Ravens legend Ed Reed takes a strong stance about NFL Guardian Caps during 'ManningCast'

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By John Sheeran | Last updated Oct 22, 2024 12:44 PM ET

Ed Reed was one of several guests to appear on the latest "ManningCast" during the Baltimore Ravens' Monday night win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the Hall of Famer wanted to talk about something that didn't even involve his former team.

Late in the fourth quarter, Reed noticed Bucs right tackle Luke Goedeke was wearing a Guardian Cap over his helmet. Peyton Manning confirmed that players could wear them during games for added safety. Reed decided to be more inquisitive.

"Now how much safety is that, though," Reed asked.

And he wasn't done.

The elder Manning brother attempted to expand upon why players wear a Guardian Cap as an extra layer of protection, but Reed didn't seem to be buying any of it.

“You really think that protection is going to do something past that carbon fiber that’s on the helmet?," Reed asked. "Usually when a boxer knocks somebody out, he punches the crap out of him in the jaw. He only hit him in the top of the head.

"He gets hit here," Reed said pointing to his jaw. "So when a person gets knocked out, their neck is gonna snap quick. It’s going to send a shock and a nerve and it's gonna make them go numb. It’s not going to be just from the frontal lobe. It’s going to be because of the head movement of the lack of muscle strength in the neck. Or the weakness thereof that happens over time in the game. It's called fatigue.”

You can watch the full exchange here as both Manning brothers awkwardly tried to change the subject as the Ravens allowed a touchdown:

Ed Reed goes on a tangent about the Guardian Caps and questions their effectiveness.

Peyton and Eli Manning were mostly silent during it (after Peyton's initial explanation on it) before Peyton changed the subject back to the #MNF game action. #ManningCast #NFL pic.twitter.com/SMX2ZpWOix
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 22, 2024

Guardian Caps are still relatively new in the NFL as this is the first year players are allowed to wear them during games. They've become required for linemen, such as Goedeke, during practices, but it makes sense why Goedeke would also wear one during a game as well.

Goedeke suffered a concussion during the Bucs' season-opener on September 8 and missed the next four games. Sitting out that long due to a concussion isn't normal, and the third-year player said that playing through it after it first happened may've been the reason.

“I [was believed to be] concussed during the game,” Goedeke said. “I played through it and that has shown to [extend] the [recovery] process.”

Obviously, Reed and any other former player wouldn't want to see Goedeke or any other player suffer additional concussions on top of the ones they recently endured, but Reed's skepticism about the Guardian Caps is now well noted.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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