Football Facemask Types

Modern football players take the field wearing protective pads, helmets and face masks. It's a stark contrast to the early days of football when players wore nothing more than a leather cap. The equipment evolved to improve the game and protect players. Several different types of face masks were available as of 2011.

  1. Open-cage

    • Open-cage face masks have two horizontal bars that start under the player's nose. Several vertical bars extend down from the horizontal ones, but none extend up. Open-cage masks give the player the widest possible field of vision. For that reason, quarterbacks, wide receivers, defensive backs and running backs prefer open-cage face masks. Kickers and punters use them too, though some kickers will use a single-bar face mask since they rarely need to worry about physical contact.

    Closed-cage

    • Closed-cage masks have at least two horizontal bars that form near the player's nose, and a single or double vertical bar that extends up to split the mask's top portion in halves. Linemen always use closed-cages. They do not need the extra field of vision like a skill player does, and they are constantly engaged in face-to-face combat with opponents. The closed-cage offers far more protection in scrimmages than an open-cage helmet.

    Titanium

    • Most football face masks are made out of carbon-steel alloys or titanium. Titanium masks are generally more complex in design than carbon-steel masks. The masks have several rows of vertical and horizontal bars. Titanium masks are also much lighter than traditional masks.

    Visors and Guards

    • In 1984, a Minnesota Vikings player added a homemade visor to his helmet to protect an eye injury. As of 2011, visors are commonly attached to face masks as additional protective gear. The visors are made from a mixed polycarbonate. Tinted visors are available, but most players chose clear visors. Some leagues ban offensive players from using tinted visors since defensive players can't see through them to "read" the eyes of a ball carrier.