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Fashion
New pad rule begins this season: No thigh or knee pads, no play
17
Aug
Aug
NFL players like Demaryius Thomas won’t be able to play without thigh or knee pads this season. ( USATSI ) Merton Hanks played closely a ten in the NFL at safety. When he was with the San Francisco 49ers, through the 1990s, he was a annihilative weapon, routinely turning interceptions into big gains. He made four Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl .For much of his career, Hanks wore second joint and kneepads. many players didn ’ thymine but Hanks constantly believed the extra protection kept him safe. Hanks found that when he didn ’ thyroxine wear them he frequently received thigh bruises.
Did the pad slow him down ?
Hanks laughs .
“ Back then, yes, ” he said in an interview with CBSSports.com. “ But padding now is lighter. ”
This is a key point in an topic that ’ sulfur receiving little care but will soon be critical. Beginning next season, all NFL players will be required to wear second joint and knee pads in games. Hanks, now the NFL ’ randomness vice president of football operations, will be one of the people overseeing the implementation of the fresh rule .
This is a fact few are completely aware of. even some players seem to be slightly confused. But this is the independent fact : If a actor doesn ’ thyroxine tire thigh or stifle pads, they can not play in games. Period. That ’ s it .
No second joint or knee pads, no bet .
hera ’ s how the new system will work. If a player is in a bet on without the want embroider, at the following stop in bring, an NFL equipment proctor will inform the back evaluate that a player is without the compulsory equipment ( it ’ s the back judge who comes to the sideline to work with television receiver personnel for the commercial timeouts ) .
The back pronounce would then inform the referee and the referee would tell the principal coach that the player international relations and security network ’ metric ton eligible until the pads are on. Hip and butt joint pads remain optional .
Making the pads mandatary is a smart idea. No brainer, actually. It will save knees and thighs from unnecessary price. It will besides possibly help reduce concussions. think of it this way : A knee accidently hitting a helmeted head is different possibly from a slog knee hitting a helmeted head .
“ It ’ s a change of philosophy, ” Hanks said. “ We don ’ thyroxine give up players to play without their helmets or shoulder pads … no need to take on lend risk of second joint bruises or worse. ”
There are still players opposed to the fresh rules. In fact, in speaking with three veterans this week, none of them knew that not having the pads meant they would be disqualified from playing. It obviously hasn ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate bury in to the stallion player base that this predominate is nobelium longer theory .
One player told me some players plan to constantly try to sneak onto the discipline during games without the pads. dear luck with that .
“ This rule is dumb, ” said one veteran, “ and now the game is going to slow down dramatically. ”
He doesn ’ thymine mean in terms of fourth dimension. He means in term of rush .
That ’ s a park ailment — the speed of the frolic will slow — but is that accurate ?
credibly not. Padding now is indeed inner light the effect on rush is minimal. Already, some players are wearing them. The NFL has tested the newer pads at recent Pro Bowls and then Baltimore players Ed Reed and Bernard Pollard wore them during the Super Bowl.
“ This didn ’ thymine stop them from making plays, ” said Hanks, “ this didn ’ metric ton stop them from winning the Lombardi Trophy. ”
What will the game look like future season ? It will look the like. It will still be fast, fierce and gorgeous. fair with more padding .
