Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith stole the show in the NFL’s season opener, throwing four touchdown passes to lead his team to a road win against the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots.
Smith did so while serving as one of the first players to wear the Vicis ZERO1 helmet in an NFL game. The helmet ranked first out of 33 helmet models in laboratory testing conducted by biomechanical experts from the league and NFLPA that determined which of them best reduced head impact severity under conditions simulating concussion-causing impacts.
NFL players had tested the helmet in the training camp and preseason, and it was fitting that Smith got a chance to showcase the helmet first in the season opener. He serves on the Vicis coalition, and according to the Kansas City Star, he became an initial investor in the company after meeting with CEO Dave Marver last offseason.
Smith’s interest in technology that can reduce head impact forces is not surprising. He suffered a concussion in 2012 that cost him his starting job with the San Francisco 49ers, who went on to play in the Super Bowl that season with Colin Kaepernick under center. As a quarterback, Smith is no stranger to head injuries, suffering two in one game last season.
“Obviously, I’ve had a little history with head stuff (injuries), and for the first time, there seemed to be new technology in the helmet,” Smith told the Kansas City Star. “For me, it was just finally this big science push (behind it). You actually had real scientists developing this and thinking about it.”
The helmet has an outer shell that deforms to absorb impact and can return to form before the next impact. It has a columnar layer designed to absorb impacts from any direction and buckle. Visually, it’s noticeable because it’s bigger than other helmets, and according to Smith, it’ll eventually feature a smaller-sized model.
“They have a lot of engineers developing this helmet taking direct feedback from players,” Smith said.