Monday, October 06, 2008

Getting Bad Helmet

I wonder if folks are noticing that players in the NFL are losing their heads, so to speak, on a regular basis. What I mean is that players are getting their helmets knocked off with the slightest of hits. It's been something that seems to happen at least once a game. And I think it's getting done on purpose. Lemme esplain...

The NFL has a rule that keeps players from purposefully taking off their helmets on the field of play during or in between plays. If someone takes off their helmet, it's an automatic 15 yard unsportsmanlike penalty. The League has this rule in place to keep the players from getting self promoting notoriety in a game that it has deemed as being team-first, with the individual being somewhere further down the line. I get the concept. There isn't a particular player who is the "face" of the league like you can see in the NBA. That's why elaborate on-field, post touchdown celebrations are frowned upon. See Chad Johnson's and Terrell Owens' penalty inducing celebrations.

So in light of this hinderance, I think players are doing is making their helmets fit loosely on their heads so that way their helmets will fly off "accidently" with the slightest breeze, err... tackle to gain some sort of face time. Normally I would say that this is done to circumvent the rules, but it may backfire because I've seen two players over this past NFL weekend get injured because their loose fitting helmets come off too easily and they end up eating turf. Let's hope guys see what's going on and try their best to keep their hats on because it's in their best interest to be as safe as possible in such a violent game.

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