On Thursday afternoon, Ravens safety Ed Reed told Sirius/XM NFL Radio that he wasn’t 100 percent committed to the 2012 season and that he has considered retirement this offseason and the two previous. He quickly backtracked, releasing a statement later in the day that said he wasn’t referring to retirement.

Throughout this offseason, Reed has made conflicting statements about his playing status -- heck, he has made conflicting statements in some individual interviews -- but team officials expect him to play in 2012.

And no matter what Reed decides to do, fellow safety Bernard Pollard said his teammates support him.

“This is a business and Ed and I have had these talks before, but whatever he decides to do we back him 100 percent,” Pollard told Houston radio station 100.3 KILT on Friday. “The guy is a heck of a football player, he’s been a heck of a football player his whole career and for me it’s exciting playing with him. I guess I will put this out there, he better not leave me hanging so we’ll be alright.”

Reed said Thursday that his health and long-term future were weighing on his mind. Asked about players leaving football because of the fear of getting injured, Pollard said too much is being made of the violence.

“I mean when it’s all said and done, we as players, we know what we signed up for,” the hard-hitting safety said. “This is a violent game, it’s a fun game, it pays well. I have never seen a player give his check back.”


(baltimoresun.com)

Hours after Ed Reed said he was "not 100 percent committed right now to playing this year" in an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio, the Baltimore Ravens Pro Bowl safety changed his tune.

In a statement obtained by the Carroll County (Md.) Times, Reed said he is, indeed, planning to play this season, and possibly beyond.

"It's not about retirement. It's about my focus in the offseason, health, family and football," Reed said. "This is the time of year where players think through things. My goal is to play football in the years to come."

Reed, who turns 34 in September, has contemplated retirement since the end of the 2008 season because of concerns over a nerve impingement between his neck and shoulder. He told coach John Harbaugh in February he was planning to play in 2012 and indicated he could play four to five more seasons when he was inducted into the University of Miami Hall of Fame in late March.

"It's still May," Reed said in the SiriusXM NFL Radio, according to a transcript provided by the Baltimore Sun. "I know that time is kind of inching away at me. We do have a mandatory camp coming up (June 12-14) that I'm still in deep thought about because other things are important to me now. I still know I can play at a high level. I can still go for another couple years physically. But other things is kind of taking place in my life right now and making me think about things differently."

"It has nothing to do with negotiating and all that, man," Reed said. "It's deeper than negotiating, man."

Losing Reed would be a major blow to the Ravens considering linebacker Terrell Suggs' season is uncertain after the NFL Defensive Player of the Year tore his Achilles tendon this month.

Reed's future has become a hot topic recently. He previously said he feels disrespected by his current salary. Reed is scheduled to make $7.2 million in the final year of a six-year, $44.4 million contract.

"For what I offer on the football field, for what I give on the football field, and for what they know they're going to get, it's much more than these young guys out here today and what they're getting," Reed said a month ago. "And I'm talking about at any defensive back position right now."

Health and durability are also concerns with Reed. He has missed 10 games over the past three seasons. And while he played a full season last year, it was one of Reed's most disappointing. He finished with three interceptions, his fewest in a 16-game season, and he acknowledged that he missed tackles in four straight games at the end of the season because of a shoulder injury.

The Ravens, who are in contract talks with quarterback Joe Flacco and running back Ray Rice, have not expressed an interest in signing Reed to an extension.

When asked about Reed's future in March, owner Steve Bisciotti told the Baltimore Sun: "We'll either have to get him signed to an extension, he has to say that he's done or we have to face the possibility of seeing him play in another uniform. That's the reality of this."


(espn.com)

Ravens safety Ed Reed is backpedalling once again, saying he now plans on playing in 2012 and beyond.

Reed created a stir Thursday when he told SiriusXM NFL Radio that he was "not 100 percent committed right now to playing this year." He has since changed his stance.

"It's not about retirement, it's about my focus in the offseason, health, family and football," Reed said in a statement given to the Carroll County (Md.) Times. "This is the time of year where players think through things. My goal is to play football in the years to come."

In his interview on SiriusXM, Reed indicated that he was in "deep thought" about whether he would attend the team's mandatory minicamp in June. He said there are "other things" taking place in his life that are making him think differently.

Reed talked at length about his relationship with general manager Ozzie Newsome and the Ravens, mentioning a lack of support and “mental” issues that they were going through. He is also entering the final year of his contract.

“It has nothing to do with negotiating and all that, man,” Reed told SiriusXM. “It’s deeper than negotiating, man.”

Hensley's slant: No one reads quarterbacks better than Reed, but he might be the hardest player to read in the game right now. I'm done guessing what Reed is trying to communicate. It's like you need an interpreter to get the real meaning of his quotes. As I wrote Thursday, I won't believe he is going to retire until he actually walks away from the game.


(espn.com)

The RAACE Foundation, for Race Against Abuse of Children Everywhere, held its seventh annual Rally for RAACE motorcycle ride, Ed Reed Flag Football Classic and Family Fun Day Saturday at Cedar Lane Regional Park near Bel Air.

Organizers said the event, held to raise public awareness of and to eliminate child sexual abuse, was well attended, as the weather cooperated with a beautiful warm, breezy and sunny day. They were hoping for as many as 1,000 bikers and several thousand people to participate in the day’s events.

The motorcycle ride started at Mountain Christian Church in Joppa and followed a 56-mile course through Harford County to Cedar Lane Regional Park southeast of Bel Air where the Ed Reed Flag Football Classic and Family Fun Day were held.

Full Access Sports Marketing and The RAACE Foundation presented The Jarvis Appliance Ed Reed Flag Football Classic and Family Fun Day activities beginning at 9 a.m.

In addition to Reed, several other players, including Lardarius Webb, Michael Oher and Vonta Leach, attended.

The huge motorcycle caravan began arriving in late morning for a big celebration among all attending.

The RACCE Foundation is based in Forest Hill and is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating the epidemic of child sexual abuse by raising public awareness.

According to the foundation’s mission statement, “The only way to protect children from the horrors of sexual abuse is awareness. Team RAACE provides the opportunities needed to explain the nature of the problem. An open door to communication is the first step. Because your interests and activities have the power to expose the hidden epidemic of child sexual abuse, The RAACE Foundation can educate adults so no child has to suffer the same silent fate.”

“The RAACE Foundation and those who support their goal to Race Against Abuse of Children Everywhere know that until every child is safe from abuse our RAACE has no finish line,”  the mission statement concludes.

The RAACE Foundation was created in 2004 by Baltimore businessman Kenneth Smith. In the years prior, Smith began to recognize the need for an organization dedicated to raising public awareness of child sexual abuse after becoming involved with several Baltimore area child abuse charities, according to the organization’s website.


(baltimoresun.com)

Ravens safety Ed Reed played a lot of sports growing up and has long been regarded as one of the best athletes in the NFL. So it came as no surprise when before tonight's Orioles-Tampa Bay Rays game at Camden Yards, Reed looked quite comfortable taking batting practice and running around center field shagging flyballs. 

Wearing a No.20 home white Orioles' jersey, he then proceeded to throw a nice tailing fastball to Brian Matusz for the ceremonial first pitch.

“Seeing me out here just means that I’m out here playing a little baseball and kind of putting my resume in if they need me," said Reed when asked if his presence in Baltimore means he's raring to go for the football season. "This is just, like I say, I’m in Baltimore enjoying myself, seeing family, getting into the atmosphere. It’s a different time of the year. I can remember being a rookie coming in this weekend ... and doing some foundation stuff, so it definitely brings back some memories, going into my 11th year."

Earlier in the week, Reed's safety partner - Bernard Pollard - received a three-year extension from the Ravens. Reed, who is entering the final year on his contract, said in a radio interview earlier this offseason that he felt "disrespected" by the Ravens. The comment was taken as a sign that Reed was not happy with his current contract and wanted an extension.  

Asked tonight if he had any plans to meet with General Manager Ozzie Newsome when he was in town, Reed said, "No, not meeting with Ozzie. I don’t even think Ozzie is taking my calls right now.”

Reed was laughing as he made the Newsome comment so we presume he was joking. Then again with the mercurial safety, you never know.

The free safety, who is almost a certain Hall of Famer when he retires, also acknowledged that he's spoken to Terrell Suggs since the linebacker tore his Achilles' tendon, an injury that required surgery and is expected to keep the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year out for a good part - if not all - of the 2012 season.

“It was tough and I know Suggs will do everything he can to recover. It’s all about recovery," said Reed who has dealt with own share of injuries the past couple of years. "This is a business. It’s something that you’ve got to bounce back from. It’s how he comes back is the most important thing. It’s not what everybody else is saying about timing and all that, because I’ve been through this with my hip and I had to get on [the physically unable to perform list] because I knew if I didn’t get on PUP I’d have wanted to play like I did. I’d have wanted to play the first game against the Jets and that wasn’t a smart thing to do.

"So, like I told Suggs, just make sure you recover and rehab yourself to 100 percent before you come back. Don’t try to rush this back, saying you’re going to be back August, September, whatever it is you think you’re going to be back, it’s going to be the injury that tells you that you’re ready.”


(baltimoresun.com)

The Ravens have a big question mark with their defense right now for an obvious reason, but they’re still fortunate to have a number of veteran players who are going to be ready when the bell rings. 

One of them appears to be safety Ed Reed, something he talked about in an interview on 105.7 The Fan last week. 

The Ravens’ web site reported about Reed’s radio interview, one that sounded like the future Hall of Famer is looking forward to the 2012 season. 

“My off-season is going great,” he said in the interview. “I’m feeling good.”

The Ravens always will need a player of Reed’s caliber. They’ll need him even more now because of the recent injury to Terrell Suggs. But injuries are part of the game in football. 

Reed’s battled hip and nerve problems the past few years and still been a major force on defense. 

“I’m just getting myself physically able to live my life,” he said in the interview. “I’m not even worried about what comes in the next couple months because that’s part of life. That’s something that could be done in my sleep.”

There’d been questions at season’s end about whether or not Reed would be interesting in coming back for the 2012 season. Was his career over? He didn’t talk with the media after the painful AFC title game loss in New England.

But Reed appears to still have a love for the game. He marches to the beat of his own drummer, something great players often do. Right now, though, the Ravens certainly need him back on the field in 2012. 

“I dream about doing special things when it comes to football, so that’s something that’s been embedded in me for a long time,” Reed said in the interview. “I’m feeling good. I’m able to do the things that I’ve been doing all off-season since I’ve been playing football.”


(csnwashington.com)

Ravens safety Ed Reed, who is entering the final year of his contract, said he has been unable to get a new deal from the Ravens. Harbaugh said he isn't concerned about Reed's future in Baltimore. “Obviously we have utmost respect for Ed, he and I have a tremendous relationship," Coach Harbaugh said. "We’ve been texting back and forth, it’s been really positive, I know he is working really hard because he always does and last year I thought he was in the best shape of his whole career, at least the career I’ve seen, the last four years let me say that. He was in tremendous shape, he played very, very well, and I agree with him, I think he has plenty of years left to play and the rest of it is part of the business part of it and that’s part of the way it goes. That stuff has a way of working itself out so I’m not worried about it that way.”


(espn.com)

Will he or won’t he? What’s a Ravens offseason without some drama surrounding Ed Reed’s future?

Hours after general manager Ozzie Newsome reiterated that the team expects Reed to be its starting free safety in 2012, the enigmatic future Hall of Famer said in a Wednesday night interview on 105.7 The Fan that he feels disrespected by the Ravens -- enough to make him question playing this season.

“I plan on playing. Everybody in the world knows that plans tend to change,” said Reed, who is in the final year of his contract. “I’ve got some unfinished business. I got a lot on my mind I’ve been thinking about and the truth of the matter is that it’s about respect. It’s about getting respect and it’s a business.”

Discussing what he perceives as a lack of loyalty in the NFL, Reed brought up the Indianapolis Colts cutting Peyton Manning and the San Francisco 49ers doing the same with Joe Montana years ago. He also said money equals respect, and after hearing him say that he isn’t getting enough respect from the Ravens, it’s not difficult to see what Reed, who will make $7.2 million in 2012, is really hinting at here.

He said the team discussed a contract extension with him last offseason and that both sides “know it’s there,” referring to the possibility of reaching an extension that could free up cap space this offseason. At Wednesday’s annual draft luncheon, Newsome said that he hadn’t spoken with Reed since the team’s loss in the AFC championship game. But the Ravens are counting on him to play this season.

(It’s worth noting that earlier in the interview Reed said he wanted to do a free autograph session for Ravens fans “before the season.&rdquo

Reed said he is open to discussing a contract extension to “help the team” free up salary cap space, but he didn’t say specifically how much money would buy enough respect to convince him to play. He did mention the five-year, $96 million contract the Denver Broncos gave Manning last month. He acknowledged that each position is valued differently, but he clearly feels he is an exception at safety.

“For what I offer on the football field, for what I give on the football field and for what they know they’re going to get, it’s much more than these young guys out here today and what they’re getting,” the 33-year-old said. “And I’m talking at any every defensive back position right now, not just safety.”
Reed picked off three passes and made 52 tackles last season, but was criticized for missing tackles, something he bristled when asked about Wednesday. He has been selected to six straight Pro Bowls.

Last week, Reed made some interesting comments down in Florida, where he was inducted into the University of Miami’s Hall of Fame. He told The Miami Sun-Sentinel that he wants to play four or five more years, but that he wasn’t 100 percent sure if he would play in 2012. He also said that his home is in Baltimore “unless they say otherwise.” And now he is talking about being disrespected.

“When I’m on the football field, I’m giving you everything,” Reed said. “Do the Ravens know that? Yes they do. Did Ozzie know that Ed Reed was going to be playing against the Pittsburgh Steelers regardless of negotiating his contract? Yes he did. Did Ed get the respect that he deserves? No he did not. Am I going to get it? Probably won’t. Hopefully he do. If I don’t, then, hey man, I’m alright with me.”


(baltimoresun.com)

The genius of Ed Reed lies on his ability to get in the heads of quarterbacks. But getting in the head of Reed is laborious, frustrating and often pointless.

In Ed Reed's latest interview (on a local Baltimore radio station), one point is clear: he is unhappy.

Reed wants respect. And how teams show players respect, according to Reed, is to pay them. Reed, who is entering the final year of his contact, feels he should get paid more than every defensive back because, well, he's Ed Reed.

But it's so hard to analyze his comments because, as owner Steve Bisciotti said this year, Reed doesn't give definitive answers.

Just listen to Reed's answer when he was asked yesterday if he plans on playing in 2012.

"I plan on playing, but everybody in the world knows plans can change," Reed told 105.7 The Fan. “I got some unfinished business. I got a lot on my mind I’ve been thinking about. The truth of the matter is, it’s about respect. It’s about getting respect, and it’s a business.”

My guess is his "unfinished business" has something to do with a new contract. What the Ravens are going to do with Reed long-term is going to be a major storyline next offseason. He said last week that he thinks he could play four to five more years.

Reed said he tried to rework his contract with the Ravens last year but “took the back seat” when negotiations didn’t go the way he expected.

“My plan when I went to negotiate was always, it’s always to help the team. I was not trying to break the bank," Reed said. "Do I deserve a good substantial amount? I mean you look at Peyton [Manning, Broncos quarterback]. Peyton got five [years] for $96 [million]? I know I’m not a quarterback, but at the end of the day … They pay certain positions certain ways. I’m different, man.”

Reed is scheduled to make $7.2 million -- which, by most bank accounts, is not disrespectful -- in the final season of a six-year, $44.4 million contract. But Reed could be feeling left out because the Ravens are in contract talks with quarterback Joe Flacco, running back Ray Rice, as well as cornerbacks Lardarius Webb and Cary Williams.

“Honestly, I got to take a look at myself from the outside in,” Reed said. “For what I offer on the football field, for what I give on the football field, and for what they know they’re going to get, it’s much more than these young guys out here today and what they’re getting. And I’m talking about at any defensive back position right now.”

Reed also mentioned that he's been dealing with some comments made "from people who I work with."

"Whether they know it or not, they made them,” Reed said. “Whether you think I’m a business-minded man or don’t listen to you, I do. It’s not bad, but it’s something that you take to heart, because at the end of the day, I know I’m giving everything, and they know I’m giving everything on that football field.”

The Ravens face a major decision next year when Reed becomes an unrestricted free agent. Judging from his comments, Reed isn't going to be giving any hometown discounts.


(espn.com)

The Dolphins will check out UM draft prospects on Wednesday and Thursday, which reminds us that they have selected only two Hurricanes in the past 20 drafts (Yatil Green in 1997 and Vernon Carey in 2004). “It’s mind-boggling,” Ed Reed said at UM’s Hall of Fame inductions Thursday. “We’re right here!” Bryant McKinnie said. “You would think they would know us better than anybody.”

If the Dolphins sign McIntosh, he would be the only Hurricanes player on the roster - for now - because Carey is not expected to return.
The Dolphins insist they have no objection to drafting UM players, and they are believed to like a few departing Canes, including receiver Tommy Streeter.

Keep in mind this is a franchise that took John Jerry at 73 over Jimmy Graham (who went 95th) in 2010 when Bill Parcells mistakenly thought he could draft Graham in the fourth round; Jamar Fletcher (26) over Reggie Wayne (30) in 2001; selected Jason Allen 16th and traded the 51st pick for Daunte Culpepper in 2006 (instead of signing Drew Brees), thus eliminating any chance of drafting Devin Hester (57) or Eric Winston (66); and took Anthony Alabi over Chris Myers in 2005, among other moves. Choosing solid pro Daryl Gardener at 20 instead of Ray Lewis (26) in 1996 would have been regrettable if Jimmy Johnson hadn’t found a gem in Zach Thomas at No. 154 that year.

McKinnie said he, Reed and Jeremy Shockey used to talk about finishing their careers with the Dolphins, but “the Dolphins wouldn’t do that. In college, we all said we would take pay cuts to come to the Dolphins.”

McKinnie said he doubts that would happen now. "I don't know what direction this team is going in," McKinnie said.

Miami didn’t try to sign McKinnie or Shockey when they were free agents last year, opting for Marc Colombo and Jeron Mastrud. Wayne would have considered the Dolphins last month, “but it didn’t seem like they wanted me.”


(miamiherald.com)

The report that Ravens safety Ed Reed wants to play next season is not surprising. The team confirmed that last month at the NFL combine.

The shocking part is Reed thinking he can play four to five more years. This sounds like Reed is giving a subtle nudge to the Ravens as he heads into the final year of his contract.

What will the Ravens do next year when Reed is a free agent? Reed's 2012 season will go a long way in deciding his fate with the team.

His age (he turns 34 when the season begins) and his injury history suggest that a long-term deal is a risky proposition. He has missed 10 games the past three seasons. And while he played a full season last year, it was one of Reed's most disappointing. He finished with three interceptions, his fewest in a 16-game season, and he acknowledged that he missed tackles in four straight games at the end of the season because of a shoulder injury.

Still, Reed is one of the best safeties to ever play in the NFL and can still change games. In the playoff win over Houston, he made an interception because of great anticipation and broke up three other passes. Reed's instincts and awareness have led to 57 interceptions, the most among active players. And, even though he had a bad year statistically last season, his presence in the secondary is the biggest reason why the Ravens allowed an NFL-low 11 passing touchdowns this season (four fewer than any other team).

Reed has hinted about getting an extension in recent years, but he doesn't have an agent listed with the players union. The other problem is if the Ravens want to give a large signing bonus to a player who has been so indecisive about his future. It was only January 2010 when Reed said he was "50-50" about returning. He has been considering retirement every year since the end of the 2008 season because of a nerve impingement in his neck and shoulder.

An eight-time Pro Bowl player, Reed is scheduled to make $7.2 million in 2012, the final year of six-year, $44.4 million deal. Along with Reed, Bernard Pollard, the Ravens' other starting safety, is also an unrestricted free agent next year. That could become a predicament for the Ravens, who lost two safeties that they had been grooming (Tom Zbikowski and Haruki Nakamura) in free agency this offseason.

The only thing that's clear at this point is Reed's desire to play in 2012 and beyond.

"There's a lot of talk out there. I'm not going to say I'm 50-50, because I'm not," Reed told the Sun-Sentinel in Miami where he was being inducted into the Hurricanes' Hall of Fame. "I want to play football. But it's something me and my team have been discussing the last couple of weeks. My partners, they do a great job of making sure I know the pros and cons of what's going on with my body and with the organization and where we're at. I plan on doing it, but depending, it could change. ...

"If it was up to me, I'd be with a walking cane out there. I don't know, man. I think four to five years is a reality for me."

By this time next year, we'll find out if the Ravens believe Reed can play that long, too.


(espn.com)

Ravens safety Ed Reed’s comments last night about his future to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, one of The Sun’s sister papers, reminded me of something team owner Steve Bisciotti said last month.

Asked whether he had gotten a definitive indication from Reed that he planned to return for the 2012 season, Bisciotti said Feb. 1 at the State of the Ravens address: “Ed doesn’t give definitive answers.”

Bisciotti then chuckled, but the point remains. Trying to predict what the always-interesting safety is going to say or do next is an exercise in futility.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s still fun to listen to him and to observe him closely for clues. After the divisional playoff victory over the Houston Texans in which he played probably his best game of the season, Reed openly talked about retirement. A week later after the Ravens’ AFC championship game loss to the New England Patriots, Reed left the locker room without speaking to reporters. However, he did belt out a couple of lines from the Teddy Pendergrass song, “Love TKO” as he walked out of the building, singing, “I think I better let it go …”

Was that a clue that he was leaning toward retiring rather than coming back for his 11th NFL season? Apparently not because a couple of weeks later, he told Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome that he would play in 2012.

And he sort of confirmed that last night before his induction into the University of Miami Hall of Fame, though not before adding some more ambiguity to his situation.

Asked whether he planned to return for the 2012 season, Reed told the Sun Sentinel, “There’s a lot of talk out there. I’m not going to say I’m 50-50 because I’m not. I want to play football, but it’s something me and my team have been discussing the last couple of weeks. My partners, they do a great job of making sure I know the pros and cons of what’s going on with my body and with the organization and where we’re at. I plan on doing it, but depending, it could change.”

So, there’s that. Reed, 33, followed that up by saying, “If it was up to me, I’d be with a walking cane out there. I don’t know, man. I think four to five years is a reality for me.”

Those comments stand in stark contrast to what Reed has said in the past. Not only has he hinted of retirement, but he has warned that he will not put his quality of life in jeopardy by continuing to play with significant neck and back issues.

Now he’s talking about four to five more years? He’s actually only signed with the Ravens for one more season, and he said last night, “Baltimore is home for me unless they say otherwise.”

Bisciotti was asked about Reed’s future in an interview with The Sun on Monday and said, “We’ll either have to get him signed to an extension, he has to say that he’s done or we have to face the possibility of seeing him play in another uniform. That’s the reality of this.”

The reality is also that it’s not worth fretting over, simply because the Ravens likely have no idea what Reed’s future holds or what he is going to say or do next.  

Sometimes with Reed, it’s just a matter of timing. He can be revealing and charming to the media one day and uninterested and dismissive the next. He’ll heap praise on teammates and opponents one moment, then openly criticize his quarterback shortly thereafter. Heck, he interrupted one post-game interview this season to playfully chastise reporters for not asking him about golfer Fred Couples and his President Cup-winning U.S. team.

The point is that trying to determine what Reed’s plans are by dissecting his latest comments is pointless. You’re better off just focusing on enjoying the time you still have left to watch him play football. Because, as we all know, he might be unpredictable, but he’s always entertaining.


(baltimoresun.com)

University of Miami Sports Hall Of Fame 2012 Inductees: Ed Reed, Robbie Morrison, Richard Mercier, Ray Bellamy, Bryant McKinnie, Patrina Allen, Desma Thomas Bateast, Paige Yaroshuk Tews

Ed Reed, Robbie Morrison, Richard Mercier, Ray Bellamy, Bryant McKinnie

Ed Reed

Bryant McKinnie

Ray Bellamy

Bryant McKinnie

Bryant McKinnie

Bryant McKinnie

Art Kehoe, Bryant McKinnie, Ruben Carter

Richard Mercier

Ray Bellamy

Ed Reed

Ed Reed, Reggie Wayne, Greg Mark

Richard Mercier, Jason Fox

Robbie Morrison and “The Beast” on All Canes Radio.

Robbie Morrison

Randall “Thrill” Hill, Darrin Smith

At the University of Miami, athletes are famous for coming back home and supporting the school.

Thursday night, some very special athletes came home, and this time it was the University of Miami that was honoring them as they were inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in a dinner ceremony at Jungle Island.

None of them needed that traditional swagger UM is so noted — and criticized — for. They, in fact, were downright humbled about being honored.
Here’s what those eight athletes had to say Thursday night about being inducted and what UM meant to them.

• Ray Bellamy, 63, a wide receiver who was the first black athlete to be awarded a scholarship to UM: “UM was a combination of people, places and time that worked just perfectly for me,” said Bellamy, who became the student body president at UM. “The UM did the right thing by signing me — the UM was the one that did it. Being inducted means everything. I can’t believe this day has come. This school has shown me love.” Bellamy is now an academic advisor at Florida A&M University.

• Ed Reed, 33, a standout defensive back at UM who went on to play for the Baltimore Ravens and has been named an NFL All-Pro eight times and is a lock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, ranked being inducted among his top honors: “It’s special, man, it’s special. To be a part of this family is a blessing. This school was the doorway to the NFL. This school was also the doorway to being a collegiate student. This school prepared us.”

Bryant McKinnie, 32, an Outland Trophy winner who didn’t allow a sack in his UM career and went on to play for the Minnesota Vikings before joining Ed Reed in Baltimore last season: “It feels good, really good,” McKinnie said of his induction. “This is a blessing. UM is like a fraternity, and to be a part of that means a lot to me.” The Ravens now have three UM Hall of Fame members on their roster — McKinnie, Reed and linebacker Ray Lewis, who was inducted in 2006.

Rich Mercier, 36, who had a UM record-tying mark of 48 career starts: “When your name is mentioned in this class, you did something right.” Mercier is now a money manager.

• Robbie Morrison, 35, the UM record-holder for strikeouts per nine innings who now runs an indoor baseball facility near Atlanta: “It’s an unbelievable thing to be inducted. I hoped for it, but only thought I had a chance. Now it’s an awesome feeling.”


(miamiherald.com)

Ed Reed will return for an 11th season with the Baltimore Ravens.

Reed, speaking Thursday at the Miami Hurricanes' Hall of Fame induction ceremony, told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel he wants to play this season and, if health permits, beyond.

"There's a lot of talk out there. I'm not going to say I'm 50-50, because I'm not," Reed told the Sun-Sentinel. "I want to play football. But it's something me and my team have been discussing the last couple of weeks. My partners, they do a great job of making sure I know the pros and cons of what's going on with my body and with the organization and where we're at. I plan on doing it, but depending, it could change. ...

"If it was up to me, I'd be with a walking cane out there. I don't know, man. I think four to five years is a reality for me."

Reed and Ravens teammate Bryant McKinnie were inducted into the school's Hall of Fame on Thursday night.

Reed had 52 tackles and three interceptions last season and helped the Ravens reach the AFC championship game. Reed's 57 career interceptions are tied for 11th all-time and lead all active players.

"Baltimore is home for me unless they say otherwise," Reed told the Sun-Sentinel.


(espn.com)

The suspensions have been handed out to Sean Payton, Greg Williams and Mickey Loomis for their roles in the Saints bounty scandal. Roger Goodell sure didn’t take it easy on New Orleans. The NFL Commissioner sent a message to the Saints and the rest of the NFL by suspending Payton for the season, Williams indefinitely and Loomis for eight games. The punishment is quite severe and an appeal is not going to do much for the Saints at this point.

Ed Reed wasn’t too shocked with the decision. The Ravens safety gives his take on bounty hunting from the defensive perspective.

Ed Reed joined 790 The Ticket in Miami with The Dan LeBatard Show with Stugotz and Hochman to discuss the suspensions put down on the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal, not liking the fact that Roger Goodell is going out of his way to keep the players safe, playing through injures in the NFL and not playing for bounties during his time at the University of Miami.

Does this bounty situation and suspensions in New Orleans surprise you at all?
“Not really. The whole time since Roger Goodell has been our commissioner it’s been about discipline. It’s been about character, even for organizations. I know the Saints probably are hurt. Sean Payton is hurt that he is suspended and away from the game, but that’s been the mentality of the league for the last couple of years since Mr.Goodell has taken over.”

As a player do you like the idea that Goodell is trying to keep you guys safe or do you think it’s a little over the top sometimes?
“I think it can be over the top sometimes, especially with the fining of it sometimes. Guys not making the amount of money or close to the amount of money that are being taken away from them. The players are taxed a little bit on the fines. I guess because they think we make a substantial amount of money, but in all reality for being the best sport in the world we are not. It’s good pay, but don’t take what you are giving guys who are free agents and what not a hit in their pocket because a hard hit that has been a part of this game since the game sure has evolved. “
It surprises me that you guys as players are always injured and you think Roger Goodell is going too far or it’s over the top in protecting the players.

How is your health? How is your neck injury?
“I mean my neck is…I have a nerve infringement, so it’s there. It’s something I chose to play with other than have a surgery just yet. I know I am going to have a surgery eventually. It so much as polices me. I’ve been a smart player and I know how to play. You are not going to get to the NFL by being a bad technician. That’s a huge part of it. The people who police the game have to look at how are they policing the game? Look at when a guy hits a guy? It’s always been that way. Yeah they got the bounty situation now and that’s why we do it because guys are taking shots at guys week in and week out. Well look at those guys and see if they can continue to do that on a continuous basis, on a repetitive basis throughout a season, even throughout their career. I never played like that. I know how to play the game. Yeah I’ve been hurt before. I’ve hurt the last couple of years and what not, but I’ve missed few games. I missed six games the year before last because I had surgery and I chose to make a smart decision on my career and came back and led the league in picks while still being effective on the field and what not even in past years with some of the injures and what not. It may have affected my game, but that’s part of it. You learn to play through it and when it’s your time, it’s your time.”

Did you ever collect a bounty while playing at Miami University?
“[Laughs] You know if it I did there would be no one to pay it. No man we were just a bunch of guys that came to play and loved football, when we came to school. My class with me, Reggie Wayne, Najeh Davenport, Santana Moss and these guys when we came in school we were under investigations in lack of scholarships. I believe there was 14 or 15 of us total and scholarships weren’t given to us and we were earning our work back then. We went through some tough times in the University of Miami even without the situations we have going on in the past couple of months. We was raised differently. We knew about the tradition and we took time to understand it with what those guys did. I know with myself defensively and some defensive guys the way we looked at those pictures in the Recreation Center with those 13-0 scores and giving up less than 11 points in a game and stuff like that man meant something to us. To lose to Florida State in my first game as a red shirt freshmen to Florida State, 49-0 man and knowing how we lost that game it made we want to do and be something different at the University of Miami and without that tradition that I saw guys play with and have fun with. Just play football man.”


(sportsradiointerviews.com)

Former Ravens head coach and current NFL Network analyst Brian Billick just exited the podium at the NFl Scouting Combine. He was his engaging and interesting self, calling Stanford's Andrew Luck the best quarterback prospect since John Elway and relaying a story where he once asked an NFL prospect with character questions, "Are you a thug or are you stupid?"

He also discussed the difficult decisions former players - Ray Lewis and Ed Reed - will face in deciding when it's time to hang it up and call it quits on expected Hall of Fame careers. Lewis and Reed have both said that they will play next season.

"It’s eventually going to happen for everyone," Billick said. "Ed Reed is a little bit different because of the injuries. ... Ed, as you know, is very in tune to that. The demands on his body and the hits that he takes, at some point. Ed will be prudent that way. It may take for the entire offseason. When we had Jonathan Ogden, Jonathan could have continued to play but Jonathan knew because the toe injury at the end, ‘You know what? I’m not going to do what I know how I have to do in the offseason to come back and play. Yeah, I’m going to keep playing but I know what that offseason has to be.’

"Ed Reed, I think, has the intelligence obviously to [say], 'You know what, I just know that I can’t and won’t do the things that I have to do in the offseason in order to play.' Ray, gosh, it amazes me. I thought a couple of years ago he was a bit of a liability on third down and he seemed to bounce back in only the way Ray Lewis can, and needed to be on the field every snap. Amazing. But even for Ray Lewis, at some point. Ray has such a high expectation for himself and again, it’s hard for a player sometimes to truly recognize where are you. I’ve had a number of my former players – typically the smart ones – that will call outside sources and say, ‘Coach, look at my film, tell me if it’s time for me to go.’ It’s a tough question."


(baltimoresun.com)

Despite how last season ended for Pro Bowl safety Ed Reed, the Baltimore Ravens have no intention to part ways with him, ESPN.com is reporting.

Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome confirmed that Reed will return for another season with the team. Reed, 34, had three interceptions last season, the fewest in his career. He admitted a shoulder injury hampered his play in the last four games of the season, including the loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship.

Despite that, Newsome expects Reed, who has 57 career interceptions, to return for another season.

"He told (Ravens coach) John (Harbaugh) that he's going to get himself prepared to come back and play in 2012," Newsome said at the NFL combine.

Reed is an eight-time Pro Bowler and was named the NFL's defensive player of the year in 2004.

"Ed is so far along in his career that you've got to respect what he's done and you leave that in his hands," Harbaugh told reporters at the combine.


(sportingnews.com)

The Ed Reed situation is going to be one of the most interesting for the Ravens and their defense throughout the off-season. And not much has changed since the season ended last month.

There were questions at the end of the season about whether or not Reed will retire. He’s been battling various injuries the past few seasons that clearly affected him at times. But then veteran and future Hall of Famer Ray Lewis said after the season’s final game that he’d be back for Season No. 17.

That came right after the painful 23-20 loss to the Patriots in the AFC title game a few weeks ago. However, Reed wouldn’t even talk to the media after that contest, which left his situation very much up in the air.

Reed was a first-round pick before the 2002 season and also will be a Hall of Famer. The only difference is that Lewis already has a championship ring and Reed doesn’t yet.

That’s why I think that Reed will return despite the problems he went through in the final weeks of 2011.

He drew lots of controversy in the final weeks for the remarks he made about starting quarterback Joe Flacco. Did Reed made those critical comments simply to fire up Flacco, who had one of the best games he’s had in a while versus the Patriots? It’s hard to tell.

Was Reed fired up himself by the various media criticisms he received from the media and fans about his stats going down this year. He addressed those things after the playoff win over Houston. But, as mentioned before, Reed wouldn’t talk at all after the New England loss.

Reed likes to do things his way. He’s also a tremendous competitor who hates to lose. That’s why the feeling here is that the Ravens won’t hear much in the early days of the off-season from Reed, who will make the decision when he’s ready.

The Ravens will just have to wait.


(csnwashington.com)

Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said at his end-of-the-season press conference that the team is “assuming” 33-year-old safety Ed Reed will return to the team, according to BaltimoreRavens.com.

“Ed doesn’t give definitive answers,” Bisciotti said. “We’re assuming he’s going to be back. He’s under contract and I think he still has the desire to play.”

Reed is signed through the end of next season. The 10-year veteran has dealt with a slew of injuries the last few seasons, missing four games in 2009 and six games last season. This year, he played through neck, shoulder and ankle injuries but did not miss a game, according to BaltimoreRavens.com.

Reed finished the season with 52 tackles, one sack and three interceptions and was named to his eighth Pro Bowl.

“We didn’t get that same proclamation we got from Ray [Lewis],” Bisciotti said.


(cnnsi.com)

Defensive coordinator Dean Pees confirmed that the Ravens expect FS Ed Reed to return to the team next season.

''I expect everybody to be back, absolutely,'' Pees said. ''There’s not one guy in that room that I don’t want." It's starting to sound like all of the Ravens defensive leaders, including Jarrett Johnson, could return to the team next season. Johnson is likely to see an increase from the $3.5 million he earned in 2011.


(rotoworld.com)

OWINGS MILLS -- Baltimore Ravens free safety Ed Reed withdrew from the Pro Bowl due to his multiple injuries and was replaced by Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark.

Reed, 33, is dealing with several ailments, including: a nerve impingement in his neck, a shoulder problem and a sprained left ankle.

The former NFL Defensive Player of the Year isn't the only Raven not playing in the Pro Bowl, joining outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, defensive tackle Haloti Ngata and running back Ray Rice.

Still slated to play in the annual NFL all-star game: fullback Vonta Leach, middle linebacker Ray Lewis and offensive guards Marshal Yanda and Ben Grubbs.


(baltimoresun.com)

Teammate Lardarius Webb is confident that Ed Reed will return for an 11th season in 2012.

"He's coming back," Webb said. Asked if Reed had told him that specifically, Webb responded, "No, I just know he's coming back." The Ravens trio of defensive leaders (Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs) appears to have resolved to make another run at the Super Bowl next season.


(rotoworld.com)

Comments

Ray Lewis and Ed Reed have spent 11 seasons together with the Baltimore Ravens, making one big play after another for a defense that is always among the best in the NFL.

Although it's difficult to imagine the Ravens without Lewis in the middle of the field and Reed as the last line of defense, the unit has plenty of young players eager to make an imprint after these two perennial Pro Bowl stars retire.

Baltimore's defense, which ranked third in the NFL this season, is the main reason why the Ravens (13-4) are in the AFC championship game and stand a decent chance of beating high-powered New England (14-3) to advance to the Super Bowl.

Linebacker Jarret Johnson says, "We've got veteran experience ... and young, raw talent."


(sfgate.com)

On his man-love for Reed : “I don’t know where to start. The play Ed Reed makes at the end of the game against Houston last week, I think that says it all, really. He’s playing one side of the field trying to stay over the top of (Andre) Johnson, who they single up on the backside. I’m sure that they were looking for him. If he had single coverage, they’d want to throw it up to him, but Reed is over the top of him but they throw the Hail Mary to the other side and he comes all the way across the field and makes the play — really kind of a game-saving play. I’m not sure that if he hadn’t made it, I don’t know what would have happened there. Those are the kinds of plays he makes. He probably covers more field back there as a single safety than most teams can cover with two. He’s got great instincts, he’s a tremendous player.”

On Ravens LB Ray Lewis: “Ray Lewis, everything he brings to the game, his playmaking ability, his leadership, his experience, his ability to get people around him to play better both by his communication and anticipation and leadership and football savvy on the field. Those two guys, it would be really hard, I think, to put anybody even in their class, let alone above them. They’re tremendous players with tremendous careers. Can’t say I’ve ever coached against anybody better than Ed Reed in the secondary.


(bostonherald.com)

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Ed Reed voiced his critical opinion of Joe Flacco's performance last Sunday against the Texans, and Ravens leader Ray Lewis today voiced the general opinion of the locker room, which was that Reed's comments were a non-issue.

With the Ravens set to face the Patriots for the AFC Championship in four days, Lewis did everything to ensure that comments Reed made on a Sirius satellite radio show that Flacco looked rattled in the Ravens' 20-13 win wouldn't take on a life of their own.

"It’s not an issue," linebacker Ray Lewis said. "I haven’t heard what he said, but it’s not an issue. The only issue we have as a team is going up and trying to get a win in Foxborough. Anything else that anyone else wants to bring up is irrelevant at this time and every single person in our locker room is thinking the same way."

Flacco threw two touchdown passes in the win, capitalizing on two early turnovers, but after the first quarter the Ravens offense largely stalled. That said, this is the fourth time Flacco's been to the playoffs in his four-year career and this will be the second time he's gone to the AFC Championship. He's the first quarterback since the 1970 merger to take his team to the playoffs in each of his first four seasons. He is the Ravens' franchise leader in completions (1,190), attempts (1,958), yards (13,816), touchdowns (80), and passer rating (86.0).

"I'm more shocked just of how people can speak about someone who's just a flat out winner," Lewis said. "There's no one side to anything. There's no one player that makes no team great. It takes a team effort. And for what Joe's came in here and done for us, I told people from Day 1, when I first saw that kid throw the football, I said that kid is special. And you watch all of these guys who went in the top picks, No. 1 picks that's not even in football anymore. But you're talking about a guy that's been in this league and has been in the playoffs all four years and has given his team an opportunity to win games.

Flacco threw 20 touchdowns and 12 picks this season in an up and down season.

"Joe doesn't play defense. So when we gave up touchdowns on defense, that wasn't Joe's fault. When people beat us on defense or schemed up something against us, that wasn't Joe's fault. The time that Pittsburgh scrambled and made a big play against us, that wasn't Joe's fault. So a lot of things that people try to put on the quarterback, I understand that, but it ain't about our quarterback. It's about the Baltimore Ravens and we're a complete team. We go into games, we win as a team, we lose as a team."


(boston.com)

FS Ed Reed has called out the Ravens' offensive line and quarterback Joe Flacco for their play in Sunday's Divisional Round win over the Texans.

Speaking in a Tuesday radio interview, Reed said Flacco was "rattled" by the Texans' defense, and "just didn't look like he had a hold on the offense." He continued, "(the) offensive line gotta block better ... they gotta communicate better, gotta pick up blocks (and) Joe's gotta get the ball out of his hand." Reed is on the short list of NFL players who can say whatever they want, but a team leader publicly calling out his play likely isn't what Flacco needed heading into the biggest game of his life Sunday.


(rotoworld.com)

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick called the Baltimore Ravens "a good solid team in all three phases of the game" when asked on WEEI on Monday about his team's opponent in the AFC championship game. He then became a bit more animated when the name Ed Reed was brought up.

Reed, the Ravens' formidable safety who had a key fourth-quarter interception in the Ravens' victory over the Houston Texans, could cause trouble for the Pats on Sunday.

"He's got great instincts... he's a magnet to the ball," Belichick said during his weekly radio appearance.

"He's got great vision and anticipation, he's very fast, he's got good quickness. But I'd say the big thing with him is his instincts. He has a great understanding of what's happening on the play, where the ball's going, who's threatening. He's almost always in great position -- and usually getting there before the play has totally unfolded."

So, how do you deal with an opposing safety like that?

"You gotta be careful with him," said Belichick. "You gotta know where he's at, because he's going to be by the ball. ... If you're throwing it, you better make sure that you can get the ball there before he does. And he's a good blitzer. Sometimes he's close to the line of scrimmage ... and he can fake the blitz and get back into coverage and be a factor back there, too. He's very good at disguising, very deceptive, but his anticipation and his instincts are, I'd say, second to none at that position and very comparable to Ray Lewis as a middle linebacker, who also has great awareness and instinctiveness."

Guess we know one point of emphasis for the Patriots this week.


(espn.com)

OWINGS MILLS -- Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh reiterated that Pro Bowl free safety Ed Reed's left ankle isn't a major concern.

Reed had a rough landing when he knocked down a pass in the end zone toward the end of the Ravens' 20-13 AFC divisional playoff win over the Houston Texans.

"Ed looks like he's all right with the ankle," Harbaugh said Monday. "Everything's come up OK as far as the X-rays."


(carrollcountytimes.com)

Frank Gore, Vince Wilfork, Ray Lewis, Jimmy Graham and Ed Reed all made the 2012 Pro Bowl, this being Graham’s first Pro Bowl selection of his career. This will be Gore’s 4th Pro Bowl (2nd consecutive), Wilfork’s 5th Pro Bowl (4th consecutive), Ray Lewis’ 14 Pro Bowl (7th consecutive) and Ed Reed’s 9th Pro Bowl (7th consecutive).

Chris Myers and Andre Johnson have been named alternates. Stay tuned for a couple of more players to be named alternates soon.

By the way: The Florida State Seminoles have ONE Pro Bowler and the Florida Gators also have only ONE Pro Bowler.

Since the 1959 Pro Bowl a proCane has been on a Pro Bowl roster 51 out of 52 seasons. Since the 1984 Pro Bowl, a proCane has been named to the Pro Bowl for 28 straight years. Check out the full history of every single proCane in a Pro Bowl below.

The Kamryn Lambert Foundation is a Pasadena non-profit organization that offers nursing scholarships to students and assistance to pediatric patients and their families.

The foundation was organized after founder Debi Katzenberger's granddaughter Kamryn died in 2007. Katzenberger is offering weekly updates on the foundation.

On Friday, Baltimore Ravens player Ed Reed and Carbiz, a car dealer, teamed up to collect toys for the Kamryn Lambert Foundation.

"Their goal was to 'Stuff a Van,' " Katzenberger said. "And that they did. With the help of donors, like the Dobry family of Pasadena, the event in Reisterstown was a huge success."

Deliveries to the University of Maryland Children's Hospital are set to take place Wednesday and Thursday, but there is still time to donate. If you would like to add some items to the van, please call Katzenbeger at 443-852-0480.

The foundation will also continue to collect gift cards, which can be mailed to the foundation at 7845 Catherine Ave., Pasadena, MD 21122.



(patch.com)

This article appears in ESPN The Magazine's Dec. 12, 2011 "Interview Issue."

WICKERSHAM: Where do you think you rank all-time among safeties?
REED: Ah, man. I don't know. I guess up there with the greats.

The play that put you on the map came in 2001, your senior year at Miami. Fourth quarter, you're up 12-7 and Boston College has the ball first and goal. Brian St. Pierre throws a slant, which is intercepted by defensive tackle Matt Walters. But as he's tackled, you strip the ball and return it for a TD. So you intercepted an interception? Let's make this right for the record. I didn't take it. Matt looked up, last moment, and gave me the ball. BC robbed us the year before, so we had to cover the spread.

Who are the toughest QBs to read? Brady. Peyton. Brees. Rivers. Palmer.

The easiest? Younger guys -- and most of the QBs in Cleveland.

What are the keys to reading a QB's eyes? You can't. It's a misconception. If he looks a certain way, you might think about going that way, but until he commits, you can't move. My first DB coach with the Ravens, Donnie Henderson, said, "If you break on the ball, you're never wrong." I can't say I always do it perfectly, but it all comes back to being disciplined.

You use the word "disciplined," but on many of your best plays you seem to be freelancing. Are you? I'm never truly freelancing. Most safeties just try to cover ground; I try to make a play and cover ground. To do that, you gotta know where your help is. That comes with practice, games and confidence.

Bill Belichick complimented you in 2009 on an out route that you jumped in a wild-card win over the Dolphins the previous season. You didn't break on the ball; you broke before it was thrown. How was that disciplined? They ran an out route in the first quarter, but the QB [Chad Pennington] didn't throw that route. Everything in football is about running one play to set up another, so in the third quarter, I was in the middle of the field, saw the play and ran to the sideline for the interception. It was a disciplined play within the defense.

What's the biggest difference between playing corner and safety? Corner isn't as mental. We have to get people lined up, make checks and adjustments. Corners are at their best playing brain-dead.

Sluggers often say they can feel a home run as the ball arrives at their bat. Do you feel that way about interceptions? Before the snap, when I'm feeling it and they've thrown a couple of times to a certain receiver, I'll yell, "It's time!"

As you age and your physical gifts decrease, how do you compensate? In the off-season, a few other guys and I work with Dr. Clayton Gibson and his antiaging program in Miami every day for four hours. We do acupuncture, chiropractic work, foot detoxes ...

A foot detox? We put our feet in a bucket of hot water and salt for 30 minutes to nourish our muscles. I was born to do this. This is the talent that the Lord has blessed me with, and I want to take care of myself because football will be only a small part of my life.


(espn.com)

One aspect missing from the buildup of Sunday’s AFC North clash between the Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals is the lack of barbs usually crafted by wide receiver Chad Ochocinco.

Ochocinco, a former Bengal who is now employed by the New England Patriots, once sent deodorant to the Ravens secondary to help the defensive players from sweating while trying to shadow him. He used to keep a pre-game list in his locker of the defensive players he planned to target, and he added former cornerbacks Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle and current inside linebacker Ray Lewis in the past.

But with Ochocinco out of the picture, the chatter has died down to barely a whisper. Ravens free safety Ed Reed smiled when asked if he missed Ochocinco’s presence.

“I’m kind of wondering where is Chad, all the noise that you usually hear,” Reed said. “You start to see some true things when guys start to get moved around in different leagues. I would’ve thought that he still would’ve been a great receiver, especially over there in New England. But obviously, there’s something that’s not right. So I hope Chad gets it together because I know he’s still a great player and has still got great attributes about him.”

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(baltimoresun.com)

Ravens free safety Ed Reed is dealing with an eight-game streak of zero interceptions, but the seven-time Pro Bowler insisted that he has no concerns about this current drought.

“No, man. I’ve been playing ball, being where I’m supposed to be,” Reed said Wednesday. “To be perfectly honest, they haven’t thrown my way. That’s the game plan that some teams come with. So plays will come. I’m not worried about that. We have a winning record, we’ve been winning, and if me not making a play [means] us winning the game, then that’s the game.”

Reed’s drought is one game shy of a career-worst mark of nine consecutive games without an interception in 2005. That streak was broken up by a six-contest stretch during which he was sidelined by an ankle injury.

Since intercepting two Ben Roethlisberger passes and breaking up four in the Ravens’ season-opening rout of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Reed has broken up just one pass and he couldn’t prevent quarterback Matt Schaub from connecting with wide receiver Jacoby Jones for a 32-yard touchdown pass on Oct. 16.

But Reed did sack and strip quarterback Mark Sanchez – a turnover that inside linebacker Jameel McClain turned into his first career fumble return for a touchdown – on Oct. 2.

Rookie quarterback Andy Dalton, who will lead the Cincinnati Bengals into Sunday’s AFC North showdown with the Ravens, said he has no plans of overlooking Reed.

“He has great instincts,” Dalton told Cincinnati media Wednesday. “He plays the eyes really well, and he’s got a really good feel for the game. You definitely have to know where he is.”

Despite Dalton’s inexperience, Reed said he didn’t anticipate the Bengals giving the young quarterback free reign to throw the ball against the Ravens this Sunday.

“They have a great staff over there,” Reed said. “I’ve been playing against these guys for two years now, and they do a great job of protecting their quarterbacks and making sure they know where to go with the ball and like I just said, keeping an eye on [No.] 20. So it’s a good thing, it’s a respect thing. Never too boring, but it happens sometimes. You’ve just got to be patient and wait for those plays to come like they always do.”

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(baltimoresun.com)

OWINGS MILLS - Ed Reed has been unusually quiet for the past eight games.

The Baltimore Ravens' All-Pro free safety intercepted Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger twice to launch the season, but hasn't picked off a pass since that game.

According to the official statistics kept by the NFL, Reed hasn't even deflected a pass in the past four games.

Is this a byproduct of quarterbacks avoiding the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year?

"I've been playing ball, being where I'm supposed to be," Reed said. "They haven't been throwing my way. That's the game plan some teams come with. Plays will come. I'm not worried about that. If me not making the play wins the game, that's fine."

A year ago, Reed led the AFC with eight interceptions.

And he has recorded 56 career interceptions, more than anyone in franchise history and more than anyone in the NFL since he entered the league nine years ago.

So, Reed believes he's earned enough props from offensive coordinators that they specifically don't design throws in his general direction.

"It's a good thing, it's a respect thing," Reed said. "It's never too boring. It happens sometimes. You have to be patient and wait for those plays."

Reed forced a fumble against the New York Jets when he sacked quarterback Mark Sanchez, a turnover that linebacker Jameel McClain returned for a touchdown.

He has 33 tackles, one sack, the two interceptions and five pass deflections for the season.

The last time Reed knocked down a pass was on Oct. 16 in a win over the Houston Texans.

"I'm not worried about a lack of numbers," Reed said. "It comes with the territory of trying to be a great player in the league. It's a respect factor. I welcome them throwing the ball to me, but it's not going to happen all the time. My presence is a big thing also."

As a defense, the Ravens haven't had nearly as many big plays lately.

During the opening seven games, they had 25 sacks and 16 turnovers with four touchdowns.

Over the past two games, the Ravens have two sacks and two turnovers with none during their 22-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

"We always emphasize it and our guys do everything they can to create turnovers," coach John Harbaugh said. "You do that through your technique and your responsibility. Sometimes, they come to you and sometimes they don't. You try to create them with hard hits. You try to create them by stripping the ball, especially in the run game but also in the pass game.

"You step in front of throws. Sometimes, they throw them to you. It's very important for us to do that. When you don't, you don't step outside the responsibility of the defense to try to create something that's not there and give up a big play. The priority in the pecking order is to get a stop first. If we can get a turnover as we do that, we definitely want to do that."

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(carrollcountytimes.com)

The Ravens confirmed that a pair of Pro Bowl starters in free safety Ed Reed and outside linebacker Terrell Suggs did not participate in Thursday’s practice.

The team described Reed as dealing with an injured shoulder and Suggs as being bothered by an injured knee. Both players had fully practiced Wednesday, but their status for Sunday’s game at the Seattle Seahawks is uncertain.

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(baltimoresun.com)

Ed Reed is one of the most electric defensive players in NFL history – especially when he has the ball in his hands.

In 10 seasons, the seven-time Pro Bowl free safety has scored 13 touchdowns and is the only player in NFL history to score return touchdowns off an interception, fumble recovery, punt return and blocked punt.

Reed can also make some heart-stopping decisions, as he did during a punt return in the Ravens’ 12-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

After Jaguars punter Nick Harris booted a punt from Jacksonville’s 28-yard line, the ball dropped before Reed, who appeared willing to let the Jaguars down the ball.

But at the last moment, Reed tried to corral the bouncing ball, and several Jacksonville players, thinking that Reed had botched the catch, pounced on the ball. Replays, however, showed that the ball barely bounced away from Reed, and the ball was ruled downed at the Ravens’ 32 with possession going to the Ravens.

On Thursday, Reed said he had no qualms about trying to collect a bouncing punt despite a coverage unit bearing down on him.

“I was just telling the guys, just getting them out of the way to make sure the ball doesn’t hit them,” he said. “Once I realized that it kind of bounced away from everybody, if I got a good bounce, I was thinking it was going to bounce to me or away from me the way the ball was bouncing. If I get it, maybe we spark something. And if I don’t get it and I fumble it, we still might spark something because we would understand as a defense and as a team, ‘Ok, now we need to make a play.’ Like I told coach, I wouldn’t change it. Obviously, you have to be smart about the plays that you try to make, but like I said, I think it was just a spark either way it [went]. It’s good that it didn’t hit me, and I knew it didn’t hit me. But, like I said, if it hit me and I would have fumbled it and they would have gotten the ball or we would have gotten it – however it would have played out – I think it would have been a good spark on our side because we needed it.”

Special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg conceded that Reed’s attempt was “too close for comfort.” But Rosburg also said he supports Reed’s decision-making.

“I have a lot of faith in Ed,” Rosburg said. “Ed has demonstrated throughout his history – both on special teams and defense – that he has some amazing ball skills, and he judges and analyzes football probably as good as anybody I’ve ever seen. When Ed thinks he can make a play, we’re all behind him. Obviously, ball security is primary, and he understands that. So with that said, that particular play was too close for comfort, but we have a lot of trust in Ed, and he’s earned that.”

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(baltimoresun.com)

The Ravens distributed their second injury report of the week and confirmed that free safety Ed Reed did not practice Thursday.

The seven-time Pro Bowl selection suffered a stinger in Monday night’s 12-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, but did not appear to show any aftereffects during Wednesday’s practice – in which he fully participated.

The team could just be taking extra precautions to be careful with Reed, who has battled a nerve impingement in his neck over the past two seasons.

Reed joined four other players – wide receiver Lee Evans (left ankle), left guard Ben Grubbs (strained ligaments in right toe), inside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe (hamstring) and rookie running back Anthony Allen (thigh) – in sitting out Thursday’s session.

Cornerback Chris Carr (left hamstring) was upgraded from limited to full participation. Strong safety Tom Zbikowski (post-concussion symptoms) also fully practiced.

Cornerback Danny Gorrer was limited because of a thigh injury.

Two Arizona Cardinals starters – outside linebacker Joey Porter (knee) and strong safety Adrian Wilson (foot) – missed practice for the second straight day.

But two other starters in running back Beanie Wells (knee) and wide receiver Early Doucet (quad) practiced on a limited basis after sitting out Wednesday’s session.

Starting tight end and former Raven Todd Heap was limited for the second consecutive day with a strained hamstring.

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(baltimoresun.com)

OWINGS MILLS, Md.-- Both starting safety Ed Reed and defensive end Terrence Cody practiced with the team Wednesday as the Ravens began preparations for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

Both players suffered "stingers" to their shoulders and had to leave periodically during the game against Jacksonville Monday night. But any speculation about their availability ended when they started practicing and working with the first team. Cody, a second year player, is playing extremely well.

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(sportingnews.com)

The Ravens appeared to avoid a catastrophe as free safety Ed Reed and nose tackle Terrence Cody escaped serious injuries on the same play in the fourth quarter of Monday night’s 12-7 shocking loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Reed and Cody both suffered stingers while trying to stuff running back Deji Karim on a running play in the fourth quarter. After a few minutes on the turf at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Cody walked off first. Reed took a little longer, but he also walked off the field, moving his right arm in wide circles.

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(baltimoresun.com)

Ravens All-Pro safety Ed Reed channeled his inner Channing Crowder on Wednesday when a reporter asked him about offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie, whom the Ravens signed after McKinnie was cut by the Vikings.

In case you’re unfamiliar with Crowder’s body of work, the now-retired linebacker was responsible for one of the greatest quotes in the history of geography. Reed’s McKinnie quote can’t touch that, but it was pretty good.

“Baltimore is a different city than Minnesota; there’s probably a little more to do,” Reed said, referring to McKinnie’s many off-the-field issues with the Vikings. “I don’t know why it didn’t work out down there.”

Different city? Down there? Awesome.

Anyway, after Reed, we’ll assume accidentally, identified Minnesota as a southern city, he praised McKinnie.

“You need a left tackle, and he’s one of the best,” Reed said of his former University of Miami teammate. “I’ve seen him go against some of the greatest rush ends in this league right now. And, he’s proven it. It was just a matter of him getting in shape, which I know he is a professional, and that’s why we got him.”

And so far, McKinnie has fit in just fine up here in Baltimore.


(baltimoresun.com)

Comments

BALTIMORE - For Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed, one of his missions is to help where Baltimore City Schools can't: keep kids active and in shape.

On Tuesday, Reed was joined by several other teammates including Anquan Boldin and Ray Rice at Baltimore's Booker T. Washington Middle School for Reed's annual Fitness Day.

The purpose was to show kids, especially those in middle and elementary schools, that staying active every day instead of sitting in front of the TV or video games will help lead to a healthier life in the future.

So today, with help from celebrity trainer Monte Sanders, Reed put kids through some simple exercises and some football-type drills to get their blood pumping and their bodies moving.

Reed hopes this can help kids not only with a healthier life, but also help them in the classroom. He also believes that kids who stay active and see how it helps them will in turn encourage younger generations to stay active as well hopefully improving the quality of life in Baltimore and elsewhere.

The annual Fitness Day is part of Ed Reed's "Eye of the Hurricane" Foundation.

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(abc2news.com)

Ed Reed is a meat-and-potatoes type of football player. He knows what works, and he's not interested in moving out of his comfort system.

That's why the Baltimore Ravens safety has an issue with rule changes he believes were put in place to increase offense and provide the NFL with a more attractive product.

"The game has changed from a corporate standpoint," Reed said this week on "The Rich Eisen Podcast" when asked about why the league has the highest passing yards per game since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.

That's right. Reed believes the NFL has gone from Jefferson Airplane to Starship. It's artistic credibility pushed aside in favor of the almighty dollar.

"When Mike Singletary and all those guys played the game, it was a different football game. They didn't have all them rules," Reed said. "It was football how I grew up playing football. Without all the rules, there's one football, that 11 against this 11. It's tackle football, let's go. Anything goes, so they got rid of the anything-goes attitude and are now trying to protect guys from a life standpoint because of all these injuries."

Reed takes particular exception to rule changes that have forced defenders to be less aggressive in taking down ball carriers.

"How are you going to hinder us from tackling?" he said. "I understand keep your head up, don't hit first with your helmet, I'm totally against that. But hitting a guy as soon as he get the ball? Come on, this is football. That's how we were raised to play it."

Reed is one of the most respected players in football, so any comments he makes carry added weight. But with the NFL more popular than ever, Reed shouldn't hold his breath hoping for things to go back to the way they were.

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(nfl.com)

Jets coach Rex Ryan does not downplay how highly he thinks of Ravens safety Ed Reed.

“A first ballot Hall of Famer, in my opinion. The best safety that’s ever played,” Ryan said this week.

Ryan watched Reed up close as a Ravens assistant for seven seasons. Now, it’s up to Ryan to gameplan against him. Last season, Reed was injured when the Ravens and Jets met in the season opener. In that 10-9 Jets loss, quarterback Mark Sanchez could do nothing. He finished with a 56.4 passer rating and didn’t complete a pass longer than 13 yards.

This time, Sanchez has to contend with Reed, who always is looking to turn a bad pass into a defensive TD.

“I wish I had another set of eyes,” Sanchez said. “He’s one of those guys who’s that good. He’s so smart and savvy in the back end there. He just kind of plays center field. Sure, he plays his scheme and knows his assignment, but at the same time, he has a real good feel for things.”

At 33, Reed has talked about retirement but still looks like the same player he always has. He intercepted the Steelers twice in the first week of this season.


(nypost.com)

CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- The University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame is proud to announce its Class of 2012 inductees, featuring NFL stars Ed Reed and Bryant McKinnie, along with women's tennis coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews and the school's first African-American football player Ray Bellamy. Also selected were All-American pitcher Robbie Morrison, Olympic hurdler Patrina Allen, basketball star Desma Thomas Bateast and All-American lineman Rich Mercier.

This year's class will be officially inducted at the 44th Annual UM Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet to be held Thursday, March 29, 2012 at Miami's Jungle Island.  For information on tickets, go to UMSportsHallofFame.com or call 305-284-2775. 

Richard Mercier: First Team All-America selection by The Sporting News in 1999 ... Two-time All-BIG EAST First Team selection (1998-99) ... Team leader in pancake blocks in both his junior and senior seasons ... Tied Mike Sullivan for the UM record in career starts (48) ... Invited to play in the Senior Bowl, Hula Bowl, East-West Shrine Game and Florida Citrus All Star Gridiron Classic ... Fifth round NFL draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2000.

Bryant McKinnie: Outland Trophy winner as college football's outstanding interior lineman in 2001 ... Named a First Team All-American by The Football News in 2000 and a consensus first team Al-American by every national service in 2001, including the Associated Press, Football Writers Association, The Football News, The Sporting News and the Walter Camp and the National Football Foundations ... The 2001 National Player of the Year by CNNSI.com ... The 2001 College Football Offensive Player of the Year by The Football News ... Did not allow a quarterback sack during his entire UM career ... A two-time unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team selection at left tackle ... First round NFL pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 2002.

Ed Reed: Consensus First Team All-America and All-BIG EAST selection in 2000 and 2001 ... Set UM career records for interceptions (21) and interception return yards (389) ... His nine interceptions in 2001 is the second-highest single-season total in UM history ... Recorded eight interceptions in 2000 (third-best in UM history) ... Key factor in a defense that recorded a record 45 takeaways during the 2001 National Championship campaign ... Also excelled in track & field, winning the javelin at the 1999 BIG EAST Outdoor Track & Field Championships ... A first round NFL draft pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2002.

Click Here To Read About the Other Inductees.

It’s not every day that one of the best safeties in NFL history offers you an apology. But that’s just what Ravens safety Ed Reed did to Titans wide receiver Kenny Britt late in the first quarter on Sunday.

Just after Britt hauled in two consecutive passes for a total of 53 yards, Reed made things worse for the Ravens when he yanked Britt down by the facemask.

Reed appeared to get in Britt’s face, but not for the reason you might think.

“He actually apologized,” Britt said. “I knew he wasn’t going for the facemask. Once he popped up, he apologized. I didn’t think that was going to happen. I thought we were going to get in each other’s face. But he’s a nice guy, actually.”

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(tennessean.com)

Because Pro Bowl linebacker Ray Lewis is in his 16th season, there is always speculation the current season could be his last. Some have suggested that if the Ravens win a Super Bowl, Lewis and Pro Bowl safety Ed Reed would both retire.

Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said he has not heard that from either player, and he'd like to see both retire in Baltimore. But, it won't be at any price.

"No, I have not," said Newsome about hearing if Lewis or Reed would retire at the end of this season. "Retirement is something I went through myself so I know when the opportunity will come to talk to Ray about that. I went through that with JO [Jonathan Ogden], I went through that with Steve McNair and both of them came into this office and said I can’t do it.  I think I’ll be able to have the discussion with Ray at the appropriate time."

"I’ve had great dialogue with Ed Reed," Newsome said. "Ed Reed thinks he could play four or five more years in the conversations that I’ve had.  What we’ll have to figure out over the course of the next couple of years is how to — or whether we are going to — extend his contract over the next couple of years so he can retire a Raven."

Click here to order Ray Lewis’ or Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(baltimoresun.com)

The Ravens didn’t intentionally try to hurt running back Chris Johnson in their last meeting against the Titans, safety Ed Reed promised on Wednesday.

“Nothing is ever intentional to try and take any guy out,” Reed said during a conference call with Nashville reporters. “My game has never been like that and I know these guys don’t play like that either.”

Johnson suffered a sprained ankle in a 13-10 playoff loss to the Ravens at the end of the 2008 season. Johnson had 72 yards and a touchdown late in the first half of that game, but didn’t return. He ended up missing the Pro Bowl because of the injury.

Some Titans, and some of the team’s fans, wondered if the Ravens intentionally tried to take Johnson out of the game, twisting and turning him on a play involving linebackers Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs well after the whistle. It occurred just a few plays before Johnson was injured.

“Chris didn’t get hurt on that play,” Reed said. “He had his back stretched out a little bit, but that wasn’t the play that hurt his ankle. He got hurt on another play, when I want to say it was (nose tackle) Brandon McKinney fell on his ankle on the sideline. Any time you get a guy like Chris Johnson, his size, and one of those d-linemen fall on you, it’s going to be tough.

“I talked to Chris after that and was like, ‘Everything is in between the whistle.’ “

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(tennessean.com)

This is an easy week to glorify quarterbacks after an NFL-record four of them topped the 400-passing yards mark to start the season, including the 517 from New England's Tom Brady (notes) on Monday night.

However, it would be an awful oversight to not take a few hundred words to glorify Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed (notes) , who might be the best ever when it comes to taking the ball from those great throwers. Yes, best ever. Better than Paul Krause and his 81 picks or Emlen Tunnell and his 79. Better than Rod Woodson and his 71 from two different positions.

On Sunday against Pittsburgh, Reed led the way for the Ravens with two interceptions against Ben Roethlisberger (notes) . Reed came within a diving drop of getting a third pick, but still finished with multiple interceptions for the 12th time in his career. That's the most of any player since the start of the Super Bowl era, breaking a tie with Ronnie Lott. Reed has 56 picks in his career and moved into a tie for 16th with Lem Barney and Pat Fischer on the all-time list. By the end of the season, Reed has a chance to move way up. There's currently a five-way tie for the next spot at 57 and Emmitt Thomas is 10th with 58. After that, it jumps to Dick LeBeau and Dave Brown with 62 each and Lott and Darren Sharper (notes) at 63.

In contrast, Pittsburgh's Troy Polamalu (notes) , considered the best safety not-named Ed Reed of this era, is tied for 246th with 27 interceptions.

But the raw numbers only begin to tell the story. Understand that Reed has gotten there faster than just about anyone, getting those interceptions in only 129 regular-season games. That is the fewest of all but one (Bobby Boyd) of the 18 players with 56 or more. Barney played in 140 games, Johnny Robinson (57 interceptions) played in 164 and Tunnell played in 167.

Others took a lot longer to compile their impressive pick total. Krause, for instance, played in 226 games and Woodson played in 238. Eugene Robinson, who is among those just ahead of Reed with 57 picks, played in nearly twice as many games (250) as the Baltimore safety.

Furthermore, Reed is playing at a time when it's harder than ever to get an interception. While the NFL is much more of a passing league, a big reason is that throwing is safer than ever.

In 1960, when Tunnell was playing his second-to-last season, the NFL averaged one interception every 15 throws (there were 274 interceptions on 4,114 attempts for the season). By 2010, that rate dropped to one interception every 33.8 throws (511 interceptions in 17,269 attempts). The reasons are ample, from the greater use of spread formations and short passing to the improvement in quarterback play. Bottom line, getting a pick takes much greater skill today than ever.

"What distinguishes Ed is that I think he understands concepts and reads quarterbacks better than just about anyone," said former NFL quarterback and current NFL Network analyst Kurt Warner (notes) , who played one full game against Reed and Baltimore in his career in 2007. "Even when I knew where I was going to throw, I had to always use my eyes &helip; give a little extra to Ed to make sure he didn't anticipate where I was going."

Warner also talked about Reed's ability to jump routes faster than most others. Fellow former quarterback Chad Pennington (notes) got a taste of that in the 2008 playoffs when Reed nabbed two of his throws in a victory over Miami. The second was a lightning-fast move by Reed across the face of the defense in the red zone.

"He shut the window like this," Pennington said as he snapped his fingers. "It was like he was running the route, not the receiver. When somebody gets on top of a route that fast, you really shake your head and say, ‘How did he do that?' "

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(yahoosports.com)

Here are some notes on safety Ed Reed, who grabbed two interceptions yesterday, giving him 56 picks in his career.

Reed now has recorded 12 dual-INT games in his career (13, including the playoffs), which is the most among active players. Not surprisingly, the Ravens are a perfect 12-0, (13-0 if you toss in that postseason game) in those contests.

The seven-time Pro Bowl safety didn't have to work too hard for those two picks, as both were silly throws by Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger which fluttered straight into Reed's arms, but it's incredible how the Ravens' safety always finds himself in the right spot at the right time.

Reed led the NFL in interceptions last year with eight, despite the fact he only played in 10 games. Yesterday, he got out to an early lead as he tries to defend his INT title this season.

Oh, yeah, and that performance yesterday came on the day Reed turned 33. As Williams said after the game, "Hell of a birthday, wasn't it?"

"He's amazing," Webb added. "He was my favorite player when I was in college, but man, he's amazing. How you gonna get two interceptions ... and he's about 41 years old! He turned 40 today and had two picks. One for every 20 years.

"But he's great man. Every time I walk around the locker room, I see him with (an iPad) in his hand, looking at film. He's always looking at film. I see hard work pays off and I'm still learning from him."

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(masnsports.com)

After leading the NFL in interceptions with eight last season, free safety Ed Reed continued his ball-hawking ways, intercepting Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger twice.

It’s the 13th time in the seven-time Pro Bowler’s career that he had pulled in at least two interceptions in a game, which leads all active players. And Reed did it on his 33rd birthday.

“Just winning was enough for me,” said Reed, who is the franchise leader with 56 career interceptions. “That was the best present I could have. It’s just a blessing to be playing a child’s game at this point of my career, my life.”

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(baltimoresun.com)

Ravens free safety Ed Reed and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward have made it clear that they’re not the best of friends. In many contests involving their respective teams, Ward has delivered some teeth-rattling hits to Reed, who has accused Ward of searching for cheap shots.

But about an hour prior to Wednesday’s practice and four days prior to Sunday’s season opener between the bitter AFC North opponents, Reed sympathized with Ward over his DUI arrest July 9 in his home state of Georgia and said he was glad that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell did not suspend Ward for Sunday’s showdown.

“The DUI was something that happened, and I’m sure Hines took care of that with the courts and community service or whatever it may be,” Reed said. “It’s an unfortunate situation. You don’t want to see any player in that situation. As far as suspension goes, you never want to see a player out of the game either. It’s not even a decision of mine to comment on. Whatever happened, happened. I’m just glad he’s all right [and] that there wasn’t anything tragic that came out of that because we know about situations where that has [occurred]. They took care of that situation and that’s behind them. We’re going to play football, and he’s going to come at me, and I’m going to go at him the way we do.”

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(baltimoresun.com)

Through the first week of Ravens training camp, one question has been bandied about by reporters more than any other.

That question has nothing to do with the Ravens' pass rush, the competition for the starting right tackle job or whether the team needs to go get another wide receiver.

So, what's been on reporters' minds while out at practice the last handful of days?

"Why the heck is Ed Reed wearing No. 3?"

Instead of seeing Reed running around in the secondary in his usual No. 20 the last week, we've seen the Ravens' All-Pro safety wearing a strange-looking single-digit uni during practice. Even though the change obviously won't be permanent (defensive backs have to wear a number between 20 and 49), we still questioned the rationale behind the switch.

Was it a tribute to former Ravens kicker Matt Stover? A way to try and confuse the offense? Turns out, the temporary change in jersey numbers was all about comfort.

"That's the smallest jersey they had," Reed told reporters yesterday. "That's the smallest jersey. I just like to be comfortable at practice. Coach (John Harbaugh) came in with, 'You have to wear game jerseys at practice,' and I just like to be comfortable."

Well, that's not a very exciting story.

With the exception of the change in jersey numbers, there has been very little reason to talk about Reed early in training camp, and that's a positive thing. In contrast to previous years, Reed has come into camp healthy and has been able to participate in full-team drills.

Despite being in good shape health-wise, Reed has still gotten a day off here and there, something which he says will be vital to remaining in good condition later in the year.

"I'm 32; I've been doing this for 10 years," Reed said. "Preserving this is the key."

Reed says he might be a bit bigger and stronger this year than years past, something which he also hopes will help him remain durable through the course of the season. The seven-time Pro Bowler has battled painful hip and neck injuries in the past, which have limited him to 10 games last season and 12 in 2009.

The Ravens' safety needed to start last season on the Physically Unable to Perform list due to offseason hip surgery, causing him to miss the first six contests of the year.

"This is a lifelong thing now," Reed said. "Anytime you have surgery, especially on your hip, you have to take care of your body. We all know football is a violent sport, a physical sport. Sixteen games is a long time. It's definitely a grind, and this is a grind. If I'm not smart about taking care of myself during training camp, then who is?

"So, it's also a business. That's part of being a good business man - taking care of myself and understanding that (my body) is my company."

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(masnsports.com)

ESPN in their Yards To Glory Series counts down the top college plays in the history of NCAAF. Obviously there are quite a few proCanes involved!

25. Kelly's Throws
Jim Kelly helps upset Penn State in first start
Nov. 3, 1979: After a 3-4 start, Miami coach Howard Schnellenberger made a desperate move, giving freshman quarterback Jim Kelly his first college start at Penn State. Kelly, who was recruited by the Nittany Lions as a linebacker, didn't find out he was starting until moments before the game. He responded by throwing up in the locker room. Kelly also threw a 25-yard touchdown to Jim Joiner in the third quarter, helping the Hurricanes upset the No. 19 Nittany Lions 26-10.

31. Hurricane Willis
Willis McGahee scores school record sixth touchdown
Dec. 7, 2002: With Miami comfortably ahead of Virginia Tech 42-21 in the third quarter, running back Willis McGahee made Hurricanes history when he sprinted into the end zone from 31 yards out to score his sixth touchdown of the day, breaking the school record for total touchdowns scored in a game. McGahee didn't have to do much on the play. He simply bolted through the middle, made a slight cut to the right and jogged in to make it 49-21.

42. Leonard Part 2
Leonard Conley runs Miami past Nebraska in Orange Bowl
Jan. 2, 1989: Miami's diminutive Leonard Conley stood tall in the Orange Bowl against Nebraska, scoring both of the Hurricanes' touchdowns in a 23-3 win. The second score stood out, as he caught a Steve Walsh pass in the flat, juked Nebraska's Lorenzo Hicks and scooted down the sideline for a 42-yard touchdown. Miami receiver Dale Dawkins spurred Conley with a crushing downfield block. The catch marked Conley's longest in college as Miami handed Nebraska its first loss of the season.

73. Raising Cane
Michael Irvin's catch-and-run buries FSU
Oct. 3, 1987: In a game that featured two unbeaten in-state rivals, Miami trailed Florida State 19-3 late in the third quarter when Miami quarterback Steve Walsh almost single-handedly changed the game. He threw three touchdown passes in the final 16 minutes, including a 73-yarder to Michael Irvin that gave the Canes a 26-19 lead with 2:22 remaining. Walsh threw the ball into double coverage, but Irvin made the catch and helped preserve a 26-25 win en route to a national title.

80. Reed And React
Ed Reed helps save Miami's title hopes
Nov. 10, 2001: Miami's national championship hopes were on the line when a late defensive stand saved the Canes. Boston College moved to the Miami 9 in the final minute of the game. But Mike Rumph deflected a Brian St. Pierre pass to tackle Matt Walters, who started running downfield. Ed Reed took the ball from him and scored an 80-yard touchdown with 13 seconds left to give Miami an 18-7 win. Miami ended up winning the national title.

Pro Bowl safety Ed Reed missed his first practice at this year's training camp with an undisclosed injury. It doesn't appear serious because he was stretching and doing some exercises in between the practice fields.

This was the first full-team practice of camp. The Ravens delayed practice 2 1/2 hours so everyone could suit up. The league year began just before 5 p.m. when the players union approved the new 10-year collective bargaining agreement.

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(baltimoresun.com)

One of the big signings the Jacksonville Jaguars grabbed in free agency was former Baltimore Ravens safety Dawan Landry. Obviously, safety was a giant hole in the Jaguars defense last year, so it was a known need heading into the off-season. Most Jaguars fans were clamoring for top rated safety Eric Weddle, but the rumors of the Jaguars interest in Dawan Landry floated out even while they were supposedly courting Weddle. Reports surfaced that the Jaguars inquired about Weddle, but once they heard his asking price moved on. They never made a formal contract offer, but instead focused their sights on Landry.

"Wherever the coaches put me. I just want to play," Landry told reporters after practice on Sunday. Landry was asked if he played free safety or strong safety with the Ravens, "I played wherever Ed (Reed) didn't want to play. Ed just told me where to go."

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(bigcatcountry.com)

As we see the dozen or so times Ed Reed gets his hands on the football each fall, the Ravens safety is a tough guy to track down. But my Baltimore Sun colleague Jamison Hensley was able to do it Wednesday at Reed's youth football camp at Franklin High School, and Hensley gleaned a few interesting tidbits from Reed.

Reed said he is relatively healthy, declared himself "full go" and expressed a desire to retire as a Raven.

He also clarified the recent comments he made to ESPN about how he and other Ravens players wanted Rex Ryan to be named head coach in 2008. This part in particular was of interest to me because I blogged about Reed’s comments, and Reed did a good job of defusing any potential controversy with John Harbaugh.

In June, Reed sat down with ESPN’s Ed Werder and said, “We wanted Rex as the head coach in Baltimore. We did not want him to leave. It hurt when he left. We knew he was a great coach.”

On Wednesday, Reed didn’t back away from his claim that some Ravens wanted Ryan to coach the team when Brian Billick was fired after the 2007 season. But he said that was before Harbaugh became a candidate for the job.

He also said that ESPN cut out the part on his interview where he praised Harbaugh, who has taken the Ravens to three straight postseasons, making the TV interview look like Reed was longing for a reunion Rex Ryan, who now coaches the Jets.

“It made us look like we didn’t have a good coach and I don’t like my coach and I’d rather be playing with New York,” Reed told Hensley. “Now, you’re causing situations in our family to make it look like we’re separated when it’s not the case. Show the whole interview. Show me at least saying I have a great coach in Baltimore. Don’t make it seem like I wanted Rex as a coach.”

He added that he knows Harbaugh didn’t read into the comments.

“I know he’s better than that.”

Reed said one more interesting thing at the end of one of his answers, suggesting that he may never do an interview with the World Wide Leader again because they created a controversy with a calculated edit. “ESPN is all about drama,” the All-Pro safety said. “It will be hard for me to do another interview with them after that.”

We’ll see if he holds true to that.

Do you believe that part of Reed’s interview was lost on the cutting room floor? And if so, should he pull a media embargo on ESPN? I think it would be justified if what Reed told Hensley is indeed true.

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(baltimoresun.com)

Baltimore Ravens star free safety Ed Reed has tested wits for years with Pittsburgh Steelers hard-nosed wide receiver Hines Ward, colliding with him often and forming a certain opinion.

While Reed respects Ward, whose crushing downfield blocks inspired the NFL to outlaw his crackback hits on defenseless players.

"You have those guys out there, I've talked about them before, there's certain rules out there, the Hines Ward rules, where you're hitting people with the crown of your helmet," Reed said today at his youth football camp at Franklin High. "That's the truth about it. I love Hines as a player and I told him that. But I told him also for a long time, ‘You're a dirty player because I know how you play.'

"When you're hitting people with the crown of your helmet, you're trying to hurt them. You're trying to take them out. That's when the game needs to policed a certain way."

Reed said he'll pass up huge hits to prevent injuring another player.

"I always play the game a certain way, regardless of what guys say," Reed said. "I've given some shots out there, but even those shots have been to where the guy can get up. I play a position where I know I have kill shots. I can really hurt somebody if I wanted to. I work out to put myself in shape because you just never know."

What about oft-fined Steelers linebacker James Harrison?

Reed thinks he plays the game hard and clean.

"When James Harrison is hitting somebody, he's giving them shoulder and they're getting concussions," Reed said. "That's different. When somebody is literally dropping their head in a professional league, now you have to talk about suspension and fining them high."

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(carrollcountytimes.com)

A year ago at this time Ed Reed limped around his football camp and spoke with uncertainty about when he would start the season.

These days, the only question on the mind of the Ravens safety is the one fans have wondered about all summer: When will the lockout end?

A year ago at this time Ed Reed limped around his football camp and spoke with uncertainty about when he would start the season.

These days, the only question on the mind of the Ravens safety is the one fans have wondered about all summer: When will the lockout end?Enjoying a surgery-free offseason, Reed declared himself "full go" for training camp Wednesday, although he hopes the Ravens will "be smart" with his reps this summer.

"I'm feeling fine," Reed said during his second Baltimore-area football camp. "I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't do the things that training camp requires because of longevity of my career and my life. After not going through training camp with the physical abuse of last year and playing the way I played, I would hope Coach [John Harbaugh] would be smart about how they handle me. I don't think I have much to prove during training camp but it is the time to get in shape."

Reed is coming off perhaps the most rewarding season of his illustrious career. He led the NFL with eight interceptions despite missing the first six games because of offseason hip surgery.

During his camp at Franklin High School on Wednesday, Reed looked strong and smooth while running drills with the kids.

But the seven-time Pro Bowl player said he still isn't fully recovered from the injury.

"I'm still rehabbing it," he said. "It's going to be a life-long thing you deal with. I'm not going to live in the past and the things I went through last year. I feel good for right now."

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(baltimoresun.com)

Ed Reed has two years left on his contract, but the Ravens safety let it be known that he is open to a deal that would allow him to retire with the Ravens.

“I always said I wanted to retire here and play for one organization,” Reed said Wednesday during his football camp.

Reed is scheduled to make $6.5 million this season and $7.2 million in 2012, the final year of his contract. The seven-time Pro Bowl player made it clear that he isn’t campaigning for a new deal. He pointed out that he doesn’t even have an agent at this time.

But …

“After the lockout is over and the collective bargaining agreement is done, I’ll go back to the table with the Ravens and see what makes sense to them and what makes sense for me,” he said. “Right now, what makes sense for me is finishing out my career with the Ravens the next two years that I have on my contract or maybe me and the Ravens do another deal, finalize things for me going into my retirement. It’s going to be what makes sense on both sides. I’m not asking them for anything right now.”

The Ravens have a long list of players who need to have their contracts addressed. They'll have to look into extensions for defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, quarterback Joe Flacco and running back Ray Rice over the next couple of years.

Reed, who turns 33 on the season opener against Pittsburgh, declined to say how much longer he plans to play football. He is coming off an impressive 2010 season in which he led the NFL eight interceptions despite not playing the first six games of the season because of a hip injury.
Although Reed said he still has to rehab that injury, he declared himself “full go” for training camp. Reed, though, hopes the Ravens will be smart with him during camp.

“I’m pretty sure that I wouldn’t do the things that training camp requires because of longevity of my career and my life,” he said. “After not going through training camp with the physical abuse of last year and playing the way I played, I would hope Coach [John Harbaugh] would be smart about how they handle me. Let young guys get the reps that they need and show that they’re quality safetys and get them the repetitions to showcase their talent for another team. I don’t think I have much to prove during training camp but it is the time to get in shape. I’m not trying to be a selfish individual. But it is what it is.”

Reed also continues to deal with a nerve impingement in his neck. But he won't have surgery on it until after his playing career is over. Reed backed up his decision by pointing to Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, who is having his second neck surgery in as many years.
"You saw guys have similar surgeries, like a Peyton Manning and you saw his production drop drastically last year," Reed said. "Nobody wants to comment on it as much but I’m sure Peyton knows it. That’s why he went in and had another surgery. I’ve been dealing with this a long time and I’ve been blessed to keep it strong enough to where I didn’t have to do the surgery. When I do have the surgery, it’s going to be when I’m done playing this game."

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(baltimoresun.com)

Last month, Ravens safety Ed Reed made an interesting remark about Jets coach Rex Ryan, saying that he and other unnamed players had hoped Ryan would get the Ravens' head coaching gig in 2008. Recently, in an unfiltered interview with Pro Football Focus, Jets inside linebacker Bart Scott, who followed Ryan to New York in 2009, tried to explain where Reed was coming from when he made those comments about Ryan to ESPN.

“I’m sure you guys are into the news and heard what Ed Reed said a couple of weeks ago about how disappointed he was and about how he wanted Rex to get the head job in Baltimore,” Scott said. “No disrespect to John Harbaugh, but just how much he respected Rex, as well. It’s not just me. It’s anybody you talk to about the man. In life, you’re afforded a couple of special people. Not special coaches. You’re afforded special people. He’s a special person. When you find that special person, you know.”

 “Not only do I recognize it, but everybody to ever play for him recognizes it,” Scott continued. “It had nothing to do with him being a head coach or a coordinator. The same respect was given to him when he was a D-line coach. You know when people have the ‘it’ factor? You know when somebody’s special.”

The Ravens think they have found that special someone in Harbaugh, whose squad has made three straight postseason appearances. Meanwhile, Ryan has steered the Jets to the AFC championship game in each of his first two seasons in New York.

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(baltimoresun.com)

In answering what has become a regular question considering a spate of injuries in recent years, Ravens safety Ed Reed said he doesn’t know how much longer he will be able to play in the NFL.

He was recently asked about his future in an interview on 105.7 The Fan to promote his upcoming charity football camp and golf tournament in Baltimore (July 20-21).

“I don’t know,” Reed said last week.  “I just had my football camp in Louisiana, and I just got back to town to work out with my trainer and I felt sluggish.  I started kind of doubting myself a little bit. 

“I was like, ‘I don’t know man, maybe I need to take some time off.’”

To which host Scott Garceau replied, "Come on, Ed," as if to coax the All Pro back to the gridiron.

With reports of the NFL and players getting closer to a new collective bargaining agreement and training camp looming, Reed might need to be back on the field sooner than later.

The seven-time Pro Bowler is one of the league’s best safeties, if not the best.

Just last year, he led the NFL with eight interceptions even though he missed the first six games rehabilitating a surgically-repaired hip.  He was recently voted as the fifth best player in the league by his peers in the NFL Networks Top 100 Players of 2011.

But Reed, 32, has been dealing with a painful nerve impingement in his neck for a few years, as well. 

As much as he is still the playmaker he was as an aspiring prospect, Reed also understands his mortality.

“I feel good. How much longer will I play? I’m not going to kill myself trying to get to the Super Bowl outside of my abilities,” said Reed.  “I’m going to do everything in my power and ability to work out and get myself ready this year and the year after that and go forward to try to win a championship.”  

In addition to getting physically ready, Reed maintains mental sharpness through a notoriously rigorous film-study routine, even after nine seasons.

Reed was also asked where he learned to hit the tape so hard.

"It starts from where you come from in college, how your coaches are teaching it and how much time you put into it," said Reed, a University of Miami product.  "That’s a big part of it, and definitely when you get to our level, the professional level in the NFL, you’ve still got to be a coachable guy.

"You still have to go home and watch your tape outside of just doing work and thinking you’re done with it at the office."

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(baltimoravens.com)

(hurricanesports.com)

OWINGS MILLS -- Baltimore Ravens All-Pro free safety Ed Reed is holding a charity golf event on July 22 in Davidsonville.

There's one week remaining to sign up for foursomes and sponsorships.

The tournament will include Reed, wide receivers Anquan Boldin and Derrick Mason and quarterback Joe Flacco.

There will be a cocktail party on July 21 at Havana Club in Baltimore.

All proceeds go toward the Ed Reed Foundation, a charity that benefits disadvantaged children. 

For more information, go to www.edreedfoundation.org.

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(carrollcountytimes.com)

It seems that a new list comes out every day in the sports blogosphere, but the NFL Network’s recent ranking of the top 100 players in the league – as voted on by players – might carry more weight than others. 

And while Ed Reed is flattered by his fifth-overall finish, the Ravens safety doesn’t want lists to drive him on the gridiron.

What really pushes the seven-time Pro Bowler is a deep desire to earn the respect of his teammates.

“As long as my teammates know that I’m busting my tail on Sunday and throughout the offseason to get ready, be prepared and be the best I can be … that’s the only thing that matters,” Reed said this week in an interview with 105.7 The Fan.  “I can’t concern myself with any player before me or after me.”

Reed’s placement put him right behind Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, giving Baltimore the two highest-rated defenders on the list.

And with an NFL-leading eight interceptions in only 10 games last season, the praise is certainly well-deserved.   Reed also paced the Ravens with 16 passes defensed and had three multi-pick contests.

When asked for his thoughts on the praise, the humble Reed simply shrugged his shoulders.

“I know for a fact, that me contributing to my team, they appreciate the things that I’ve done,” Reed explained.  “That’s what it comes down to at the end of the day. I can’t get caught up too much with lists or a yellow [Hall of Fame] jacket or anything like that.”

A notable part of the Top 100 list was the fact that Reed finished one spot ahead of Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu.

Generally, Reed and Polamalu are regarded as the NFL’s two best at their position, and fans and pundits alike constantly spar about  which one they would rather have on their team.

“I don’t take anything away from Troy. Troy is a great football player.  I mean, he’s awesome and a great person,” Reed said with a laugh.  “I don’t think we’re in the business of trying to compare us and see who’s better.

“If it’s about the game and it’s about your resume, I would say go and check them.  Go and check the resume and you’ll see.”

For the resume record, Polamalu has played in 107 games through his distinguished 9-year career, logging 515 tackles, 71 passes defensed and 27 interceptions.

In 10 years and 128 career games, Reed amassed 495 stops, 86 passes defensed and 54 interceptions.  He also boasts the distinction of being the only player in NFL history to score touchdowns via interception, punt return, blocked punt and fumble recovery.

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(baltimoreravens.com)

Here was the NFL Network’s top 10 (with fan ranking in parentheses):
1. Tom Brady, QB, New England (No. 3) 2. Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis (No. 1) 3. Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota (No. 7) 4. Ray Lewis, LB, Ravens (No. 4) 5. Ed Reed, S, Ravens (No. 8) 6. Troy Polamalu, S, Pittsburgh (No. 6) 7. Andre Johnson, WR, Houston (No. 10) 8. Darrelle Revis, CB, N.Y. Jets (No. 14) 9. Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans (No. 9) 10. Julius Peppers, DE, Chicago (No. 18)

Do you see any Seminoles or Gators? We don’t....

The “Player 2K” debate moved to the safety position on Thursday, with Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu the center of the discussion.

Although Polamalu has been a game-changer for the Steelers on multiple levels, Reed’s game for the Ravens is more of the classic variety as the best centerfielder in football. Just take a look at the numbers: In nine NFL seasons, and despite nagging injuries, Reed has amassed a whopping 54 interceptions in 128 career games.

That’s a ton, but Reed still has a ways to go to catch free agent Darren Sharper (63), who says he plans to play (somewhere) in 2011. After Reed and Sharper, the drop off in career picks among active safeties is precipitous.



Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(nfl.com)

Friendly Disclaimer: The following list is influenced largely -– but not strictly -– by film study of all 32 teams from the 2010 season. Stats weren’t acknowledged, but players with poor numbers generally don’t make top 10 lists anyway. Vague enough for you? Criteria for top 10 lists tend to be. That’s why most of you will have no trouble finding some disagreement with what you’re about to read.
(Last year’s ranking of safeties in parentheses.)

10. O.J. Atogwe, Redskins (NR)
Solid role player, but not a big-time creator.

9. Roman Harper, Saints (7)
Stupendous in the box but not so much in space. Save for the wild-card disaster in Seattle, that’s been just fine in New Orleans’s scheme.

8. Jim Leonhard, Jets (NR)
A Swiss Army Knife in Rex Ryan’s pocket.

7. Malcolm Jenkins, Saints (NR)
Superb natural talent who can cover the slot man-to-man and make rangy plays from centerfield. If he can learn to harness his aggressive instincts, he’ll be elite.

6. Eric Berry, Chiefs (not in league)
Physical young whiz who eats up a lot of ground in a hurry. The writing on the wall is in all caps: FUTURE SUPERSTAR.

5. Nick Collins, Packers (5)
Classic rangy free safety. Understands angles and route combinations. 4. Antoine Bethea, Colts (6)
About as flashy as a Tuesday afternoon in Lubbock, Tex., but there’s something to be said for calendar-like consistency. Indy’s secondary has survived injuries over the years because its centerfielder does everything well.

3. Antrel Rolle, Giants (8)
Played the role of Charles Woodson for the Giants last season. All-around versatility is a huge asset.

2. Ed Reed, Ravens (2)
Nothing new to report here.

1. Troy Polamalu, Steelers (1)
A future first ballot Hall of Famer. Great as he is, just for fun as an aside, let’s ponder this question: What would his reputation be if he didn’t have long hair?

On the cusp:
Kenny Phillips, Giants; Brian Dawkins, Broncos; Michael Griffin, Titans

Dropped from list:
Darren Sharper, Saints (3)
Brian Dawkins, Broncos (4)
Brandon Meriweather, Patriots (9)
Adrian Wilson, Cardinals (10)
Sharper and Dawkins are long in the tooth. Meriweather, for some reason, stopped listening to his coaches early last year (he rebounded down the stretch). Wilson’s severe limitations in coverage make him a de facto linebacker.


(nytimes.com)

ESPN’s Ed Werder tracked down Ravens safety Ed Reed at his annual football camp in Louisiana this week, and Reed said that when he entered the NFL, he planned on playing until he was 35. But after suffering a hip injury and a nerve impingement in his neck in recent years, he isn’t sure how much longer he will play.

“I don’t want to be like these guys having neck surgery and then you got to have another surgery just to continue to play this game,” said Reed, who missed six games in 2010. “I love this game, but I love myself more.”

But the bigger news from this interview was Reed admitting that he and other players wanted the Ravens to hire Rex Ryan as head coach instead of John Harbaugh. We have heard that some in the Ravens locker room were pulling for Ryan to get the job in 2008, but it’s interesting that Reed would bring it up now.

"[Ryan was] like a dad, like a brother, man," Reed told Werder. "We wanted Rex as the head coach in Baltimore. We did not want him to leave. It hurt when he left. We knew he was a great coach. There was a reason why that defense was the way it was. I would play anywhere with Rex -- in a dark alley, on the street, in high school football, sandlot, anywhere -- because he makes it fun. He loves this game. He truly loves this game and there’s a reason why those guys in New York back him the way they do.”

And they have backed Ryan all the way to the AFC championship game in each of Ryan’s first two seasons as Jets head coach. Meanwhile, Harbaugh and the Ravens lost in the AFC divisional round in 2009 and 2010. Might that have something to do with Reed’s comments? Who knows, but they will certainly be a talker.

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(baltimoresun.com)

Pat Kirwan from NFL.com ranks the top 30 safeties in the NFL. 3 proCanes made the list.

Each player listed has either an (^) for players on the rise and has room for growth, (>) for players maintaining their status and playing at their peak level or (v) for those who can't sustain their level of play and are on the decline.

4. Ed Reed, Ravens (>): A free safety with special ball-hawking skills. He has missed 10 games in the past three years and still has 11 interceptions in his last 22 games. Reed is a Hall of Fame player and the best deep middle player in the NFL. He's forced 32 turnovers (interceptions and forced fumbles) the last four years.

18. Antrel Rolle, Giants (>): The Cardinals' defense suffered when Rolle left in free agency last year. He had one interception for the Giants in 2010 after recording 10 interceptions during the three previous seasons. A free safety who does a solid job in the deep middle of the field, or in the deep half in the Cover 2.

24. Brandon Meriweather, Patriots (>): Made the Pro Bowl as an alternate in 2010. He has had some issues off the field, but on the field finds the football with 12 interceptions and 24 passes defended the last three seasons.

Click here to see the full rankings.

Click here to order Ed Reed’s or Antrel Rolle’s or Brandon Meriweather’s proCane Rookie Card.


(nfl.com)

In an interview currently airing on SportsCenter, Ravens safety Ed Reed admits he loves him some Rex Ryan. Ed Werder sat down with Reed at a football camp to benefit Reed's "Eye of the Hurricane" Foundation.

“Like a dad, like a brother, man,” Reed said when asked about his relationship with Ryan.

“We wanted Rex as the head coach in Baltimore. We did not want him to leave,” said Ryan. “We knew he was a great coach. There was a reason we had a great defense in Baltimore.”

Reed said he's not surprised by Ryan's success with the Jets. “I would play anywhere with Rex -- in a dark alley, in the street, high school, or the sandlot because he truly loves this game. I love Rex and always will. He taught me so much. A lot of guys in Baltimore will say the same thing.”

Oh yeah -- Reed also found time to praise John Harbaugh.

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(espn.com)

Spend five minutes with Baltimore Ravens safety and former Destrehan standout Ed Reed, and you quickly understand what his family means to him.

Whether it's his family at home in Louisiana or his "other family," his teammates in Baltimore, Reed relies on both to carry him through his most trying times.

Last year, Reed needed his families the most.

Reed struggled to recover from lingering injuries that sidelined him for nearly half the season, but nothing compared to the news he received 48 hours before the Ravens' playoff game at Kansas City.

On Jan. 7, Reed's younger brother, Brian, had been reported missing after jumping into the Mississippi River to elude police. His body was discovered Jan. 26.

Reed stayed with his team despite the tragedy and helped the Ravens cruise to a 30-7 victory against the Chiefs. Reed said his teammates helped ease the pain of his loss, and they showed support by awarding Reed the game ball after the victory.

"Being around my teammates, being a part of a team and playing a sport always helps you in life when you go through tough times," Reed said. "They're always there for you."

Reed's mettle was tested early in the season, which he began on the Ravens' physically unable to perform list after undergoing hip surgery during the offseason. A nerve impingement in his neck also hindered the NFL's 2004 Defensive Player of the Year, and he missed 10 games in the past two seasons.

As some critics speculated that injuries might have finally gotten the best of the five-time All-Pro, Reed said he never contemplated retirement.

"I had pure focus in my coach and my trainer and my rehab," said Reed, who'll be 33 in September. "Everything I did in the offseason, I knew I could do on the football field. That's why I got on the PUP list, and I wouldn't come back until I was 100 percent."

Reed returned Oct. 24 against the Buffalo Bills, a 37-34 overtime victory, and quickly returned to form. He had two interceptions and forced a fumble in his first game back, a sign that injuries hadn't slowed him down.

"Once I got back, it was easy," Reed said. "It was football. Football doesn't change. I had 10 games to contribute to helping the team get better, and all I had to do was do my part."

Reed continued his dominant play for the remainder of the season, intercepting four passes and making 19 tackles in the final four games to help seal a postseason spot for the Ravens.

Reed now has his attention on the upcoming season, but admitted he still hasn't returned to full strength. He has spent the offseason at home, with his family, working out and hosted his annual football camp for kids at his former high school.

"I'm still not 100 percent (physically), but I'm 100 percent mentally at this point as far as everything I can do," Reed said. "I know my limitations; I still have a lot of work to do before the season starts."

Reed continues to prepare despite the ongoing NFL lockout, which prevents him from meeting with coaches and participating in team-sanctioned practices. Reed shrugged off the notion that the lockout will have an effect on his and his teammates' preparation.

"It's business as usual," Reed said. "I wouldn't be doing anything different than working out if it was a lockout or not. I don't think any guys are doing anything different. The only thing is that it's not organized. That proves to people that we're willing to do what's right and work despite of what's going on through the lockout and the organization."

Reed has put all his trials behind him, relying on his faith to move him forward in his life and his career.

"It's faith," Reed said. "It's having faith, keeping my faith strong and knowing God has everything under control. It's knowing that I'll see my brother again, knowing he's still with me in spirit and knowing that he's looking down on us.

"My family stands strong."

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(nola.com)

After missing the first six games of the 2010 season, Ravens safety Ed Reed returned from the Physically Unable to Perform list in Week 7 and picked off eight passes in the final 10 games of the regular season. Reed, who played well enough to earn another trip to the Pro Bowl, said Tuesday he is not yet fully healthy.

“I'm still not 100 percent," Reed told The Times-Picayune. "But I'm 100 percent mentally at this point as far as everything I can do. I know my limitations. I still have a lot of work to do before the season starts."

Reed, who was in New Orleans for his annual football camp at Destrehan High School, underwent hip surgery last offseason and has been battling a nerve impingement in his neck that cost him four games in 2009.

Since he is talking about the upcoming season, I wouldn’t worry about Reed missing training camp or anything like that, and at 80 percent, he is still better than most safeties in the league.

But these injuries made the future Hall-of-Famer mull retirement last spring because he is rightfully wary of the long-term health risks. So make sure you enjoy Reed’s excellence while you can.

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(baltimoresun.com)

This week we went to the chalkboard to check out the Saints Cover 7 scheme and an example of how to defeat the Bears zone blitz. Today, let’s breakdown some video of Ravens safety Ed Reed and talk technique as it applies to the free safety position.



We know Reed is a playmaker (and the best at tracking the ball in the secondary), but focusing on his pre-snap read and technique will give us a better idea of why he is always making plays from the middle of the field. Check out the video of Reed’s pick-six off of Carson Palmer from the ’09 season and then we will get into some coaching points.

Overload blitz: We won’t spend too much time on scheme, but take a look at the Ravens up front. Working vs. a 3x1 set into the boundary, they run an open (weak) side overload blitz scheme. Regardless if the blitz gets home, this tells you as a FS that the ball has to come out hot. Expect a quick, inside breaking route.

Pre-snap look: Go back and check out the end zone angle on the replay. Reed is showing strong and “rolls” to the middle of the field at the snap of the ball. The key (and a coaching point for young players) is Reed’s footwork. He doesn’t backpedal, or take any false steps. Instead, he stays at a depth that will allow him to break to the football.

Breaking on the ball: This is what makes this play special from my perspective—because Reed is breaking before Palmer throws the ball. As I said above, expect an inside breaking route with from the X receiver with a 3x1 formation into the boundary, but this is more about anticipation and natural playmaking ability. See the route develop, read the drop (plus the eyes of the QB) and attack the football.

Angle: Reed drives on the skinny post from the X receiver, Chad Ochocinco. It is downhill, at a 45-degree angle that puts him at a “cut-off point” in front of the Bengals wide out. If you go parallel to the line of scrimmage, you can still make the tackle (or a big hit). However, to put yourself in a position to intercept this ball, always go back to the angle. Safeties that take proper angles from the middle of the field make plays.
Can you teach this?

Yes, when we talk about technique, plus understanding offensive formations, route concepts and alignments. Although Reed has unique talent and instincts in the middle of the field, his technique is clean in this clip. And you don’t need the talent of Reed at the FS position to teach good, fundamental football in the classroom and on the field.


(nationalfootballpost.com)

Ravens safety Ed Reed threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Friday's game at Camden Yards. Stunningly, Reed didn't lateral it to the ball girl. Instead, he fired a strike (according to the mascot).

I can't help but wonder how Reed would fare if he joined the Orioles bullpen. At least he would throw a few strikes, unlike one of their relievers (I'm not going to name any names, but it rhymes with Schmichael Schmonzalez). Check out this video of Reed, who looked pretty good in that white No. 20 Orioles jersey.



Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.

NFL Network’s “The Top 100″ includes six safeties among the 100 best players as voted on by the players. Four of those safeties — Nick Collins (No. 96), Eric Berry (93), Adrian Wilson (89) and Antrel Rolle (68) — have already been revealed, leaving two players at the position most would presume to be Troy Polamalu and Ed Reed.

Who should be rated higher among the two players widely considered the best safeties in the NFL?

We already know Cameron Wake gave his vote for the NFL’s best player — nevermind just at his position – to Polamalu. Check out the video above to see why Jamie Dukes and Warren Sapp give the designation to Reed.

“It’s not even close,” says Sapp of the debate. “When you’re a safety in the NFL there can’t be a blueprint of where (offenses) want you on the field. If you spread the Steelers out and put him on the hash back there, (offenses) have them where they want him. I’ve never heard that about John Lynch, I’ve never heard that about Ronnie Lott and I’ve never heard that about Ed Reed. The only thing I hear about Reed, from the best quarterback that I think is in the game, Peyton Manning, is ‘How did he do that?’”

Click here to order Ed Reed’s or Warren Sapp’s proCane Rookie Card.



(nfl.com)

Two years ago in training camp, Ravens safety Ed Reed struggled with a nerve impingement in his neck.  Hip surgery last offseason kept him on the sidelines for months, including the first six weeks of the year.

Now 32, Reed quickly put away the retirement talk this year and is feeling healthy again.

“Stuff could come up, but right now, I feel good,” Reed told Jamison Hensley of the Baltimore Sun. “If we had to play right now, I could go for it.”
Instead, Reed is healthy enough to talk about organizing workouts with his teammates.

“If it got later in the offseason, we would do something to come together as a team,” Reed said. “We know that just coming together as a team, guys seeing each other, it makes a big difference. We need that offseason camaraderie of just seeing guys, knowing that they’re putting in work.”

The Ravens are well suited to survive the lockout because of their veteran-laden roster and coaching staff stability.  Having Reed healthy going into a season for the first time in years would be another big plus.

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.



(profootballtalk.com)

ABERDEEN, Md. -- Unlike last year, Baltimore Ravens star free safety Ed Reed won't be going under the knife.

One year removed from undergoing hip surgery to repair a torn labrum, Reed said he won't require any procedures this offseason as he continues to strengthen the joint.

And the All-Pro safety said he could play now if he had to.

"I don't think anything will have to be done, but you never know going forward because that's how it was last year," Reed said this weekend during fellow Ravens safety Haruki Nakamura's charity event at Ripken Stadium. "I was rehabbing and working out and it just kept bothering me. Stuff could come up, but right now, I feel good. If we had to play right now, I could go for it."

Last spring, the seven-time Pro Bowl selection underwent surgery and wound up beginning the season on the physically unable to perform list.
After missing six games, he led the defense with eight interceptions and didn't miss any games.

Reed returned to play earlier than advised, but wanted to get back on the field. He wound up having a resurgent season and wasn't bothered as much as years past by a painful nerve impingement that affects his neck and shoulder.

"I'm still rehabbing my hip because it was a year-long process," Reed said. "I came back earlier than I was supposed to, but my doctors and trainers with the team helped me make sure I stayed in shape.

"Me staying up on my treatments, acupuncture, everything that I had to do, the stuff that you never see, has helped maintain. Years of taking care of yourself helps you maintain."

Reed said he has stayed in contact with former Ravens cornerback Samari Rolle, whose career ended due to a neck injury.

As the NFL lockout continues, Reed said he's staying in good shape and has spoke to wide receiver Derrick Mason about eventually organizing informal workouts.

"If it got later in the offseason, we would do something to come together as a team," Reed said. "We know that just coming together as a team, guys seeing each other, it makes a big difference. We need that offseason camaraderie of just seeing guys, knowing that they're putting in work."

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.



(carrollcountytimes.com)

Texas EquuSearch, founded by Tim Miller, will host its Sports Extravaganza Banquet and Charity Auction, featuring seven-time Pro-Bowler of the Baltimore Ravens Ed Reed, on April 9. A live and silent auction, as well as live music by the Tony Hill Band, is also on the agenda.

Reed has a special connection to Texas EquuSearch after his brother, Brian Reed, went missing on January 7, 2011. After seven grueling days of searching, Brian Reed’s body was found by Tim Miller and Texas EquuSearch, according to the press release.   

The event is scheduled for Saturday, April 9, at Campbell Hall in Pasadena. For more information, contact Sherry McKinney at Texas EquuSearch, 281-309-9500, or Debbie Drury at 281-333-2726.

Miller founded the nonprofit organization Texas EquuSearch in 1984, after his daughter, Laura, was found murdered in North Galveston County.

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.



(ultimateclearlake.com)

The Ravens have a couple of aging defensive stalwarts in safety Ed Reed and linebacker Ray Lewis.

Luckily, both are coming back to play in 2011. But what about beyond that?

Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh gave an encouraging timetable on Reed. As far as Lewis, nobody knows after playing 15 years in the league.

“Ed’s still got plenty of good football left,” Harbaugh said during a Ravens Fan Forum with approximately 6,000 season ticket holders Wednesday night.

“I’ve talked to Ed a number of times this offseason. He feels he can play four or five more years.”

Reed, 32, missed the first six games of the 2010 regular season due to offseason hip surgery, but finished with one of the strongest campaigns of his career, including an NFL-high eight interceptions.

As opposed to the previous offseason, Reed didn’t speak of retirement after Baltimore’s playoff exit. He finished the year with the usual minor nicks and bruises, but nothing serious.

Then there’s the ageless Lewis. His bio says he’s 35 years old, but Lewis once again led the Ravens in tackles with 145 and was still a defensive playmaker.

He made two interceptions, including one to seal a win in Pittsburgh and another that he returned for a touchdown. Lewis forced two fumbles, including one in overtime against Buffalo, and recovered three.

Harbaugh gave a “resounding yes” that Lewis will be returning for the 2011 season. Beyond that, who knows?

“It’s going to be up to Ray,” Harbaugh said. “We’ll have to see. He’s at that stage where he’s in uncharted territory. There’s no middle linebacker that’s played anywhere close as long as he’s played at the level he’s played. We do have to think about that.

“It’s tough because we’ve got great players still playing well. But you’ve always got to be thinking in football about getting younger. That’s just the way it works. It’s the cycle of football.”

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.



(baltimoreravens.com)

One of the biggest sideshow attractions at Tuesday's Media Day circus was Steelers defensive end Brett Keisel, who is sporting a beard that makes Zach Galifianakis' facial hair look like a little scruff. The beard has become so legendary, it actually got interviewed by FOX Sports' Alex Marvez.

"It's really not that itchy," Keisel told Marvez on Tuesday. "I shampoo and condition. It's actually pretty soft. People are pretty surprised when they touch it. I've gotten used to it."

Keisel's beard inspired NFL Network to rank the top 10 beards in NFL history, and the homeless man's beard of Ravens safety Ed Reed was seventh on the list. “Deion [Sanders] nicknamed him ‘The Soloist,’” host Rich Eisen said before making a reference to Bill Cosby movie from the 1970s.

You can’t embed videos from NFL.com -- which might be a good thing because it spares you from Eisen’s snark overload -- so check the list out at this link to see visual evidence of said beards. Or if you're too lazy to click that link, I've got the full list after the jump. Discuss:

10. Ed “Too Tall” Jones
9. Jeff Saturday
8. Jake Plummer
7. Ed Reed
6. Shaun O’Hara
5. Randy Moss
4. Franco Harris
3. Lyle Alzado
2. Dan Fouts
1. Brett Keisel

(baltimoresun.com)

Two Ravens -- safety Ed Reed and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata -- lost out to Pittsburgh's Troy Polamalu for the Associated Press' Defensive Player of the Year award.

Polamalu received 17 votes Monday from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who cover the league, edging Green Bay linebacker Matthews by two votes. Reed and Ngata each received one vote.

Polamalu had seven interceptions this season along with 63 tackles, but made his mark with big plays. In a late-season victory against the Ravens, he forced Joe Flacco to fumble, which set up the winning touchdown.

Reed led the NFL with eight interceptions despite missing the first six games of the regular season and finished with 37 tackles. Ngata had 63 tackles and five sacks despite being continually double-teamed.

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.



(baltimoresun.com)

Ed Reed should have been in Hawaii this week, getting ready to play in yet another Pro Bowl. Instead, the Ravens highly decorated safety sat in Luling, La., grieving over the loss of a younger brother in a tragedy that left critical questions unanswered.

At a news conference in which authorities said the body pulled from the Mississippi River late Tuesday almost certainly was that of 29-year-old Brian Reed, it was left for Ed to serve as family spokesman and guiding light.

Reed, in obvious distress, spoke of "a loving kid" and doting father who got caught up in the "worldly ways" of our time.

"He had some mental stuff going on before, [but] there was truly no sign of this happening," Reed said. "Like Sheriff [Greg Champagne, of St. Charles Parish] said, we don't know what triggered it, we don't know what happened … between him running from the police officer and the decision he made.

"We know that there's bigger things in life, principalities, that we have to deal with spiritually. Maybe he was dealing with something and having more pain than we ever [knew] that made him make that decision. My brother was not that type of person to have that mentality of doing anything to himself. He was always real close to us and we were close to him."

On the morning of Jan. 7, Brian Reed left the family home in St. Rose, got in a car that belonged to his younger brother, Edwin, and drove away without permission. Family members were concerned enough that they asked police to find their son and bring him home.

When the car ran out of gas near the St. Charles-Jefferson Parish line, a sheriff's deputy stopped to offer assistance and helped Reed push the car to the side of the road. About that time, word came through the police radio that Reed was using the car without authorization, which is a crime. The deputy called Reed back and began to pat him down when Reed broke away and jogged off. The deputy knew of Reed's mental issues and followed him in his police car as Reed jogged down the road. Eventually, Reed crossed the levee and then went into the Mississippi before the deputy could reach him.

In a video of the news conference that appeared on the New Orleans Times Picayune's website, Ed Reed explained in agonizing detail why his mother and father, Karen and Ed Reed Sr., called the police.

"We knew; the parish knew; that day that my brother was having some mental issues and [his parents] contacted the police and had to report the car stolen to try to basically slow my brother down and bring him in, bring him home," Reed said. "Unfortunately, he thought otherwise and the officer was not able to apprehend him and bring him home. ... It was nothing illegal going on or anything like that. It was just an issue where concerned parents were trying to bring their child to safety."

Later in Wednesday's news conference, Reed said the family was concerned about Brian because of "disagreements" they had with him.

"We were trying to help him, knowing that he was going through, like I said, just some disagreements with my parents at the time," Reed said. "Parents know when something is going on with their kids. And they had an issue with him before that, mentally. He was on medication, actually. And they knew something was going on. That was the reason why they were seeking to get him help."

Ed Reed was in Baltimore on the day Brian went missing, preparing for a wild-card playoff game in Kansas City. Reed would play in the game, and Wednesday he talked about how much support he got from his teammates and Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, who flew Reed to Louisiana after the victory over the Chiefs.

"Being around my teammates, who support me through so much, and like my brothers are very spiritual men," Reed said. "The team chaplain, Rod Hairston, all of them did a great job of just comforting me and helping me through. …

"Even the friends I have on the other teams, Kansas City, the [Pittsburgh] Steelers, those guys were just tremendous at showing support, knowing that life is bigger than the game I play. … We are human and regular people at the end of the day. We're not immune from the trials and tribulations that go on through life."

Wide receiver Derrick Mason was among the first to respond to Reed's loss. On his Facebook page, Mason wrote: "My heart goes out to my teammate and brother, Ed Reed. Ed's passions are God and family first, then football and helping others … so I've decided to make a donation to Ed's foundation in Honor and Memory of his brother and I hope you'll consider doing the same."

The tentative identification of Brian Reed was made as a result of tattoos he had, tattoos that matched the body recovered from the Mississippi.

"We knew of tattoos Brian Reed had, and we were able to get a tentative ID based on the tattoos," said Capt. Patrick Yoes, the public information officer for St. Charles Parish. "We're extremely confident [it is Brian]. He was found no more than 40 yards from where he went into the water. He got caught up in debris. The water is treacherous, particularly where he went in."

Yoes said Reed had become snagged in debris around an old, submerged dock just off shore.

An autopsy will be conducted by the Jefferson Parish coroner's office on Thursday. The autopsy was delayed from Wednesday to allow the family of victims who died during interactions with police to have an independent doctor examine the body of the deceased.

"They always afford this opportunity to the family [in these instances]," said Lt. Wayne McInnis of the Kenner, La., police. "It's a question of transparency."

Brian Reed was not married, but had a 2-year-old son. Brian Reed's twin brother, Clyde, lives in Baton Rouge.

"He was a loving kid," Ed Reed, 32, said of Brian. "He just was a good kid, man. He had a son that he cherished and loved and that was his reason for living. Like I said, there's things we have to deal with inside of us that sometimes kind of take control of you, get control of you, that you don't know how to handle."

In his loss, Ed Reed tried to reach out to other troubled kids, hoping this experience might make a difference.

"I just know with dealing with Louisiana in general … how these kids today are taking each other out or getting involved in different things to where it's taken control of them and making them do things that, as parents, we can't explain," he said. "That's the times we're living in. Hopefully, we can change it together because it's not one person that can change that — not me, not Sheriff [Champagne] by himself. And hopefully we can change that. You know, that's why we try to do things in the community. And hopefully we can try to make that one kid turn around and hopefully, that one kid can learn from this situation."

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.



(baltimoresun.com)

KENNER, La. -- The body of Brian Reed, brother of Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed, has been found in the Mississippi River, search officials confirmed Tuesday evening.

Searchers returned to the area of the river for a seventh day of searching early Tuesday.

Tim Miller, of Texas EquuSearch, confirmed that Brian Reed's body was found in the river in the area of 153rd Street in Kenner.

Miller said that despite heavy fog and intermittent rain, three boats using sonar and dragging operations scoured the currents for eight to 10 miles down river.

Crews searched downstream from where a man believed to be the 26-year-old jumped into the river on Jan. 7, after being confronted by a deputy sheriff.

The Reed family issued the following statement Tuesday night:

"We would like to thank all the agencies that worked persistently to recover our loved one. First, Mr. Tim Miller, with Texas EquuSearch, Team Watters, Inc., the diver's from Madcon Corporation, and the St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Department, who worked endlessly and would not give up. We would also like to thank St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Department, who also helped in the search. We appreciate all prayers and support from everyone throughout this trying time."

Kenner Police Department officials said they could not confirm the identity of the body found until an autopsy is performed on Wednesday by the Jefferson Parish Coroner's Office.

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.



(wdsu.com)

OFFENSE
Quarterback-Tom Brady, New England.
Running Backs-Jamaal Charles, Kansas City; Arian Foster, Houston.
Fullback-Vonta Leach, Houston.
Tight End-Jason Witten, Dallas.
Wide Receivers-Roddy White, Atlanta; Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis.
Tackles-Jake Long, Miami; Joe Thomas, Cleveland.
Guards-Logan Mankins, New England; Jahri Evans, New Orleans.
Center-Nick Mangold, New York Jets.
Kicker-Billy Cundiff, Baltimore.
Kick Returner-Devin Hester, Chicago.
---
DEFENSE
Ends-Julius Peppers, Chicago; John Abraham, Atlanta.
Tackles-Haloti Ngata, Baltimore; Ndamukong Suh, Detroit.
Outside Linebackers-Clay Matthews, Green Bay; James Harrison, Pittsburgh.
Inside Linebacker-Patrick Willis, San Francisco; Jerod Mayo, New England.
Cornerbacks-Nnamdi Asomugha, Oakland; Darrelle Revis, New York Jets.
Safeties-Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh; Ed Reed, Baltimore.
Punter-Shane Lechler, Oakland.
---
SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
Quarterback-Vacant.
Running Backs-Michael Turner, Atlanta; Adrian Peterson, Minnesota.
Fullback-Ovie Mughelli, Atlanta.
Tight End-Antonio Gates, San Diego.
Wide Receivers-Brandon Lloyd, Denver; Calvin Johnson, Detroit, and Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City (tie).
Tackles-Jason Peters, Philadelphia; Sebastian Vollmer, New England.
Guards-Chris Snee, New York Giants; Carl Nicks, New Orleans.
Center-Maurkice Pouncey, Pittsburgh.
Kicker-David Akers, Philadelphia.
Kick Returner-Leon Washington, Seattle.
---
DEFENSE
Ends-Osi Umenyiora, New York Giants; Justin Tuck, New York Giants.
Tackles-Vince Wilfork, New England; Kyle Williams, Buffalo.
Outside Linebackers-Cameron Wake, Miami; DeMarcus Ware, Dallas.
Inside Linebackers-Brian Urlacher, Chicago; Ray Lewis, Baltimore.
Cornerbacks-Devin McCourty, New England; Charles Woodson, Green Bay.
Safeties-Nick Collins, Green Bay; and Antrel Rolle, New York Giants, Eric Weddle, San Diego, Malcolm Jenkins, New Orleans, Quintin Mikell, Philadelphia, Chris Harris, Chicago, Michael Huff, Oakland, Michael Griffin, Tennessee, and Darren Sharper, New Orleans (tie).
Punter-Mat McBriar, Dallas.



(miamiherald.com)

NEW ORLEANS -- A private search team called in by Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed and family members suspended a search of the Mississippi River late Monday, but planned to return "no matter the weather" at first light to continue looking for the body of Reed's missing 28-year-old brother.

Texas EquuSearch on Sunday had located what it believed to be the body of Brian Reed tangled in debris about 20 miles northwest of New Orleans. But Kenner Police Lt. Wayne McInnis said divers were unable to find it.

"We had the perfect image," said Tim Miller, director of EquuSearch. "There's no doubt it was him but it was in an area that has so much debris that doing anything there, it's really hard."

Divers trying to get to the body may have dislodged it as they moved debris, Miller said.

"And if they did it could have moved five feet or five miles. The current out there is pretty swift," McInnis said.

Miller said his crew was sifting through the sonar images taken throughout the day to see if they can narrow the search.

"We were really optimistic Sunday and this morning. Not so much now. We definitely have a difficult task ahead of us," Miller said.

Miller halted the search Monday after rain moved into the area. They were looking in the area where the man believed to be Brian Reed went in on Jan. 7, when he apparently jumped into the river after being confronted by a deputy sheriff.

Karen Reed, the mother of Ed and Brian Reed, said investigators found her son's shoes and jacket. She said the car the man ran from belonged to another brother.

On Monday the search was still centered on the area where he was last seen, about 200 feet downstream and about 50 feet out from the bank, Miller said.

"It's very tough on the edge of the Mississippi River," McInnis said. "There is a lot of debris from the bank out 30, 40 feet. You can't see more than a few feet in there even during daylight."

Boats were also making surface searches of the river up to eight miles downstream, Miller said. He continued to use sonar at the upriver site, and divers were also in the water.

"The conditions are very bad," Miller said. "Divers are finding 100 percent black water, the current is strong, and there are big ships going past steadily."

The river is only 15 feet deep at the original search site, Miller said, but quickly drops off to 30 feet, then 80 feet.

EquuSearch had promised the family it would search for one day, Miller said. Monday was the sixth day of looking.

"We've just been begging for that little bit of luck to go along with everything else," Miller said. "But so far we have not gotten it. At some point you have to say it's time to stop searching."

The St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office said a deputy spotted a parked car that matched the description of one reported stolen. When the deputy told the man believed to be Brian Reed to put his hands behind his back, he bolted and ran into the river, authorities said.

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.



(washingtonpost.com)

The body of the missing brother of Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed was believed to have been found Sunday in the Mississippi River in Kenner, La., according to police.

Kenner police said a body suspected to be that of 29-year-old Brian Reed was discovered by volunteer searchers about 3:45pm — but when a diver went to recover it, the body could not be found and the search was suspended for the night.

According to The Times-Picayune, the body was found about one mile (1.6km) from where Brian Reed jumped in on January 6 as he attempted to flee from police over an alleged stolen vehicle.

Police called off the search on January 9, but on Wednesday the Reed family brought in volunteer outfit Texas Equusearch. Using sonar and divers, it was able to locate a body in about 15 feet (4.5m) of water, 25 to 30 feet (7.6-9m) offshore.

"We just want some closure at this point," Brian Reed's sister-in-law, Javona Sanchez, said. "We wanted him back regardless."

Ed Reed, 32, who has played in seven Pro Bowls as a star safety for the Baltimore Ravens, was at the scene but declined to comment.

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.



(foxsports.com)

Coach John Harbaugh is optimistic that Ed Reed will return for a 10th NFL season in 2011.

"He's told me '- I don't think he'd mind me saying this -' he wants to play football," said Harbaugh. "Ed's got a chance this offseason to be healthier than he's ever been going into a season ... I don't want to speak for him. He'll have to tell you all that, but I think Ed's going to have a great year next year." Reed talked about walking away after the 2009 season, but he's not nearly as banged up this year. The 32-year-old, signed through 2012, is still playing at an All-Pro level.

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.



(nbcsports.com)

Three of the four Ravens who went to the University of Miami are defenders, and now they have a coordinator who is also part of the Hurricane football tradition.

Chuck Pagano, promoted from secondary coach to defensive coordinator this week, was the secondary coach and special teams coordinator at Miami from 1995-2000. He coached four first-round draft picks, two of whom -- Ed Reed and Duane Starks -- the Ravens selected.

"My relationship with Ed Reed is pretty good," Pagano said. "I've known him since he was 17 years old when I dragged him into a biology lab and made sure all the Bunsen burners were off and talked him out of going to Tulane and coming to Miami. …He's got a strong family right here in Baltimore and he's got a ton of support. He's a warrior and he's a great leader and he'll go down as one of the all-timers to ever play this game."

Reed was just as complimentary of Pagano.

"Chuck will do everything he can to make sure the defense is prepared for each practice and every game," he said. "The time and effort he puts in and what he will sacrifice will be more than a championship-caliber.

"I believe his best coaching quality is working with the other coaches and players around him. Just like coach [Greg] Mattison, Chuck will get input from everyone, and that will help him be the best coordinator he can be and us be the best defense we can be."

In addition to Reed, Ray Lewis, Tavares Gooden and Willis McGahee comprise the list of former 'Canes in the Ravens' locker room. Lewis echoed Reed's description of Pagano as a personable, player-oriented coach.

"I really have had a truly personal relationship with Chuck, not only from when he got here, but even before because of our ties to the 'U,'" Lewis said. "Even though he didn't coach me, I have known what kind of man and coach he is for a while now. He has an extreme knowledge of the game, and the way he communicates that with his players and fellow coaches is amazing.

"You have to respect how he studies opponents and how he prepares for the task at hand each week. He is truly a pure players' coach. He is a man's man, and there is nothing that I wouldn't do for him. I am excited to see what we can do as a defense and as a team leading into next season. Here we go."

As Pagano broadens his focus from the secondary to the entire defense, he will have more chances to work with Lewis, and he said he was excited about that opportunity. Lewis, the only remaining member of the inaugural Ravens roster, played 1,111 out of 1,116 snaps this year.
"We chewed him out when he came out for that, for missing five plays," Pagano said. "You play at the level that he's played at for 15 years because of your due diligence in the weight room in the offseason, watching tape and taking care of yourself.

"He's taken great care of his body and he understands that his body is his earning power and what's made him. There is not a more passionate guy. Standing next to Ray Lewis and just knowing that you're going to war with him … it's a very, very comforting feeling."



(pressboxonline.com)

Ravens safety Ed Reed won't play in next week's Pro Bowl because of injuries. He will be replaced by the Tennessee's Michael Griffin.

Reed has a rib injury along with a nerve impingement in his neck. He also has been dealing with the disappearance of his brother.

The Ravens will still have four players participating in the Pro Bowl: linebackers Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs, defensive tackle Haloti Ngata and kicker Billy Cundiff.

Chuck Pagano, who was promoted to defensive coordinator earlier this week, is the latest member of the Ravens organization to say Reed isn't retiring.

Pagano has a long-standing and strong relationship with Reed, going back to the University of Miami where Reed played for Pagano. "He's coming back," Pagano said.

In a statement issued by the team, Reed said: "Chuck will do everything he can to make sure the defense is prepared for each practice and every game. The time and effort he puts in and what he will sacrifice will be more than a championship-caliber. I believe his best coaching quality is working with the other coaches and players around him. Just like Coach Mattison, Chuck will get input from everyone, and that will help him be the best coordinator he can be and us be the best defense we can be."

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.



(baltimoresun.com)

OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Baiting quarterbacks, bashing wide receivers and breaking records, Ed Reed(notes) and Troy Polamalu(notes) are regarded as a breed apart as the top safeties in the game.

They patrol the secondary with natural instincts, flowing smoothly around the field with an innate reaction that traditionally lands them in the path of the football.

It’s a position that demands intelligence and toughness.

In the case of Reed and Polamalu, both aren’t afraid to gamble and neither has ever been accused of being conventional.

“Very instinctive,” Baltimore Ravens veteran wide receiver Derrick Mason(notes) said. “Both of them study a lot of football. Obviously, football is all about feel and they feel the game. That’s why Ed is in places like, ‘Man, how did he get there?’”

With an unorthodox bent and a grit that sets them apart, Reed and Polamalu are central figures in Saturday’s AFC divisional playoff game at Heinz Field between the Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

For the Ravens, Reed led the NFL with eight interceptions despite missing the first six games of the regular season on the physically unable to perform list due to offseason hip surgery.

No one has as many interceptions as Reed with 54 since the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year entered the league eight years ago, and no one has gained as many as his 1,438 interception return yards.

And Polamalu led the Steelers with seven interceptions to rank second in the AFC, also registering 82 tackles.

The common bond between the long-haired Polamalu, a former USC star, and Reed, a Louisiana native, is the big plays they routinely make.

“I think just in their ability to read what’s happening to them so quickly,” tight end Todd Heap(notes) said. “When you see Polamalu out there, he’ll come out of coverage sometimes just to make a play, something that he feels, something that he sees. You think sometimes all of that is undisciplined, but most of the time he’s right.”

Polamalu also essentially won a 13-10 game in Baltimore for the Steelers last month with his sack and forced fumble when he blindsided Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco(notes) to set up Ben Roethlisberger’s(notes) game-winning touchdown.

Polamalu is a six-time Pro Bowl selection who has intercepted 26 career passes with 514 tackles and eight sacks.

When there’s a play needed to be made, invariably Reed and Polamalu are in the thick of the action.

“One thing I think about these two safeties is they have unbelievable hands,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “These are two guys that just have a great ability to catch the football, and that gives them a chance to make plays on the ball downfield.

“They make great catches, so they get turnovers. They’re both hitters, they both are very instinctive, they both know the game inside and out, all those things that everybody talks about. “

Ravens safety Tom Zbikowski(notes) grew up watching Reed and Polamalu, attempting to mirror their games as he developed into a prep standout in the Chicago area and into a third-round draft pick at Notre Dame.

Zbikowski said it’s no accident that they make so many plays.

“It’s the studying of film and a lot of it has to do with instincts,” Zbikowski said. “They understand situations, they understand when a defense need a play for momentum. They’re never standing around. They know how to disguise what they’re doing.

“They’re complete football players . You don’t make big plays over and over again and it’s just luck. You’re in the right place at the right time because they’ve done it plenty of times. They’re safeties that are made to play the position that they play.

Reed is playing this week after spending time with his grieving family after his younger brother dove into the Mississippi River to elude police. The search has been called off.

He declined an interview request in the locker room this week.

“He’s a man of character,” outside linebacker Terrell Suggs(notes) said. “None of us have lost a relative that can understand what he’s going through, but all we got to do is try to be there for him, and keep his spirits up. He is hands down my defensive MVP.

“What did he play in, 10 games? And he led the NFL in interceptions? That’s unheard of. That’s bananas. He’s a great guy. He’s a great teammate.”

With Reed’s range and impactful style, he has built a reputation as one of the most dynamic defensive players in the NFL.

He has scored 13 career touchdowns, including the playoffs, and is the only player in league history to return touchdowns off a punt return, blocked punt, interception and a fumble recovery.

"Ed brings an element that very few players bring to the table," Harbaugh said. "He has really, really special hands and body control so he can make plays that most guys can't make. He covers more ground, too, but really, more than anything, he really understands the game, understands the defenses and understands the scheme he is up against."

Polamalu is 8-2 in the playoffs.

And he has 51 career tackles in the postseason with three interceptions, returning one Flacco pass 40 yards for a touchdown in the AFC championship game two years ago.

The stockier Polamalu plays strong safety and operates as more of an enforcer near the line of scrimmage.

And Reed, who has a slimmer build at 5-foot-11, 200 pounds, tends to play more of a pure centerfielder role.

He’s not as inclined to attack or blitz anymore because of a nagging nerve impingement in his neck that has plagued him for the last few years.

“I don’t know if there’s that much of a difference,” Ravens middle linebacker Ray Lewis(notes) said. “They both prepare incredibly and they just love the game. And those are the two few safeties that actually turn the game into an offensive possession when they do have the ball in their hands.

“I think that’s what makes both of those guys who they are, Ed and Troy. It’s an honor watching both of them play. It’s a real honor to sit back and watch, probably, two of the best safeties to ever play this game go at it.”

It was Steelers wide receiver Hines who recently introduced a segment on Reed as one of the top 100 players.

It’s the kind of mutual respect that comes from the kind of performances that Reed has put on since arriving in the NFL as a first-round draft pick from the University of Miami

The seven-time Pro Bowl selection has 551 career tackles, five sacks, 11 forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries.

In eight playoff games, Reed has recorded 22 tackles, seven interceptionms and 11 pass deflections.

“We've had our battles over the years,” Ward told Pittsburgh reporters. “He's hit me and I've hit him a couple times. It's always been very physical between both of us. At the end of the day, and I'm a little biased towards Troy, but he is by far, No. 1 or No. 2, the best safety in the league.

"He's a game-changer, same thing with Troy," Ward said of Reed. "When you're playing good and you're a great player, great things just happen when you're around. Those guys just have a key knack for making plays when they need it the most, and he's right up there with Troy.”

Polamalu has never intercepted a pass in the regular season against Baltimore, but made them pay in the playoffs two years ago.

Reed has just one interception in eight games against Roethlisberger and that was during a 31-7 Baltimore victory on Dec. 24, 2006.

It’s probably not a coincidence since both opposing offenses are wise enough to avoid these two defensive blue-chippers.

Since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, only Ronnie Lott and Paul Krause have more games with at least two interceptions than Reed.

“Those are two of the best safeties in the game right now, let alone probably to ever play the game,” Heap said. “They’re similar in some respects, and then they’re different in some respects.”

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.



(yahoo.com)

When Ed Reed is with the Baltimore Ravens, he acts like everything is normal.

The Pro Bowl safety is still attending meetings. He's still going to practice. He's still hanging out in the locker room.

But everything is far from normal in Reed's world. His brother has been missing since Jan. 7, two days before the Ravens' 30-7 wild-card victory at Kansas City.

What has helped Reed through the ordeal is relying on his family — the one in his home in Louisiana and the one here with the Ravens.

"This is, like I said, a child's game that we play," Reed said. "It's not tough to focus on this. Being around these guys helped me stay focused and going forward in life, knowing that God has got everything. I'm not worried, and I wasn't worried about football. That's the least of my worries."
Authorities near St. Rose, La., Reed's hometown, have yet to find Brian Reed, 29, who — according to his mother, Karen Reed — has had a troubled history with drugs and alcohol.

Police said Brian Reed leaped into the Mississippi River, and the water temperature was about 40 degrees, when he was trying to escape officers who thought they had stopped a stolen car. The family said Reed was driving one of his brother's cars. His mother said authorities had found her son's jacket and shoes. Police eventually called off the search for him but said they believed he swam about 15 feet before they saw his arms above water.

Some wondered whether Ed Reed would even make the trip with the team to Kansas City last weekend, but the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year said he never thought about missing the game.

"Not at all. It's my job," he said. "I know at the end of the day, it's all going to work out. It's in God's hands. There's a bigger picture — bigger than us."

In the locker room following the win at Kansas City, wide receiver Derrick Mason handed the game ball to Reed in memory of his brother.

Reed held up the game ball as teammates huddled around him. "My family would appreciate this and so would my brother," Reed said in an emotional message, as he held back tears. "My brother would want us to beat Pittsburgh."

So, that's what Reed intends to do — beat Pittsburgh in Saturday's AFC divisional playoff game. Reed went to Louisiana to be with his family for one day before returning to Baltimore to begin preparations for the Steelers.

"He was in good spirits," coach John Harbaugh said. "He seemed like he was doing pretty well."

Reed has been the top playmaker for the Baltimore defense that is trying to beat Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for the first time since 2006.

Running back and close friend Willis McGahee, also a Miami (Fla.) product, said the players knew Reed would come back quickly to be with the team.

"Ed's not the type of guy who's just going to stay away from the game," McGahee said. "He loves the game, he loves the guys in this locker room. He has a lot going on right now, but as a team, we have his back, and as a friend, I've got his back. So I knew from the beginning, he was going to come back. He just had to go home and check on his family."

The past year has been a difficult one for Reed. He hinted at retirement last winter. He underwent hip surgery in the spring. He then campaigned for more money in the summer.

Reed began the season on the physically-unable-to-perform list, which sidelined him for the first six games. When he returned, Reed was back to disrupting offenses and worrying quarterbacks.

He led the NFL with eight interceptions even though he played 10 games. He was the AFC Defensive Player of the Month for December with four interceptions in the final two regular-season games.

As well as he's been playing, Reed has acknowledged that he isn't at full strength. He injured his ribs after an interception in the regular-season finale.

"I'm trying not to let it stop me, but it's painful just dealing with it," Reed said.

That pain is nothing compared to the emotional hurt he's dealing with these days. But he's not sharing it alone.

"We circled around him," defensive end Cory Redding said. "We consoled him and let him know that we were going to do everything we could. We had his back, and we let him know, 'When you hurt, we hurt.'"

Outside linebacker Terrell Suggs said the Ravens wanted to give Reed "three hours of peace" in Sunday's wild-card game.

"Let's go out there and have fun with your football brothers, and we started doing that," Suggs said. "It definitely was an emotional win for him and the rest of us, too. We really wanted to play for him and have fun with him, just kind of give him peace, put his mind at ease for a little bit."
Several players said Reed will serve as motivation for this year's Super Bowl run.

"I told the guys (Saturday), 'Let's keep Ed on the field as long as possible because it gives him something to think about,'" Mason said. "When it's over, that's the hard part. Hopefully, he won't get off the field until February."

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.



(foxsports.com)

The Baltimore Ravens received a welcomed sight Tuesday as Pro Bowl safety Ed Reed returned to the team after spending time with his family in Louisiana to deal with the disappearance of his younger brother.

"Ed got back and he practiced," Ravens coach John Harbaugh told reporters Tuesday. "He went through the meetings today. He got back for the meetings. He was in good spirits. He seemed like he was doing pretty well."

Brian Reed, 29, was reported missing last week following a police chase where he jumped into the Mississippi River to avoid authorities. A search later found clothing items of Brian Reed, who remains missing.

Ed Reed, 32, played last weekend with a heavy heart and recorded four tackles in Baltimore's 30-7 wild-card win over the Kansas City Chiefs. He received a game ball by the Ravens for his efforts. His return to practice Tuesday is a strong sign that he's also expected to play in Saturday's divisional playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.



(espn.com)

Ravens free safety Ed Reed is in Louisiana with his family, dealing with the disappearance of his younger brother on Friday.

Coach John Harbaugh said Monday that there is no timetable for Reed's return as the team prepares for Saturday's AFC Divisional playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field.

"We've left that up to Ed," Harbaugh said. "I know that Ed knows this team inside and out. We haven't talked to him yet today. So I think it's going to kind of depend on the circumstances down there, what he feels he needs to do with his family. But we'll give him a lot of leeway."

Reed, who was recently invited to his seventh Pro Bowl, made four tackles in the Ravens' 30-7 defeat of the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday's AFC wild-card round despite news that 29-year-old Brian Reed had jumped into the Mississippi River Friday morning to elude police.

Authorities near St. Rose, La. — Reed's hometown — had yet to find Brian Reed, who, according to his mother Karen Reed, has had a troubled history with drugs and alcohol.

Police said Reed was trying to escape officers who thought they had stopped a stolen car, but the family said Reed was driving one of his brother's cars. His mother said authorities had found her son's jacket and shoes.

Reed, who was awarded a game ball by the team and dedicated that same game ball to his family, said he played Sunday in memory of his brother and invigorated by the support of his family in Louisiana and his family in the Ravens.

"Just keeping God first and having faith and hope," Reed said after the win against the Chiefs. "Knowing that there's a bigger picture to life than what we've got going on here. This is a child's game that we play, and like I said, these guys helped keep me focused and keep my head in the right place. Talking to my mom and dad, knowing that they're being strong right now."

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.



(baltimoresun.com)

6 proCanes made early exits out of the NFL playoffs after he wildcard round this weekend.

Reggie Wayne (Colts), Javarris James (Colts), Jon Vilma (Saints), Jimmy Graham (Saints), Jeremy Shockey (Saints), Antonio Dixon (Eagles) all lost their respective games and will start their offseason.

Below are the remaining proCanes in the NFL playoffs.

AFC: Ed Reed (Ravens), Ray Lewis (Ravens), Tavares Gooden (Ravens), Willis McGahee (Ravens), Brandon Meriweather (Patriots), Vince Wilfork (Patriots).

NFC: Kelly Jennings (Seahawks), Spencer Adkins (Falcons), Devin Hester (Bears), Greg Olsen (Bears), Sam Shields (Packers).

Baltimore Ravens S Ed Reed, playing despite the disappearance of his brother two days earlier, broke into tears on Sunday after receiving a game ball in the locker room following a 30-7 playoff win at Kansas City.

"My, brother he loved football," Reed said, via CBS TV, to his huddled teammates, "But he'd want to beat Pittsburgh."

The Ravens' wild-card win clinched a berth for them in the divisional playoffs against the Steelers next weekend. But the much of the focus after the game was on Reed and his family, with his brother, Brian Reed, still considered missing.

Police in Louisiana were pursuing Brian Reed, 29, on Friday when they saw him jump into the Mississippi River. He has not been located since.
Reed credited his teammates -- whom he called his "second family" -- with helping him stay focused, but he added it wasn't hard to be prepared to play on Sunday.

Reed played with a heavy heart Sunday after the search for his missing brother was called off by police Saturday.

Reed’s mother confirmed that police found Brian Reed’s jacket and shoes after he jumped in the Mississippi River.  Brian Reed was being chased by authorities after they stopped him in what was believed to be a stolen car.

Ed Reed told ESPN’s Rachel Nichols he broke down crying while in a team meeting Saturday. 

"There's a bigger picture to life than what we have going on," Reed said. "This is just a child's game we play ... it's not tough to focus on this."

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said he made it a priority to help Reed deal with his family this week. "We rally around each other," Harbaugh said. "We care about each other."

Reed, who said he was focused on the Ravens' trip to play in Pittsburgh on Saturday, said he was heartened to know that his mother and father are being strong.

"Football," he said, "that's the least of my worries."

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.



(usatoday.com)

Ravens safety Ed Reed appears as dominant as ever.

This season, he earned his seventh Pro Bowl selection, led the NFL with eight interceptions and helped anchor a defense that allowed just 16.9 points per game - third fewest in the NFL - in 2010.

Not bad for someone who recently contemplated retirement due to injuries.

Reed has battled a nerve impingement in his neck the past three seasons and missed the first six games of this year following offseason hip surgery.  He also is battling a rib injury he suffered following the second of his two interceptions in the Ravens 20-10 win last Sunday over the Cleveland Browns.

The 32-year-old Reed is in constant pain and is often unable to even practice during the week. Still, Reed appears ready to help lead the Ravens (12-4) deep into the playoffs, beginning with Sunday’s wildcard showdown at AFC West champion Kansas City Chiefs (10-6). Reed said playing through pain and injuries has been tough, but he remains focused on staying on the field.

“After having surgery, that was something I had never been through,” Reed said. “That was a whole different pain. It’s been tough, but trainers have been doing a great job, my doctors have been doing a great job, and me personally, [I’m] just trying to stay up on it. There’s a lot of things I had to cut out and I couldn’t do and just didn’t do because I would much rather get the rest and get off my feet.”

Making a Difference
The injuries may have limited Reed’s presence on the field, but it has not slowed his impact of making a difference off of it. Reed grew up in St. Rose, La. and played college football at the University of Miami, but he has immersed himself in the Baltimore community ever since the Ravens selected him with the 24th pick overall in the 2002 NFL Draft.

His charitable organization, The Eye of the Hurricane Foundation, supports community outreach in Baltimore and in Louisiana. In addition to hosting football camps at Destrehan (La.) and Randallstown High Schools, Reed adopted Booker T. Washington Middle School in Baltimore.
His L.O.R.D.S. program (Leadership, Order, Respect, Discipline, Success) provides incentives for students who reach certain goals based on homework completion, attendance and behavior at the school.

Reed also visits Booker T. Washington Middle School regularly, provides the youth with necessary tools to succeed (school supplies, etc.) and donates tickets to students for Ravens home games. In addition, Reed annually provides Thanksgiving dinner baskets to families of Booker T. Washington students.

Reed was also recognized for his outstanding community service when he received the Whitney M. Young Award by the Greater Baltimore Urban League in 2007 and was also named the Ravens’ recipient of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year in 2009.

That combination of on-the-field dominance and off-the-field charitable work led Ravens tight end Todd Heap to select Reed as this year’s honoree at his “Heap of Hope” event on Monday.

The event, held at the Hilton Baltimore, was a fundraiser for Franklin Square Hospital Center. Heap pledged to raise $1 million for the hospital, which named its new pediatric center in Heap's honor.

“Ed Reed is one of the most complex players on our team,” Heap said. “He’s spectacular on the field and has done amazing work off of it.  The theme of this event every year is to find the player that has made the biggest difference in the community and Ed has definitely done that.”
Ravens cornerback Chris Carr said Reed is an inspiration for all of the players on the team and his impact is immeasurable.

“Ed is a first and foremost a great friend to everyone on the team and is the greatest safety of all time in my mind,” Carr said. “He just so humble and treats everyone the same whether you are a first-round pick or an undrafted free agent.

“Whenever you have a guy like that who is so comfortable with everyone, it gives the team more confidence on the field. Plus, to see all of the work he’s done off the field, makes Ed an even more spectacular person.”

Unfinished Business
While Reed plans on continuing his charitable work in the future, his immediate focus is on the Chiefs and trying to lead the Ravens back to the Super Bowl for the first time since the franchise won its lone Vince Lombardi Trophy a decade ago.

Winning a Super Bowl is one of the few accolades that has eluded Reed in his Hall of Fame Career. His 54 career interceptions ranks first among all NFL players since he entered the league in 2002, as do his 1,438 interceptions return yards. Additionally, his 26.6-yard return average ranks first in NFL history among players with at least 30 interceptions.

However, while Reed wants to win the NFL’s ultimate prize, he’s not going to let that chase consume him.

“You just want to be successful throughout the season and have a chance to play right now in January, and try to get to The Dance,” Reed said. “I’m not basing my career off of one game, or getting to one game, even though that is the ultimate goal of all of us once we come here. But, we all know how that goes. At the end of it, we’ll see how it goes, assess it. But right now, we’re focused on this week and will go from there.”

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco said Reed’s return from injury provided the team with the spark they needed heading into the postseason. The Ravens enter Sunday’s game having won four straight and are 8-2 since Reed’s return.

“Ed’s huge for our team,” Flacco said. “He’s been around Baltimore awhile and made a huge impact on the field and in the community for the work he has done.  He’s a big impact  on the field and every team we play is aware of that.”

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.



(patch.com)

His offseason started last winter with a hint of retirement. By summer, he was diplomatically campaigning on radio for a pay raise. In the spring, he underwent invasive hip surgery.

Staying ahead of Ed Reed is a difficult proposition at any time, but over the past year, it's been impossible to predict what the Ravens' Pro Bowl safety would do next. Or in Sunday's AFC wild-card game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

In his first game back after missing six weeks on the NFL's physically-unable-to-perform list because of the surgery, he had two interceptions and caused a fumble. In the last two games, he picked off four passes and knocked down five.

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The fact he led the league with eight interceptions while playing only 10 games is just another line in his Hall of Fame resume. That he also led the team with 16 passes defensed this season is no less impressive.

For nine seasons, Reed, 32, has been one of the NFL's biggest play-makers and game-changers, a player with the exquisite ability to turn a game completely around and make it his with one acrobatic interception or one thunderous hit.

In the mind of Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome, that pantheon of game-changers includes Ronnie Lott, Reggie White, Michael Haynes, Deion Sanders, Rod Woodson and, from today's game, Charles Woodson. What, Newsome was asked, is the common denominator between those players?

"Instinct which is above the norm of NFL players," Newsome said. "They just have a sense of getting themselves in a position to make the play – and then making the play."

Two weeks ago in Cleveland, Reed did what he always does. When the Browns lined up for one play, he alerted cornerback Lardarius Webb that the formation indicated a quick out to Mohamed Massaquoi and told Webb to jump the route. When Massaquoi ran a double-move to get by Webb, Reed was in the right position to intercept the pass.

He always is, it seems.

Last week against Cincinnati, Reed snuffed a Bengals' red-zone opportunity when he intercepted Carson Palmer on a tipped pass over the middle for Jordan Shipley. Reed was covering another receiver, recognized the play and reacted quickly to the tip. A shoe-string catch 6 yards deep in the end zone became a 44-yard return to the Ravens' 38.

"He just does a great job where he feels what's going on around him," said secondary coach Chuck Pagano, who helped recruit Reed out of Destrehan High in St. Rose, La., to the University of Miami. "And he gets great jumps on the ball. And then his athleticism and his range and all those other things take over from there."

Reed has a franchise-high 54 career interceptions for the Ravens and 13 career touchdowns. He is the only player in NFL history to score return touchdowns off a punt, blocked punt, interception and fumble recovery. He had an NFL-record 107-yard interception return for a touchdown against Philadelphia in 2008, and a 106-yard TD return against the Browns – and Pagano – in 2004.

His penchant for big plays started in Miami, where Reed had 21 interceptions and four blocked punts.

"What Ed is doing now is what he did at Miami," Newsome said. "You had to watch a lot of tape, but anytime there was a game-changing play that needed to be made, Ed Reed made it. That's what attracted us to him. Because you could watch two or three games, and he's just Ed Reed in the middle of the field, doing his job.

"But when you could see, probably in his senior year, four or five times that 'Ed Reed just made another play.' So what he's doing didn't start here in Baltimore. It happened at Miami, and it probably happened while he was at high school, too."

Apparently not everyone got the message. Reed fell like a shooting star to the Ravens with the 24th in the 2002 draft. While his explosive plays no longer surprise Pagano, they are still a treat for defensive coordinator Greg Mattison.

"Every time I watch him on the game tapes afterward, you just say, 'Wow, you're fortunate to be around a guy like this.' Some of the plays he makes and where he is when big plays happen, that's a special person. That's something that will probably come around once in a lifetime – guys like that."

The ability to anticipate and react to mere formations comes from endless hours studying countless tapes. Reed, like fellow Hurricane alum Ray Lewis, devotes "a couple hours" nightly to watching tape of the opposing team.

"He's always had the athletic ability and the play-making ability," Pagano said. "He's always been very, very passionate about whatever sport he was playing. He's a great competitor. And I think the thing that separates him now is his wisdom and knowledge and what he's gained through playing all these years in the NFL. He's a diligent guy when it comes to film study and preparation. I say I don't get surprised over the plays he makes because of the time he puts in, so he's always one step ahead."

To his teammates, Reed is down-to-earth and approachable. Third-year safety Haruki Nakamura worried when he was drafted in 2008 whether he would be able to communicate with Reed or Lewis, the Ravens' two future Hall of Fame players.

Both players were receptive, though, and because of his position, Nakamura got a lot of help from Reed. What particularly impressed Nakamura was Reed's love for the game.
“
The funny thing is, he said last year he said thinking about retiring," Nakamura said. "I'm at home and I see the interview on TV and I start laughing. I was like, 'I'll put my bottom dollar that he's going to end up at the [team's] facility next year.' That was one of those emotional [statements] after a game. … He's a very passionate guy. He loves the game and he'll be playing football."

Reed was stung by the playoff loss in Indianapolis to the Colts last year when he hinted at retirement. His request for a pay hike went nowhere, and it wasn't until April that he finally had surgery on his hip.

This season, as well as he has played, it's been obvious that Reed also is playing in pain. His latest injury was to his ribs after one of his interceptions Sunday.

"I'm trying not to let it stop me, but it's painful just dealing with it," Reed said this week. "We'll rehab up until this Sunday."

There are no doubts Reed will play against the Chiefs, such is his commitment to his teammates.

"He has a mental toughness about him to go along with who he is," Newsome said. "He has a high pain threshold. I can say this: Ed has an acute awareness of what's around him. I don't think anyone can ever sneak up on Ed Reed – in any circumstances.

"That's a rare gift when people have that. Ray has that sense of awareness, and that provides for longevity, too, because it helps you avoid that unexpected injury of that unexpected hit."

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.



(baltimoresun.com)

Ravens safety Ed Reed only needed 10 games this season to pick off eight passes and become the NFL's interception leader for 2010.

History says his tremendous run will continue this month. One of the best ballhawks in league history, Reed has been extremely dangerous in the playoffs.

He has made seven interceptions in seven career postseason games, returning one for a 64-yard touchdown.

Reed had one of his best games in last season's divisional playoff game at Indianapolis, where he almost single-handedly carried the Ravens back into that game. But his first interception ended with him fumbling and his second one was negated by Corey Ivy’s pass interference penalty.

That's why Kansas City quarterback Matt Cassel will be trying to locate Reed before every snap.

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.



(baltimoresun.com)

OWINGS MILLS - Ed Reed has endured a lot of pain this year, overcoming a variety of injuries to lead the league with eight interceptions.
Despite a nerve injury in his neck, a surgically repaired hip and his latest injury, bruised ribs, the Baltimore Ravens' star free safety expressed confidence that he'll be ready for Sunday's playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. He didn't practice Wednesday.

Reed suffered the rib injury against the Cincinnati Bengals and expressed relief that he didn't break anything.

He's also grateful that the Ravens are playing the Chiefs rather than the Indianapolis Colts, which likely would have meant a Saturday game instead of granting him an extra day to heal up.

"I'm just trying to get myself together right now," Reed said Wednesday at the Ravens' training complex. "I'm trying not to let it stop me, but it's painful. I'm just dealing with it. We'll rehab up until this Sunday and that was another good reason not to be playing Indy because we'd probably be playing Saturday. That's the only thing honestly I was praying for."

Reed has become accustomed to playing through serious ailments.

He hurt his ribs during his second interception of a Carson Palmer pass Sunday. Then, he refused to come out of the game until coach John Harbaugh ordered him to the sidelines in the second half.

Reed indicated that he suffered a bruise and damaged the muscle by his ribs.

"It's probably both," Reed said. "I didn't see any fracture, so that was a good thing, but it's definitely both."

Reed had another reason not to want to play the Colts in the first round, the Ravens' rough track record against quarterback Peyton Manning. Manning orchestrated the Ravens' exit from the playoffs in the AFC divisional round last season.

"Me, personally, I didn't want to go play against Peyton in this first round," Reed said. "It's not so much it's Peyton because I take to my brother, Reggie Wayne, over there. Me and him are texting back and forth all season.

"He told me it's got to go through them. So, you've got to respect that. They're a great team."

Meanwhile, Harbaugh expressed optimism about Reed and offensive tackle Michael Oher who has a sprained right knee.

"They seem good," Harbaugh said. "They were out here. Seem like they're moving around OK. I'm always optimistic. I'm an optimistic person."

Reed missed the first six games of the regular season on the physically unable to perform list following offseason hip surgery.

"It's been tough, but I've been focused on it," Reed said. "After having surgery, that was something I had never been through. That was a whole different pain. It's been tough, but trainers have been doing a great job, my doctors have been doing a great job, and me personally, just trying to stay up on it. There's a lot of things I had to cut out and I couldn't do and just didn't do because I would much rather get the rest and get off my feet."

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.



(carrollcountytimes.com)

17 proCanes will participate in the 2010 NFL playoffs. 8 from the AFC and 9 from the NFC. Below is a list of the players.

AFC: Reggie Wayne (Colts), Javarris James (Colts), Ed Reed (Ravens), Ray Lewis (Ravens), Tavares Gooden (Ravens), Willis McGahee (Ravens), Brandon Meriweather (Patriots), Vince Wilfork (Patriots).

NFC: Kelly Jennings (Seahawks), Jon Vilma (Saints), Jimmy Graham (Saints), Jeremy Shockey (Saints), Antonio Dixon (Eagles), Spencer Adkins (Falcons), Devin Hester (Bears), Greg Olsen (Bears), Sam Shields (Packers).

Ravens safety Ed Reed injured his ribs while returning an interception on Sunday.  As explained by Edward Lee of the Baltimore Sun, it happened after Reed made the pick, ran with it, and considered trying to lateral the ball.

He didn’t make the pitch, but while Reed paused to ponder the possibility he was hit by Bengals running back Cedric Peerman.

With 1,438 career interception return yards, Reed is only 45 yards behind all-time leader Rod Woodson, who retired with 1,483.

Though Reed was sketchy about his status after Sunday’s game (including whether it was a rib or a muscle injury), we’re told that the team expects him to be fine for Sunday’s playoff game against the Chiefs.

“Yeah, I think that’s when I got hurt,” Reed said. “I was saying to myself coming into the game, ‘No more lateraling.’ But it happens sometimes.”
Meanwhile, we’ve recently discovered that Reed currently has no agent.  Greg Genske negotiated Reed’s contract, which runs through the 2012 season.  But by all appearances the veteran Pro Bowler presently is handling his business with the team on his own.

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.



(profootballtalk.com)

Thanks to the Baltimore Ravens' perennial All-Pros, Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, the Ravens held off the Cincinnati Bengals 13-7 Sunday afternoon at M&T Bank Stadium. Reed had two interceptions and Lewis two fumble recoveries to thwart the Bengals each time they seemed poised to drive for a score in the game. The game ended inside the Ravens five yard line when Bengals QB Carson Palmer threw incomplete on a fourth and one.

Reed's two picks were the third time this season that he had two interceptions in a game and his eight for the year lead the NFL, despite the amazing fact that Reed missed the first six games of the 2010 regular season due to being on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List. Lewis had his typical great game, with nine tackles to go along with the two fumble recoveries.

Click here to order Ray Lewis’s and Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.



(baltimoreravensbeatdown.com)

Chuck Pagano coached the young Ed Reed at Miami (Fla.) and works with him now as Reed patrols center field for the Ravens. Pagano is past the point of being surprised at Reed's capabilities, but he still marvels at the free safety's powers of anticipation.

"Right now, from a mental standpoint, he's so far ahead of the game," said Pagano, the Ravens' secondary coach for the last three seasons.
Reed, 32, was named an AFC Pro Bowl starter this week after intercepting six passes in just nine games after missing the first six games of the season with a neck injury. Two of those interceptions came in Week 16 at Cleveland, which he has tormented throughout his career. The first of those picks highlights what makes Reed special and his value to the Baltimore secondary. 

As the Browns faced a 3rd-and-5 at their 49-yard line early in the second quarter, Reed recognized the Browns' formation, Pagano said, and told LCB Lardarius Webb a short pass to WR Mohamed Massaquoi could be coming. Reed urged Webb to jump the route and told him he would have help over the top.

As it turned out, Massaquoi ran an up-and-out, leaving Webb behind, but Reed had his back, intercepting the pass.

After the play, Pagano sought out Webb, who told him that Reed had instructed him to be extra aggressive.

"I said, 'OK, I'm good,' " Pagano said, satisfied with his explanation.

Reed's preparation sets him apart, Pagano said, noting that because Reed knows the defense inside-out, he can focus on learning an opponent's tendencies. His presence, as the interception vs. Cleveland shows, helps the cornerbacks tremendously, but the Ravens' corner play has also been a strength recently, which has helped Reed and SS Dawan Landry play more "instinctively," as head coach John Harbaugh pointed out leading up to Week 17.

Webb doesn't start but plays frequently, and Pagano believes the second-year corner, a little more than a year removed from a knee injury, is coming into his own. "You can just see his game getting back and surpassing where he was last year," the coach said. Pagano also praised starting LCB Chris Carr and RCB Josh Wilson, mentioning Carr's steadiness and study habits as strengths and noting that Wilson has played very well in the last four or five weeks.

Overall, Pagano likes what he's seen from his secondary, which played surprisingly well early in the season with Reed out, slumped somewhat thereafter but has played better recently. Pagano credited the improvement to improved communication among the group.

"You can see the progress they've made," he said.

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.



(profootballweekly.com)