doesn't explain everything because players now are so much more physical, but i wonder if improper fitting or wearing of helmets leads to more concussions that we are seeing...

 

[jazzcat22]

...you bag on the possibility that someone is running for TD and how the rule sucks being applied in that situation which is absolutely preposterous in my opinion, but something like a dive play in the trenches with lots of lineman reaching and grabbing for the ball carrier is not a valid proposition for a helmet being pulled off???

I don't think you have ever carried a football through the hole in your life. Helmets coming off on dive plays is exactly what I would be worried about if I was administering a league and talking about the greatest probability of occurrence.

I carried the ball through a hole many of times in my life. Who are you to say this too me, you don't know what I have done or have not done. I was just making a statement of an occurance that could happen to expose this supposedly proposed change that could be a game changing situation. Yes a penalty would be called, but it prevents a TD, as where the old rule allows the play to continue.

 

[Yeagermeister]

The Jason Witten rule

 

[burmafrd]

Dumb. Just plain dumb. They do not enforce rules like making sure players have their helmets on tight and chinstraps fastened as it is.

 

[MapleLeaf]

I carried the ball through a hole many of times in my life. Who are you to say this too me, you don't know what I have done or have not done. I was just making a statement of an occurance that could happen to expose this supposedly proposed change that could be a game changing situation. Yes a penalty would be called, but it prevents a TD, as where the old rule allows the play to continue.

...regarding yourself. It was uncalled for.

As for the greatest probability in game for an injury with the helmet being removed it would be in the trenches more than likely in the A or B gaps.

As a runner penetrates through the line defenders are going to be engaged with offensive lineman and blockers and reaching out to grab anything cloth, pads, limbs and possibly helmets.

In the event they tie up the undesireable, a helmet, having the helmet come off just as a LB is filling the gap is not football in my opinion and it would be reasonable to blow the play dead. Give the team forward progress and let the player live another day.

Really for all the complaining that people have done I'm actually shocked that fans would be so possessive over this when we are talking about people's lives.

In all the years, clinics and players and coaches I have ever talked to who are involved in professional sports no one I have ever run into talks about being denied opportunities to seriously hurt someone as something off a ripoff to them.

TD or not TD who cares when it comes to safety!

Apologies again for my out of bounds comment.

 

[Everlastingxxx]

Good rule. Reason why they wear helmets in the first place. It’s like in boxing, boxer loses his mouth piece they stop the action and put it back in.

 

[Doomsday101]

Good rule. Reason why they wear helmets in the first place. It’s like in boxing, boxer loses his mouth piece they stop the action and put it back in.

I agree. It would be a bit hypocritical to say the NFL is concerned with head injured yet allow a play to continue after the ball carrier has lost his helmet.


"if adopted, call for the play to be ended if the ball carrier loses his helmet."

 

[THUMPER]

...regarding yourself. It was uncalled for.

As for the greatest probability in game for an injury with the helmet being removed it would be in the trenches more than likely in the A or B gaps.

As a runner penetrates through the line defenders are going to be engaged with offensive lineman and blockers and reaching out to grab anything cloth, pads, limbs and possibly helmets.

In the event they tie up the undesireable, a helmet, having the helmet come off just as a LB is filling the gap is not football in my opinion and it would be reasonable to blow the play dead. Give the team forward progress and let the player live another day.

Really for all the complaining that people have done I'm actually shocked that fans would be so possessive over this when we are talking about people's lives.

In all the years, clinics and players and coaches I have ever talked to who are involved in professional sports no one I have ever run into talks about being denied opportunities to seriously hurt someone as something off a ripoff to them.

TD or not TD who cares when it comes to safety!

Apologies again for my out of bounds comment.

Those statements explain a lot about your position. You and Gene Washington have a lot in common.

I played tackle football for 45 years and only about 4 of those were with a helmet.

Leave football to the MEN who aren't afraid to get hurt.

 

[casmith07]

It doesn't help with guys like Barber filling half their helmet with unkempt hair and bound dreadlocks. Maybe they should start there.

I've got my own thoughts on dreadlocks, being an African-American myself...but that's a discussion we can have over PMs. I don't want to de-rail the thread topic.

 

[casmith07]

The reason why I'm against blowing the play dead if the ball-carrier loses his helmet is imagine a play like the Witten play - it was game-changing. Without that long run, who knows what happens? Imagine if a player gets his helmet ripped off by the last DB on the field and runs helmet-less for a TD? Do you take the TD back and blow the play dead at the 40 yard line?