Additional protective padding over regulation football helmets

[Goldendawg]

I have seen pictures of additional protective padding over the exterior of regular football helmets. As this seems to be an additional safety measure in practice, how long until a variation of this is used in games?

[TaleofTwoDogs]

Only our opponents will need that equipment, especially their offenses.

[Leroy Jenkins]

It's called a Guardian Helmet Cover, there is roughly a 10% reduction in impact when the cover is worn. The trade off is the covers don't "glance" off each other as much as the hard shells, this slightly increases the odds of neck injury.