There are a lot of NFL players that don't wear all of the padding that is available to them. Many don't wear knee, thigh, or hip pads, particularly those players at positions where speed is at a premium. If the National Football League gets their way, all NFL players will be wearing a complete set of pads starting in 2013.
I, personally, don't understand why players aren't wearing all of the pads available to them in the first place. The pads are available for a reason. The article from Fox Sports has a couple of reasons why some players don't want to wear full sets of pads, but they all sound sort of lame to me.
Wide receivers and cornerbacks in particular are known to shun wearing the thigh-hip-knee pad combination. While the NFL has made uniform innovations, some still consider the padding too bulky and uncomfortable at positions where high-end speed is a must.
There also is an aesthetics issue because some players believe they will play "faster" and with more confidence if their uniform looks sleek.
One would think that if everyone had to wear all the pads, the "speed" thing wouldn't be that large a concern, since everybody would be getting slowed down by a full set of padding. And as far as "aesthetics?" Really? The desire to look pretty shouldn't be a reason to minimize the amount of protection you're willing to give yourself on a football field.
Hopefully this rule change will pass. It's set for a vote among the NFL owners on Tuesday, and 24 of the 32 teams must approve of it in order to have it go into effect.