BakoSaint

After his 4th concussion of his short career, it could make sense for Chris Olave to start wearing a guardian cap in games.

But I was thinking, could it actually be an advantage in the game, and not just for protection.

Consider this. Any defensive back covering Olave would often have to time their pass defense to wrap themselves around Olave as much as possible without initiating contact before the pass comes in. This often means putting arms around the receivers catch zone and eyes, while trying to avoid early contact with their head. Look up pictures of pass interference on google and often the defenders arms are near the receivers head when PI is called. The guardian cap making the receivers head a bigger obstacle could lead to more PI calls on defenders and a harder time breaking up passes if they elect not to risk a PI call. If they contact his head early they are likely to get called for PI, especially is they make his head move with the contact. And any movement of the head with contact will be more obvious with a bigger helmet that is also less smooth and more easily turned by an arm sliding past it. So a bigger helmet, coated in light foam, could mean harder to pass defend, more PI calls, and more contested catches from receivers who defenders hesitate against because they cant get an arm past the helmet.

Fans complain a bigger helmet could be distracting on the field. But distracting means people looking your way more including the refs and the QB. If you are a receiver you want the refs looking your way because a call in your favor could mean 50 yards while a call against you only costs 10. Drawing attention is good. And also it never hurts be more noticeable to the QB, who might recognize when a player is looking their way, has changed their route, etc when they are wearing a big obvious cartoon helmet. A receiver wearing a guardian cap could draw more PI and defensive holding calls, even ones not involving contact to the head, because the ref is just looking their way more, and be easier for their QB to notice when they are open. Also the more the refs are distracted by the receivers, the less they are looking at oline, tight ends, and fullbacks blocking down field, which we maybe dont want them to look at.

Every season several interceptions results from balls deflecting off receivers helmets. I don't know the exact stats but it feels like this happens to every team a few times each year. It can be unavoidable that if a receiver trying to turn and catch a high pass lets it go between their hands, it deflects off their helmet and goes up for grabs. Since the receiver is unlikely to catch a ball deflected off their own helmet, if the ball is deflected, the defenders surrounding him usually have the best shot to catch it. You don't want these deflections. So a helmet that cushions and reduces impact, and also is not even and spherical but rather has ridges under the stretchy logo cover, is going to deflect the ball differently. I would think it would deflect less distance and stay in the air less time due to the cushion, and deflect in a more chaotic way breaking up its normal spin due to the ridges. Less hang time, less distance, less predictable path, and nastier spin means a less catchable deflection, which is good for the offense where helmet deflections lead to turnovers. I guess the larger size of the helmet could lead to slightly more helmet deflections, but if they are a lot less catchable for the defense its worth it, and I am not sure it would anyway because most of these happen off the top of the helmet and the cap should just make the top of the helmet higher.

The cap could also be easier to catch a ball against, due to its rougher more cushioned less smooth surface, leading to more helmet catches like David Tyree had in the Super Bowl for the Giants. Also if deflections are softer, there could be more cases where the receiver can catch a deflection off their own helmet.

Overall, I think there could be advantages specific to the wide receiver position for wearing a guardian cap that could be perfect for Olave. Corners and oline don't want the refs attention. Defensive linemen and linebackers do want high helmet deflections. But for receivers, most ways the cap could effect the game seem positive. So maybe Olave should save his brain and try to get Diggs on some PI calls at the same time.

saintsfan1976

Olvae:

SmashMouth

That reminds me... what were the consequences for the no call helmet to helmet hit which has injured and now kept Olave out of the line up? Has RG chimed in yet? Have the officials apologized for not calling the play which changed completely the momentum of the game, and would've wiped out the fumble/TD ? Should the player who intentionally performed the hit pay Olave's salary/be fined accordingly?

Cruize

Anyone can benefit. Hits on backs and receivers are in the blink of an eye. How the guy who hit Olave wasn't flagged is beyond ridiculous. I like the college rule. They at least review it.

BakoSaint

Anyone can benefit from a safety perspective. From a strategy perspective there are some significant disadvantages as certain positions I believe. A cornerback would not want to draw more attention from refs, and a larger helmet could cause them to contract receivers earlier, move their head more when they do, and get more PI's called against them. A running back could find it harder to slip through a narrow gap leading with a wider helmet, and if they use their helmet as a battering ram at the goal line, they may find a padded battering ram less effective. Likewise a defensive lineman bull rushing the oline may find that a softer but less smooth helmet doesn't help them slip past the oline, and makes them more visible in the QB and other olines peripheral vision. For a receiver I see the most strategic positives outside the safety element.