Everyone - except the guy who has to wear it - thinks the plastic visor is a cool accessory to standard-issue football garb.
For senior defensive back Tyson Maugle, it's a pain, just like the broken nose he sustained three weeks ago, which forces him to wear the add-on to his helmet.
"My nose held up alright during the [Yale] game," Maugle said. "The visor is more annoying."
Yesterday's wet, cold weather gave a hint as to why. The visor, which protects Maugle's still-fragile cartilage, is clear - not a dark, Reggie Bush-style version that looks stealthy and hides the eyes.
"All the guys on the team still think it looks cool," Maugle said. "But when it was pouring down rain I felt like I needed windshield wipers. I couldn't see a thing."
In his first game back from the injury, Maugle forced and recovered a key fumble early in the second half against Yale on Saturday.
Tale of the tape. Maugle said that prepping for the variety of formations and sets Brown seems to pull out of its back pocket every year would be a focus for the Penn defense this week.
This year, like most years, Brown features a strong passing attack, an offensive approach they are associated with more single-mindedly than any other Ivy League team.
"We know they have some really talented wide receivers, really talented tight ends and a quarterback who puts it on the spot," Maugle said. "We're definitely well aware of that, and it comes to just watching a lot of film and seeing routes."
To which coach Al Bagnoli added: "They're scary on film."
Punted back to the pine? Backup Kyle Olson has been cannibalizing Robert Irvin's time under center this year, but the dynamic at quarterback shifted more decisively on Saturday, when Olson threw more than twice as many passes as his counterpart for more than twice as many yards.
But Bagnoli said yesterday that Penn's depth chart, which still puts Irvin at the top slot and Olson at No. 2, was an accurate reflection of his intentions for the moment.
"We have to first determine what's the best game plan against Brown, and then we'll make a final decision based on that," Bagnoli said.
"I'm sure he's not as happy. He's a competitive kid," Bagnoli said of Irvin, who was unavailable for an interview yesterday.
But Bagnoli added that it was easy to read too much into substitutions.
"It sometimes gets unduly noted because it's the quarterback," he said. "Other positions, we probably do it 50 times a game."
Olson said that he rarely knows in advance when he will enter a game, or for how long, only that he hears his name called when the kick return team jogs off.
Of course, he is also Penn's punter and spends much of his time on the sidelines kicking into a net to stay loose. He said that made it easier for him to keep his head - despite not knowing exactly what his role will be.
