Eric Reid admits never thinking much about concussions, since he never had one before entering the NFL.
But now that he’s suffered two this season, the 49ers safety said he’s going to re-think his approach to some tackles.
Reid went down last week after sticking his head into Panthers fullback Mike Tolbert, a bad bet in most cases when a normal-sized safety takes on the bowling ball fullback.
“This is the NFL,” Reid said, via Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. “Guys are a little bit stronger and little bit bigger than what I’m used to playing, so I might have to adjust the way I play a little bit. . . .
“Knowing the type of guy you’re going against. How big he is? Or if it’s an angle tackle or going head up when you should cut him or hit him for roll tackle him.”
Reid said he should have gone lower on Tolbert, which is hard when you’re talking about a squatty 245-pounder. That might have prevented his head from taking the brunt of Tolbert’s blow.
While Reid stayed down for about 10 seconds, he said he never lost consciousness. He suffered another concussion earlier this season when he hit Seahawks wideout Sidney Rice, and also played the following week. Reid was cleared for non-contact work yesterday, and expects to play against the Saints Sunday.
Whether his change in approach makes him less aggressive as a tackler, or less effective, remains to be seen.