[vincesanity82]

Former Harvard quarterback Vin Ferrara has come up with a new idea for protecting the brain boxes of football players.

And it sounds crazy enough to work.

Inspired by a squeeze bottle containing saline solution for nasal passages, Ferrara has come up with an internal cushioning system consisting of 18 squeeze-bottle-type pads.

The New York Times takes an in-depth look at the new helmet, which will be tested by three high-school teams in November and is expected to be available for wide use in 2008.

Kudos to Ferrara for coming up with the idea. But why in the heck has it taken so long for someone to try to devise a better way to protect the brains of football players?

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[NASCAR Gnome]

Know what I've noticed lately? The HANS device. Yes, that neck device that is now widespread (aka ubiquitous) to motorsport racing. I've seen HANS in drag racing, F1 and even dirt tracks! What that tells me is the sad death of Dale Earnhardt has spread beyond the borders of a simple "Hillbilly" racing sport called "stock-car racing" to everywhere there's car racing of ANY KIND, including the more "elite" forms!

My point? Simple: it'll take a DEATH or TWO on the gridiron before people wise up and use the equipment that will help prolong their careers or lives! It's not good enough that there are paralyzed football players at all levels alive today, but the MACHISMO of the game is very slow to adapt to change!

I PRAY that it won't take a DEATH on the field to convince the leagues to re-think the equipment but if they take a clue from NASCAR, the last thing the NFL wants is to LOSE a player on the field of "battle" when they had options to better-protect him!