Helmet-This is the most important piece of gear for football. It protects from blows to the head, and protects your head. It helps prevent facial damage (except for nosebleeds, because a very hard hit can cause that). Without a helmet, people would be risking their lives, because football is a very hard contact sport.
Facemask: This is on the helmet. It protects you from blows to the eyes, face, mouth, and other attacks to the face. Although, fingers can reach through the facemask, so a poke to the eye or nose is often common. Also, facemasks can be grabbed by other players, and then they could pull you down, which is a penalty.
Mouthpiece: This protects your teeth from getting knocked out, to tell you the truth. Football is very rough, so it's not uncommon to see a tooth fall out by a hard hit. Just look at Michael Strahan. His two front teeth are out.
§Shoulder Equipment§
Shoulder Pads: These are the pads that protect you from broken shoulder bones, although you still can break your bones. These strap onto your arms and shoulder. The top part can be lifted.
Girdle: This goes on your waist and protects you from breaking your gluteus maximus, tailbone, thigh, and the bottom part of the spine.
Football Pants: This has built in knee pads, thigh pads, and a lot of padding. It's worn like regular pants, but it's tighter. It helps prevent cuts.
Cleats: These are shoes with spikes on the bottom. They help you get a grip on the dirt, and they are easier to run in. After all, with all the padding, you need to run fast in football!