You may have noticed something covering Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman J.J. Watt’s helmet during the first week of training camp.
It’s called a guardian cap and is what some players from all 32 NFL teams are wearing for the first time.
Or as Watt likes to call it, a beehive.
Dear Diary,
Today was the first practice of Training Camp.
I had a lot of fun with my friends.
The only strange part was that they made me wear this beehive on my head the whole time.
Other than that it was awesome.
See ya tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/1AbUCKxZhI
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) July 28, 2022
The cap is a padded covering over the shell of the helmet that partially cuts down on the severity of impact during collisions.
You can imagine how strange this was for players who have worn helmets without them for decades of football at all levels, like Watt.
“You feel like a bobblehead, like you’re going to fall over,” Watt told reporters on Thursday.
“I’ll probably get fined for this. This is great,” Watt said jokingly. “You guys are screwing me to start out the whole year. There’s $15 grand gone.”
Watt noted how, to his eye, it has helped.
“Does it look like there’s a difference? Yeah, absolutely,” Watt said while laughing. “After a while you get used to it, doesn’t matter. But yeah, there’s a difference.
“This is great. I’m screwed. I’m absolutely screwed. (NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell) is going to call me in like five minutes.”
Please do not fine him, NFL.
“Absolutely. I’m not an idiot. I may have not worn a guardian cap for 12 years but I’m not that dumb. Of course I know (what purpose they serve),” Watt said. “I’m not going to get too deep into this. I’m already $20 grand down, we’re looking at $50 grand the next one then probably a four-game suspension after that.
“Guardian caps are great. Love them. It’s a great addition. We should wear them all the time. We got a couple guys who might need to wear them just walking around.”