More and more players around the NFL have begun to wear guardian caps to help add another layer of protection against blows to the head. But on the Week 7 edition of the ManningCast alternate stream of Monday Night Football between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Baltimore Ravens, Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed shared his skepticism for how well the helmets actually protect players.
The conversation was sparked during Reed’s guest appearance in the fourth quarter when he noticed Buccaneers offensive lineman Luke Goedeke wearing the guardian cap.
“Peyton, they got your helmet out there,” Reed joked. “Did they make that a bug helmet? That’s the new thing right?”
“That’s the guardian cap,” Peyton explained to Reed. “Most guys wear it in practice. But you can wear it in the game if you want to for safety.”
“Now, how much safety is that though?” asked Reed.
“It’s an extra layer of protection,” added Manning. “Like I said, all of the players are wearing them during training camp at practice. And then players are allowed to wear them if they want at the game. It’s another layer of protection. So, makes sense to me.”
Clearly, Manning was trying his hardest to change the subject after explaining the purpose of the helmet. But Reed had other plans, further ranting about why the helmet won’t help prevent head injuries.
“You really think that protection is going to do something past that carbon fiber that’s on the helmet? Usually, when a boxer knocks somebody out, he punch the crap out of him in the jaw. He only hit him in the top of the head. He gets hit here. When a person gets knocked out, their neck is gonna snap. It’s gonna send a shock and a nerve and make them go numb. It’s not gonna be just from the frontal lobe. It’s gonna be because of the head movement from the lack of muscle strength in the neck. Or the weakness thereof which happens over time.”
Keep in mind, throughout the entirety of Reed’s rant, the game was going on. In fact, the Buccaneers had actually scored while Reed was rambling about the helmets and why he believes they don’t work, leaving Peyton and Eli unable to even discuss the scoring play.
Peyton then further attempted to change the subject, joking with Reed about the Ravens giving up the touchdown.
“Ed, your Ravens are giving up some easy touchdowns,” said Peyton.
All you had to do was look at the faces of both Eli and Peyton while Reed was speaking to be able to tell that they clearly wanted Reed to stop talking about the guardian caps.
It’s certainly fair to question the effectiveness of the helmets. But doing so in this kind of rambling fashion while a touchdown is actively being scored in the background certainly made for an incredibly frustrating viewing experience for fans at home.