The Philadelphia Eagles recently pulled back a rule proposal to allow National Football League teams to have a second color helmet to wear with their third option uniform.
The Eagles wanted to wear Kelly green this year for their alternate uniforms, like they did until they changed to the “midnight green” in late ‘90s. However, the midnight helmets didn’t go well with the Kelly shirts, so they petitioned to be allowed to wear the throw-back helmet as well.
I didn’t realize it, but the NFL has a rule that a player has to wear the same helmet all season. It has to do with cutting down on head injuries. This must be a recent rule, because I know the Chargers had both white and dark blue helmets that they wore during the same season just a few years ago. They wore the white with the powder blue, third option, shirts and the dark blue with their regular uniform. And didn’t the Cowboys wear the white helmet with the blue star on occasion, like they did in the early ‘60s?
When the Eagles realized they’d get no support for the proposed rule adjusment, they decided not to push it. However, I think it would be really cool if NFL teams were allowed to use a different helmet on occasion.
Take the Hokies, for example. Virginia Tech has had a couple dozen different helmet styles over the years, and it’s always fun to see what they come up with. Are the Hokies putting themselves at a higher risk for a head injury by wearing the “Hokie Stone” helmet? I would be surprised if that were the case.
I think it would be fun if every NFL team had a second style helmet to wear, much like baseball teams do with the hats. Of course, baseball has the benefit of being able to market the hats to fans and make some money, and not many football fans will be buying a helmet. Too expensive, and you can’t wear it to just hang out.
The Eagles decided to wear black shirts once again as their third option. Too bad, I would have loved to see the old Kelly green.
And if you’re a Redskins fan, wouldn’t it be cool to see them wearing the maroon helmets with the spear and feather on the side again?
