Last season, Pittsburgh Steelers then-rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett suffered two concussions in a span of just 56 days. This forced him to miss all or part of three games. This season, Pickett is trying out some new helmet technology hopefully help avoid any further concussions.
Pickett is using a VICSI ZERO2 helmet which claims to be something completely new in how it protects players from head injuries. Here’s the blurb from their site:
The next level in design, performance, and protection. Flexible outer shell technology, exclusive to VICIS helmets, allows the ZERO2 to respond like no other helmet on the market. By deforming like a car bumper, impact forces are absorbed at the point of contact, before they reach the head. The result is not only groundbreaking protection, but a helmet that feels like no other.
This is a fascinating piece of technology with how it would work in the NFL. I would assume if the technology works like a car bumper and deforms on impact, it would lose structural integrity. This would mean the team would need backups for any player who wore one just in case. It would also mean it wouldn’t work for a player like an offensive lineman who is constantly banging heads with other players.
Steelers QB Kenny Pickett is using a VICIS ZERO2 with an SO-212 facemask and a SportStar Victory XD chinstrap; he used a Riddell Axiom with an AXIOM-2B-SW-Ti facemask, clear visor and a Riddell hardcup chinstrap and a Riddell SpeedFlex Precision with an SF-2BD-SW facemask in 2022 pic.twitter.com/NWkivmPAFf
— Helmet Stalker (@HelmetStalker) May 24, 2023
