After each week of NFL football games for the 2017-2018 season, the Heads 'N Tales podcast will be posting an episode dedicated to injuries and health & safety topics surrounding the NFL. Specifically we will talk about possible prevention strategies, the rulebook, equipment and other injury buzz around the league. My co-host and strategist for these episodes will be one of my closest friends, Josh Boyd (hence the J in "JK"..I'm the K...). Josh and I grew up playing baseball together. Josh was a division-1 center fielder for Monmouth University and experienced his fair share of injuries throughout his career. Although Josh never played organized football, the dude flat-out knows the game of football and undoubtably knows more about the ins-and-outs of the sport better than I do from both a fan and x's & o's perspective. Our intention for these episodes is to spark conversations around topics that are usually brushed under the rug or only minimally covered in the hopes of making football and all sports safer for the athletes who play them.

This particular episode is lengthy, but going forward they should be relatively short... I hope. Show notes can be found below!

Week 1 Major Injuries:

Allen Robinson, WR Jacksonville, ACL out for year.
David Johnson RB Arizona, wrist, Out extended period?
Danny Woodhead RB Baltimore, Hammy, 4-6 weeks?
Kevin White WR Chi, Collarbone, Out for year
Houston Texans, 5 players diagnosed with concussions
- Including all 3 TE's on active roster
- Texans play this week on Thursday Night @ Cincinnati

What is to blame with the poor game quality in week one?

2 out of 12 games Sunday decided by 7 points or less?
Less playing time in the preseason for regular starters?
Less contact/hitting etc in practices?
Less practices and practice time in general?

I said Vicis, not .... you know...

Seattle Based startup company that engineered The Zero1 helmet
- Features an outer shell it says yields like a car bumper upon impact.
- Multiple built-in layers include a SOFT outer shell and flexible, underlying columns that work together to absorb blows.
- The Zero1 helmet ranked first out of 33 helmet options in laboratory testing conducted jointly this year by the NFL and NFL Players Association.
- Might break the bank with a $1,500 price tag
- Some current pros wearing the helmet include:
  - Alex Smith
  - Richard Sherman

New rules for 2017

Points of Emphasis
- Low hits on the passer
- Blindside blocks
- Launching fouls
- Contact downfield.
New rule: Unsportsmanlike conduct/leaping on field goal
New rule: Stronger enforcement of penalties for "very egregious" hits
Possible new rule: Overtime shortened to 10 minutes

Gronk jokingly uses concussions as excuse for doing crazy things

“I don’t really think about [life after football] that much right now at this stage of my life, but I do use it as a great excuse whenever I do something wrong,” joked Gronkowski. “I say ‘It’s because I play football and I get hit in the head a lot.’ If someone tries to argue that, I don’t see how they can argue that."

Larry fitzgerald Says to aim high

Is saving your knees living in the here and now? What about about when the football days are long gone?

Luke Kuechly Dog Collar... I mean Q Collar

"Q30 technology aims to reduce the ability of the brain to slosh/move inside the skull during rapid acceleration and deceleration"
The idea behind the product stems from the ability of head-ramming sheep and wood peckers to increase blood volume in their skulls to prevent brain injury.
Check out the video below to form your own opinion on the product: