American football helmets questioned

[TonyR]

"NFL safety boss says the league could ban helmets one day"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/american-football/33167457

[AlanJ]

When I used to watch the NFL the helmet was almost used as a weapon.

Yet you look at rugby, also full of crunching tackles and at most you'll see those padded helmets.

[[XAP]Bob]

When I used to watch the NFL the helmet was almost used as a weapon.

Yet you look at rugby, also full of crunching tackles and at most you'll see those padded helmets.

Padded helmets - ear protection...

[MartinC]

The effective gear for head protection worn in rugby, boxing and I guess American football is a gumshield. By utilising all the neck muscles to dampen head movement it lessens concussion. Anyone who gets excited about getting cyclists to wear helmets would do better to campaign for gumshields. They stop flies too!

[661-Pete]

Anyone who gets excited about getting cyclists to wear helmets would do better to campaign for gumshields. They stop flies too!

Having (twice) knocked out my front teeth in a face-plant, I'll drink to that! Or rather, "I'ww dhwink to wat"!

[Tonyf33]

The effective gear for head protection worn in rugby, boxing and I guess American football is a gumshield. By utilising all the neck muscles to dampen head movement it lessens concussion. Anyone who gets excited about getting cyclists to wear helmets would do better to campaign for gumshields. They stop flies too!

Not as clear cut as you might think, of the studies I recall there appeared to be little if any benefit with regard to concussion even with a custom fit guard, reduction with regard to orofacial injuries was greater than concussions in rugby.
A stock/standard mouthguard is worse than none at all, even a boil & bite isn't that great either and they should be replaced every 2 years or so due to degredation of the materials used.
Whilst most counties in the UK have requirements for gumshields in rugby PE lessons, even local studies showed little benefit (this was East Yorkshire were rugby league participation is very high at all levels)
And as with all so called 'safety' equipment (not just in sport) it increases the risk/lowers the risk evaluation

[Tonyf33]

"NFL safety boss says the league could ban helmets one day"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/american-football/33167457

IMHO I don't think this will ever happen, even with respect to the thousands of concussions suffered.
What needs to happen and has done to a limited extent already is to change the rules, leading with your head/using it to take down a player has all but being removed as being legitimate.
The main problem is that gridiron has increasingly seen players get bigger and stronger and also a large disparity between the biggest and the smallest. The nature of the sport means that players are at very high risk and gets worse with the increased power/forces involved, this is similar in rugby union because the players are not required to run as much compared to rugby league players where the disparity in size is less prevelent than gridiron and union.
With bigger more tired players you have more injuries in the second half of a match.