In the name of health and safety, NFL players could look completely new in 2020.
A product designed by Oakley in collaboration with NFL doctors and engineers and the NFL Players Association to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus on the field of play, the Oakley Mouth Shield is expected to be distributed to all 32 teams in the coming week, when you will receive a test drive on a much larger scale than you have to date.
Security protocol negotiations are ongoing between the league and the players. Currently, there is no mandate to wear a face shield, but NFL medical experts are advocating the use of protective equipment.
“That is certainly what we are going to encourage,” said Dr. Allen Sills, NFL medical director. “And we hope that we come up with a product design that is something that everyone would like to use, because they will see the value and want that extra protection without compromising performance.”
Oakley Prizm lens technology used by skiers, military personnel and, more recently, NFL players to improve color and contrast in their visors is featured in the new design. The plastic sheeting extends downward and adheres to the face shield. There are airways and openings in the mouth guard, but none that allow direct transmission of droplets, according to NFL engineering committee chairman Dr. Jeff Crandall.
The mouth guard has already been distributed to the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers, two teams near Oakley’s base of operations, by NFLPA Medical Director Dr. Thom Mayer, and has also been shipped various player representatives and team managers for comments. .
The two biggest concerns to date have been visibility and breathability, according to Mayer.
“We have only had it in a few players, we have 2,500 players in the league, but I was surprised that … claustrophobia has not been a problem yet,” he said. “I think it will be when we [have more players testing them]”
Houston Texans star defensive lineman JJ Watt is firmly against the idea of wearing a mask.
“In my second year in the league I thought it would be great, I put a visor on my helmet,” Watt told ProFootballTalk. “I thought, ‘It looks so cool, I want to put on a visor.’ I had it for about three practice periods and I said, ‘Take off this fool, I’ll die here.’ … So are you going to put something around my mouth “You can keep that. If that comes into play, I don’t think you’ll see me on the field.”
However, the current design is the result of an iterative process based largely on player feedback, with the most important comfort and functionality coupled with protection. The quarterbacks who recently tested them were able to effectively call plays, Mayer said, after initial responses that the sound was too muffled. The field of view was also widely considered.
Crandall said Oakley has conducted internal tests in which it has sprayed liquid particles to represent the droplets expelled by the players and has seen a high success rate of blocked transmission.
“I don’t know if there is a direct percentage that someone has invented because a laboratory is not the setting in the field, obviously,” Crandall said. “There are many things that players do on the fields that they are not easily replicating [in] the laboratory, but it is a significant block to the transmission of droplets. There is no straight way through the screen or visor for a drop to be transmitted. “
While Oakley is the official provider to the NFL, there are other manufacturers of face shields, and players may end up using other brands as well in 2020, according to NFL association director of revenue and executive vice president Renie Anderson.
Mayer called soccer “probably the perfect medium or Petri dish to transmit the virus,” since it is a contact sport that involves a large number of players. The NFL and NFLPA hope that the different security measures they are taking, including the introduction of the mouth guard, will lead to a safer environment.
“Like everything we do, whether it’s better cleats or better helmets, it’s about something safer, and yet it also protects and, in many cases, improves performance,” Sills said. “That is the same mantra and the same kind of approach that we are taking here. I am really satisfied with how the work is going. We are not yet in a finished product. Like most things in health safety, there really is no finish line here. So we look forward to continuing to innovate and improve as we go. But we are excited about where we are and the potential role this can play in mitigating risk on the field. “
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