NFL puts spotlight on helmet safety revamps

By the numbers: There's been a a 50% reduction in concussions among the certain position players who wore the so-called Guardian Caps over two years of preseason practices, Jeff Miller, the NFL executive vice president overseeing player health and safety, told reporters on Monday.

• The force of a collision could be reduced about 20% if both players wear the caps, per the league.
• As the consequences of head injuries become more apparent, the league also changed its kickoff rule this year, in part, to reduce the risk of violent collisions.

Zoom in: A handful of players were spotted wearing what are known as Guardian Caps — which are soft-shell helmet covers engineered for impact reduction — on the field during preseason games over the weekend, the Washington Post reported.

• The league also introduced five new hard-shelled helmet models tested to outperform previous headgear.

• But there's been hesitancy among some players to wear the Guardian Cap, which adds about half a pound to their helmets.
• "If you can get the benefit, or nearly the total benefit, from one of the Guardian cap-optional or position-specific helmets without the Guardian Cap, are you better off doing that and not adding the weight?" Miller said.

What to watch: The research on helmet technology is coming fast and furious, officials said.

• "We saw the five best-performing helmets in a lab that we've ever seen in all of our laboratory testing introduced to the game this year," Miller said.