As the NFL continues to grapple with stories of former players living with long-term brain damage, there’s a new proposal being discussed that would reduce the number of head-on collisions that players experience: Start practicing without helmets.
Jason La Canfora of NFL Network reports that John Madden, in his new role as an adviser to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, is regularly leading conference calls with a group of coaches to discuss ways to make the NFL safer, and one of the recommendations has been practicing without helmets.
The group of coaches Madden has regular discussions with — Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, Eagles coach Andy Reid, Chargers coach Norv Turner, 49ers coach Mike Singletary and former coach Mike Holmgren — have spoken about how they could make practices safer for players by taking the helmets off.
For his part, Madden — an old-school coach of the 1970s — has a hard time picturing an NFL practice without helmets. But he says the coaches of today aren’t ruling it out.
“It seems a little far-fetched,” Madden said, “but it’s something the coaches have been talking about.”
Madden, who also wants to see rules limiting off-season work, eliminating wedges on kickoff returns and eradicating hits on defenseless players, said he’s enjoying his role as an adviser to the commissioner because he believes Goodell is dedicated to improving the game by making it safer.
“He’s very interested in this, pushing safety, not only concussions, but the whole safety of the game, making sure it’s played right, which I appreciate,” Madden said. “And it’s one of the reasons I’m involved. I know the things we believe in and the things we stand for are the same things the Commissioner stands for.”
Just make them wear a belt with flags on them and call it a day….
Huh?
I’m trying to remember the last time that an NFL player got a concussion in practice. Or any collision-related injury for that matter.
Most practice injuries are sprains and strains–and the occasional torn ACL–due to slips, cleats getting caught in the turf, or one player falling on another’s leg.
It’s like saying you’re having safe sex by putting a condom on your big toe.
Speaking of grapple … here is my solution to cut down on the concussions ….
Cover all helmets with a two or three inch thick wrestling mat type padding.
It would look weird at first but people would get used to it and it would cut down on the cannonball like impact of helmet to helmet, helmet to chin & jaw, helmet to knee, helmet to anything, collisions.
Yeah, and next they’ll protect their junk by playing with j-straps! Madden is senile!
Yeah, and next they’ll protect their junk by playing without j-straps! Madden is senile!
I thought this was a mans sport? Im tired of watching these penalties for helmet to helmet contact. If your scared then get your tail off the field. Football players should know that once they step on the field that they could possibly get severely injured. Just like when a driver of a car gets behind the wheel, he knows that the possibility of a crash is always apparent.
P.S. Please leave the country John Madden and take Cris Collinsworth with you.
This should eliminate the problem of former players having health problems in their 40s and 50s because head-to-head collisions without helmets will result in deaths rather than concussions.
Brilliant!
NTFL here we come.
It makes sense. If you play like you practice, you won’t learn how to use your head as a weapon
Offseason work should not be limited. The problem would occur that some players would cheat or would be suspected of cheating. Then everyone else would cheat because they think otherwise they would lose an edge. Don’t limit offseason work.
The reason football helmets were invented was to stop skulls from getting cracked open, which caused deaths. President Theodore Roosevelt had a special initiative to reduce football deaths. Look it up on Wikipedia or whatever.
They want them to practice without helmets on so players learn to stop throwing their heads around aimlessly. Pretty simple idea that makes plenty of sense. Don’t know why so many people have a hard time understanding.
Strange idea, but these coaches should know what they need to get it done in practice. You would think there would be more injuries with these guys being as competitive as they are.
@CitizenStrange; There are no equipment fixes for the concussion problem. It’s about what happens when the head comes to a sudden stop and the brain keeps going and rams into the inside of the skull.
All nfl players are candy assed sissies. These lazy pricks dont play in camp, report late, bitch and snivel about pre-season (remember it doesnt count). Now thier bitching about injuries. Screw them. These guys are paid to be celebrity gladiators. Stop puttuing them in pink panties. These guys are paid to prostituite thier health and bodies. Scrap the ” you cant hit this guy cause his coocth is fraigle BS and give us Real football. If Timmie doesnt want to hit tell him to go sweep floors in Omaha. Toughen up you pansy lipped (read bacon hangers) ballerinas.
How about this. Put a rule in the game that a player can only play for 5 years or 5 concussions. It is a dangerous sport and a young mans game. I look at the shots Favre takes and he is the same age as I am. There is no way I would get up after one of those. Players are conditioned to block it out and deal with it.
Coaches need to teach their players how to tackle. The majority of defensive players just run into the offensive player without wrapping up and tackling. While I do enjoy those devastating hits, nothing annoys me more when the hit doesn’t knock down the player and they bounce off for a huge gain.
No one forces these guys to play football. If they’re so concerned about their health they can go get a real job. I’m sure their degrees in communications & african american studies will guarantee them a good job at a Fortune 500 company. No one seems too concerned about the long term health of firemen, soldiers, coal miners, etc & they get paid a fraction of a pro football player.
One of the high schools in my state has been doing this for 2 years now during practices. If you watch them play not one of their players goes head first in a tackle. They are actually one of the better tackling teams cause they had to go back to basics on learning how to tackle.
I’m not sure if it’s the right answer for the NFL or college, but if these players practice not to throw their heads first, it would probably reduce the number of concussions.
One of the high schools in my state has been doing this for 2 years now during practices. If you watch them play not one of their players goes head first in a tackle. They are actually one of the better tackling teams cause they had to go back to basics on learning how to tackle.
I’m not sure if it’s the right answer for the NFL or college, but if these players practice not to throw their heads first, it would probably reduce the number of concussions.
No helmets? Madden, perhaps the best approach would be to continually examine the way helmets are designed, the way the padding is laid out inside, the materials used – that kind of thing.
Looks like the old timers might have got it right with the leather helmets. They’ll protect you from scrapes but you won’t be daring enough to pile drive your head into someone else’s head.
We used to play 11 man, 100 yd. tackle games among ourselves without any helmets and no one I recall ever got knocked out. There will always be injuries but best to try to eliminate brain injuries. Today’s helmets give the players false confidence their heads are protected and consequently use them as weapons.
@CitizenStrange; There are no equipment fixes for the concussion problem. It’s about what happens when the head comes to a sudden stop and the brain keeps going and rams into the inside of the skull.
The whole point of any type of padding is so things do not come to as sudden of a stop.
Seriously.
Why do you think their is padding/suspension inside a helmet?
Or try driving your car at 50 miles an hour into a tree. Then try driving your car at 50 miles an hour into a tree with 10 mattresses in front of it and ten mattresses tied to the front of your car.
Goodell is pushing safety the same time he is pushing more regular season games.
“It seems a little far-fetched,” Madden said, “but it’s something the coaches have been talking about.”
the “POSSIBILITY” of an elbow or knee, leg ect… crashing into an uprotected skull could “Potentially” cause serious injury.
Just start getting back to fundamentals and correct coaching of players not to lead with the helmet.
Lead with your helmet…… take a lap Farley.
I REMEMBER BACK IN THE OLD DAYS WHEN JIM BROWN IMPALED OTTO GRAHAM WITH A POLEAXE
NOW THAT WAS FOOTBALL
LIKE I ALWAYS SAID, IF PEOPLE AREN’T REGULARLY SUFFERING BRAIN DAMAGE, THEN THAT ACTIVITY IS FOR PUSSIES
EIGHTEEN CONCUSSIONS NEVER HURT ME NONE
Why hasn’t the NFL required the concussion preventing(helping) helmets used by Peyton Manning, Larry Fitzgerald, and others.
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2007/09/anti-concussion/
There is an all-pro player at every position wearing one of these helmets. I wondering what the percentage of concussions is of players wearing these helmet opposed to those who don’t?
A couple years ago didn’t Madden suggest removing the face mask, reasoning that if there were no facemask then players wouldn’t lead with their head (aka face). That does make some sense.
This is just the start of a trend. When the information drops about the percentage of football players that end up with brain damage you’ll begin to see a radical change of the entire sport. Hitting will be left for game day, practices will be done in a way to prevent head impact, coaches will be legally bound to ensure this, and it will filter all the way down to pop warner. The game will completely change and that old school hardass football ethic will be replaced by a less intense version. It sounds farfetched but this will happen. So far the rate that’s come out of the med reports on brain damage found post mortem has been 100%. This is too damning a statistical trend to think the actual number isn’t very high also. How the PA addresses care of former players is just one of the areas where you’ll see these arguments become louder and louder. The league and the owners will only be able to stem the tide of this for so long.
# Eagles in ’10,’11 or some other year says: November 17, 2009 7:26 PM
Yeah, and next they’ll protect their junk by playing without j-straps! Madden is senile!
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This is what happens when you DON’T read an article, but reply to it anyway.
Madden is merely collecting information from the coaches, oh wise one.
By the way, back in the day, NHL players didn’t wear helmets or face guards and guess what?
Players weren’t swinging sticks at other players heads, unlike today.
Absurd! How on earth can you teach proper tackling techniques in practice without a helmet?
To me, the players would take More unnecessary risks in a game, with helmet on, after practicing all week without one.
Players can’t tackle anymore, so they launch themselves head first at the knees.
This is not a new idea ,read the book “Death of an American Game”,,published in 1979,,,,
There’s been a lot in other media (i.e. not sports related) about brain trauma of ex-football players. It’s not really just about concussions. It’s about repeated, smaller hits to, and by, the head. Young (and dead) ex-football players tend to have similar-looking brains as old people and/or people with dementia.
When I first read about the no-helmet proposal, I thought it was ridiculous, but teh comparison is Australian rules football. They don’t wear helmets and it’s a rough sport, but the don’t lead with the head.
For all of you crying, “Pansy this, pansy that,” go find a sport you’ll enjoy, like dog-fighting.
Having played Rugby for 15 years, I had my share of head to head contact! I know for a fact, that one does not need a helmet to be a good tackler!
The proper way to tackle is a skill that one should learn at an early age, unfortunately it isn’t taught!
Whats taught to most little kids, is stick your helmet in his gut, drive him back!
This is just crazy-stupid. Seriously.
It’s like outlawing condoms to cut down on the number of abortions.