Now you guys are getting into a pet peeve of mine. The distinction of using the top of the helmet and using the crown and facemask area of the helmet.
The former I would love to ban completely using. To use the top of the helmet is bad not only for the player being hit, but just as often for the player doing the hitting. To hit someone with the top of your helmet means your head is down. Your. neck is exposed to damage, and besides you are more likely to miss the tackle altogether.
Every instance where the top of the helmet is used should be discouraged, both by the offense AND defense. Runners shouldn't be allowed to lower their heads as Edelman did, nor should tacklers like Landry. If I were running the show BOTH would have been penalized.
HOWEVER what should be encouraged is hitting with the crown/facesmask part of the helmet. Now you are in position to see what you are aiming at, and the neck is in the safest position to absorb contact. Now even a facemask to facemask collision would rarely cause injury, though most would be facemask to body.
I think the current dictate to only use the shoulder is NOT the safest way to go. It puts the body in an unsafe twisted position that would engender a lot of shoulder injuries that would be avoided if player were taught to put their facemasks into the target area of the opposing players and wrap.
We also don't teach player to run through their tackles. Now they simply throw there bodies at the legs and hope for the best. Again making it more likely that knees and ankle would be hurt.
The quickest way to get players to stop lowering their heads and hitting with the TOP of the helmet, would be not only to penalize them yardage, but to ban the offender from the field for a series or quarter. EVERYONE would be safer if players learned to hit with their facemaskes and run THROUGH their tackles.....something that they are told NOT to do now.
