Helmet change has QB seeing five stars
Mike Sando
News that the Arizona Cardinals' Kevin Kolb has switched to a potentially safer helmet to guard against concussions resonated Tuesday.
Kolb is switching from the Schutt XP to the Riddell Revolution Speed Classic model, a version of the model that received five out of five stars and a "best available" rating in safety testing by Virginia Tech. The Schutt helmet received three stars and a "good" rating. Schutt has challenged some of Virginia Tech's methodology, according to a detailed piece ESPN's Gregg Easterbrook put together last year.
Concussions have sidelined Kolb for portions of the past two seasons.
The Seattle Seahawks' Matt Flynn and Russell Wilson are also wearing the Revolution Speed Classic model. Teammate Tarvaris Jackson wears the Schutt XP.
The St. Louis Rams' Sam Bradford is wearing a Riddell Revolution IQ model. This model received four out of five stars and a "very good" rating in the Virginia Tech study.
Some helmets with lower ratings could, in theory, suit an athlete better than higher-rated alternatives based on fit.
I'll update this item with information on what some other NFC West quarterbacks are wearing as I'm able to confirm the information.