I guess its just me, but I don't understand how padding on the outside would be any better and eliminate helmet to helmet injuries.
Maybe if the helmet was hitting skin, but during a helmet to helmet collision the helmets are hitting each other, not a helmet vs someone's bare head. The densities are still the same, the heaviness of the helmet is still the same (if not more due to the extra padding), and the speed/force of the players colliding is still the same. If two cars are slamming together from opposite directions, are you better off because the outside has a thin layer of padding?
I think it might be better for a player landing on the turf to have some padding, but in a helmet to helmet collision, I really don't see much of a difference. Now, if the layer of padding was significant to the point where it would resist some of the blow, then yeah. But any layer of padding on the outside of a helmet wouldn't be significant enough to do anything.
Maybe I'm just retarded, so someone please explain this to me.