Tony Romo Clavicle Fracture Points To Need For Better NFL Pads

Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Tony Romo suffered a clavicle fracture, sustaining a hit that points to the need for better NFL pads. Something's really wrong when it seems that too many NFL players are going down due to horrific, yet legal, hits.

That was the case on ESPN's Monday Night Football, when New York Giants Linebacker Michael Boley sacked Romo, and such that Boley's entire body weight landed on the QB's side shoulder, basically crushing his body against the turf from the side.

The hit marred the NY Giants 41 to 35 win and knocked Tony Romo out, perhaps for the season, if not the 6 to 8 weeks time estimated.

For a second it looked for all the World like Romo was going to die on the Cowboys Stadium turf. The problem is the NFL game - the pro football athletes - have become faster and stronger than the equipment they're wearing. It's so bad that every aspect of the NFL uniform, starting with the pads, must be rethought and rebuilt before someone does die on the field.

In the case of Romo, his pads should be designed to take on a lateral hit. In fact, they should be designed to form an actual protective light cage that encases his body, yet is flexible enough to give him room. The system's design should be such that if he's hit from the side, the impact is transferred around, not into, his body.

To accomplish that, some kind of light, epoxy-resin "bar" has to run across Romo's chest, then up either shoulder, and around the back, and then attached to the pads but loosely so. Upon impact, the bar would be strong enough to provide the necessary impact deflection to protect his upper body.

If the design's followed, it should not hamper playing flexibility.

Right now, such protections don't exist. They should. This can't be repeated too often: the possibility of death on the NFL field - or any football field - should be avoided at all costs.