LATROBE, Pa. -- His second NFL concussion apparently was one too many for Kordell Stewart, one of more than two dozen Pittsburgh Steelers players trying out a new helmet designed to reduce head injuries.

	Stewart

When camp began, the Steelers' quarterback stayed with the traditional-style helmet he has worn since breaking into the NFL in 1995. After sustaining a concussion while being run out of bounds Sunday night by Washington linebacker LaVar Arrington, Stewart began experimenting in pratice with a new helmet introduced this year.

Because an ongoing study of football-related concussions has determined that 70 percent occur in blows to the jaw, temple and face -- as did Stewart's injury -- the shell of the new helmet covers a larger area near the jawbone than did previous helmets.

The helmet includes six ventilation holes at the top to expel heat and extra absorbent padding along the ear holes. It is manufactured by Riddell, which makes most helmets for NFL players.

The face mask is stronger and designed to absorb more impact than traditional helmets.

"We'll try it, see how it goes,'' Stewart said. "It's supposed to have more padding and all that good stuff.''

The helmet costs about $30 more than a regular helmet and weighs about 2 ounces more. It was developed to help reduce the number of concussions -- estimated at 100,000 per season -- in high school, college and NFL football.

Stewart also had a concussion while playing against Indianapolis in 1997. He said he had another while in high school, so his latest concussion was at least the third of his career.

Stewart insists the concussion wasn't all that serious, yet he said he couldn't differentiate between colors immediately after the game Sunday. He said he still didn't feel 100 percent, yet he practiced Tuesday and Wednesday.

"I went out there with a little tunnel vision, so it probably was one of my best practices I had throwing the ball,'' Stewart said. "I'm taking it slow. If I get to the point where I need to stop, I'll do it.''

Stewart is aware of the damage concussions can do. Troy Aikman and Steve Young each cut short their careers because of them, so he was willing to experiment with the helmet.

Even before Stewart tried out the helmet, a number of other Steelers were wearing it. As part of UPMC's concussion study, six Pittsburgh-area high school teams will wear the helmet and six others will wear traditional helmets this season.

After the season, the concussions rates of the two teams will be compared, as will the length of and the severity of all concussions. The study will attempt to determine if the new helmet significantly reduces the risk for concussions.

The Steelers train with the Pitt Panthers at UMPC's sports complex in Pittsburgh, so it was a natural fit for them to experiment with the helmet this season. Mark Lovell, who heads the UPMC sports concussion program, is on the NFL concussion committee and runs the neurological testing programs for the NFL and NHL.