There’s been a lot of talk about head injuries this year in the NFL. Part of this is due to brain studies of retired players, which didn’t have the best results. Even Congress got involved!

Now, to a simple-thinker like myself, I would surmise the best way to combat such a problem is to improve the football helmet. Maybe they could put packing peanuts or something in there so players’ brains don’t slam against their skulls as much. And while a helmet with a lot more padding could be beneficial, the Wall Street Journal takes it the other direction, suggesting that maybe football should just ditch the helmet for good. DID THAT JUST BLOW YOUR MIND? Basically, the argument is that helmets have made it easier for football players to hit each other even harder, and it’s these small collisions that add up over time that the long-term damage comes from, not from just a one-time hard hit.

One of the strongest arguments for banning helmets comes from the Australian Football League. While it’s a similarly rough game, the AFL never added any of the body armor Americans wear. When comparing AFL research studies and official NFL injury reports, AFL players appear to get hurt more often on the whole with things like shoulder injuries and tweaked knees. But when it comes to head injuries, the helmeted NFL players are about 25 percent more likely to sustain one.

There’s some more to it, of course, so I recommend you read the linked WSJ story. It’s an interesting hypothetical to be sure. I’m just not sure if the NFL would ever go for it.