No, I think that hard hats and face masks are here to stay, they prevent more injuries than they cause. But Terry is right. Efforts are going to be taken to reduce helmet-hit injuries. Super-light carbon fibre shells with as much high-tech padding on the outside as on the inside will be the first thing we see. As far as the rules, I think they have to be practical. Incidental head contact happens on every play, but it's not using the helmet as a weapon. There have been some really "iffy" penalties called this year. But when a player lowers the helmet before a hit . . . I think the refs must be ruthless and eject them. It's the only thing that will stop the headhunters. And an automatic SEC suspension for the next game. Walking 15 yards sure as hell doesn't bother them at all.
Bingo. I'm all for protecting the head, but this effort's getting way out of control. NFL has the same problem.
