New NFL Rule Will Require Thigh and Knee Pads,

New NFL rule will require thigh and knee pads, and some Cleveland Browns are among the players who don't like it
By Tom Reed, The Plain Dealer
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on June 14, 2013 at 12:00 PM http://www.cleveland.com/browns/inde...leg_up_on.html
BEREA, Ohio – On game days, Browns receiver Greg Little wears no padding below his waist unless you count the wallet he carries to and from the stadium. He’s willing to lighten the load there too, if it enables him to keep playing football unencumbered by the constraints of a new NFL rule.
The league is forcing players other than kickers and punters to wear thigh and knee pads for the first time since 1994, when the NFL players union pushed to make them optional. Little would rather pay a fine than armor the limbs that help him make a living.
“I’m definitely not wearing pads,” the third-year receiver said. “It’s just a swag thing. If you don’t feel good, you’re not gonna play good.”
Players have cited speed, comfort and even vanity for exposing their thighs and knees to punishment. Several who object to the rule said they rarely get hit in the legs, and the additional padding does nothing to spare them from serious injuries like torn knee ligaments.
The latest rule change is less about safeguarding players’ legs and more about protecting the league’s behind, detractors said. In the face of mounting litigation from former players suing the league over concussions, cynics suggest the NFL is trying to bubble wrap the game.
“It’s kind of a snowball effect,” said Browns linebacker D’Qwell Jackson, who hasn’t worn leg pads in at least three years, but will comply with the rule. “You take away the big collisions, add more padding and give us the best possible equipment to reduce concussions. Regardless of the new technology, you can’t take away the violence of the sport or you lose the fan base and you lose the popularity of the sport.”
Jackson says try as it might, the NFL can't take the violence out of football. :v:
The league counters that leg pads are mandatory at every level of American football except the NFL, and believes their players need to set a better example for youth.
The new rule goes into effect this preseason and could impact a majority of players. FOXSports.com quoted a 2010 survey that found just 30 percent of NFL players padded their thighs and knees. Receivers, linebackers, defensive backs and defensive linemen were the ones most often wearing no protective gear under their football pants.
“You don’t want anything restricting you,” Jackson said. “You want to feel like you do in practice. You feel quick, you feel fast.
“It’s a rule that will take some time to get adjusted to. It’s no big deal, it’s just pads. I’m sure guys will figure out a way to get it done.”
Browns cornerback Joe Haden plays a position where a split second can separate a pass breakup from a 70-yard touchdown. But Haden’s objection to the rule is based partially on a perceived fashion faux pas.
Haden says he doesn't like to wear pads in his pants because it makes him feel slower.
“I don’t do anything on my legs because you don’t need it,” he said. “It’s about being quicker and it’s a look thing. It just looks smoother when you got nothing beneath your pants.”
Little isn’t the only player threatening a boycott. When owners passed the rule last May, Denver defensive back Quentin Jammer blasted the decision, and San Diego linebacker Jarret Johnson called it a “PR stunt.”
“There'll probably be a lot of fines in 2013," Jammer told NFL.com. “A lot of guys won't wear them . . . It's dumb. Ridiculous to me. I don't think anybody should be required to wear (them). I don't get hit, so I don't need to worry about pads.”
Little said jokingly he hopes the fines are $25 so he can afford one every week. One of his toughest assignments might be eluding the detection of a 53-year-old safety. Former Browns defensive back Felix Wright is one of the uniform inspectors the league employs. He works all the Browns home games and will be on the lookout for players in violation.
League spokesman Michael Signora said inspectors can remove players from a game until they fulfill the minimum standard for protection. Failure to comply will lead to disqualification and potential supplemental discipline. Random checks can be conducted on the field and in the locker room, Signora wrote in an email.
Nike and Under Armour offered the league designs to allow for added mobility while still protecting the player. Signora said the padding generally comes in two broad types: compression shorts that include pads; and pads that are inserted into the uniform pants.
It can happen at any time. Somebody’s heel swings around and it catches you like a sledge hammer. You are rolling the dice. :whistle:
Former Browns cornerback Frank Minnifield can’t believe players take the field without some leg protection. During his playing days (1984-92), he peeled away the thick padding and inserted the plastic molds into the pants.
“Ask some of these players if they’re quicker when they are injured,” Minnifield said. “Imagine taking a helmet or heel to the knee cap . . . It can happen at any time. Somebody’s heel swings around and it catches you like a sledge hammer. You are rolling the dice.”
The OHSAA, Ohio’s governing body for high school sports, mandates leg pads for prep players. But several area high school coaches said they like the fact the NFL is serving as a role model in this case.
“Our kids try to emulate what they see as far as apparel and style,” Cleveland John F. Kennedy coach Scott Wodtly said.
How influential is the NFL? John Hay coach Rodney Decipeda said some of his players have tried wearing pink apparel on game nights in October the way they do in the NFL to raise awareness for breast cancer.
Little understands the emphasis on safety, but is among those who see ulterior motives in the league’s new measure. Thousands of players have joined the concussion lawsuit against the NFL, and a U.S. District judge is expected to rule July 22 on the league’s motion to dismiss it.
“This started with the concussions and guys are coming back and suing the NFL,” Little said. “They are just covering all surfaces and that type of thing. They are just trying to show they are protecting the game’s safety.”
Jackson sees both sides.
“Everyone will be in chain(mail) and armor,” said Jackson jokingly when asked about possible future safety measures. “Everyone will be as slow as ever and no one will watch it. But I think (the intent) is a good thing, as long as it’s in the best interest of the players.”