Ed Reed's thoughts are never far from his native Destrehan

The day was becoming the hottest of the year, and cool breezes and shade were hard to find in Destrehan.

But native son Ed Reed didn't seem to mind.

After seven seasons in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens, including five Pro Bowl seasons, it would be easy for Reed to sit back and relax. But that's not his way.

Perched on a well-worn utility cart in the tiniest spot of shade provided by an old pine, he sipped a soft drink and took stock of the day and his career.

More than 200 children 7 and older were inside the Harry M. Hurst Middle School gymnasium, enjoying the air conditioning and devouring hamburgers and fries Reed had provided.

They should have been exhausted after spending three hours in the searing heat doing football drills and running circles around the man who some, before this event, only saw on TV. But it was the second day of the annual football camp Reed has hosted with the Destrehan High football staff for the past seven summers, and the campers seemed to have grown accustomed to the NFL star in their midst.

They braved the heat to throw him a ball or catch one from him. They approached with hats and mini footballs for him to sign. They shared his water.

Then an acquaintance from Reed's old neighborhood stopped by to say hello, introduce his son and ask if he was remembered.

"Yeah, yeah," Reed replied, affirming that he remembered the dad.

"I told you," the beaming man said to the youngsters as they walked away. "We went to kindergarten together."

"That keeps me from coasting," Reed said. "That's what keeps me motivated. I love this, coming out with these kids and being able to get them better and see Destrehan have success."

A 1997 Destrehan graduate, Reed was an all-purpose member of the Wildcats football team. He played quarterback, running back, defensive back, kick returner and punter. He also played basketball, a bit of baseball and was a standout long-jumper, triple-jumper and javelin thrower.

"Looking back on it now, I probably was a basketball player," Reed said. "But I didn't take the time to nurture, nurture, nurture to get better at it. I was fortunate enough to get a scholarship offer in football. And you've got to run with that."

Reed went on to an All-America career at the University of Miami, and he was a first-round draft pick (24th overall) by the Baltimore Ravens in 2002.

Reed has established himself as one of the best safeties in the game and, perhaps, the best defensive player in the league. He was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2004 and has 43 interceptions and five touchdowns. He is the only player in league history to score on a blocked punt, an interception, a fumble return and kickoff return.

And he arguably is coming off his best season.

In 2008, Reed led the league with a career-high and team record-tying nine interceptions for 264 yards and two touchdowns. That included a record-breaking 107-yard return for a touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles. He had two more interceptions and one touchdown in the postseason.

"He's a natural athlete," said Destrehan Coach Stephen Robicheaux, who was an assistant during Reed's playing days. "But also, he's the guy that's going to be up at 5 in the morning running. He's going to be the last one out the door. He's going to be the guy that's constantly watching film.

"He was blessed with natural ability, there's no doubt, but he does what it takes to be even better. A lot of guys have the same ability as Ed, but I think Ed takes it to a whole other level."

In a recent interview with the Sporting News, Ravens Coach John Harbaugh said of Reed: "He is instinctive, he does have a knack. But those things come from the fact that he's very intelligent -- from years and years of studying football and from hours and hours of studying tape every week of his opponent. . . . He plays the position differently than any other safety that I've been around. To me, he's one of the smartest players who has ever played the game."

So it would be easy for Reed to take his foot off the gas, to ease up a little and coast into the twilight of his career. He's 30 years old, a touch of frost has appeared in his jet black hair. A son was born last year.

"Once you get to a certain age, you've got to work smarter in what you're trying to do, what you have to do," Reed said. "Once you get older, Quit starts to work out with you. Quit is never invited to the workout but is always there on your shoulder saying, 'You don't have to do this. You don't have to push yourself.' "

But football is beginning to hurt.

He has been slowed by nagging injuries throughout his career. He said a pinched nerve in his neck has caused him the most pain and gave him the most difficulty last season. He missed a week of training camp last summer and dealt with the pain all season.

"I feel it every day, " he said. "It kept me out of training camp for a week, and I went to Detroit to get all kinds of different treatments and everything to try to be on the field. In the process of that, I pulled my hamstrings -- one spot in my right hamstring and two spots in my left. It was a trying time early in the season."

The injuries, he said, likely will shorten his playing days.

"It already has shorted it," Reed said. "I have been thinking about it hard for the past two years. I thought about it hard this offseason, and I said, 'At least one more for sure,' understanding the wear and tear is there. I feel it every day."

But whenever he feels like coasting, Reed remembers the look in the eyes of the children he sees every summer in Destrehan -- the ones who hang on his every word in the heat of the day, who go home feeling like they've just made a friend for life. Some get to go home with autographs and photographs to prove it.

"I never met a guy like Ed Reed," said Deandre Price, a sophomore at Neville, whose mom found out about the camp on the Internet and drove him down from Monroe. "You get to talk to him and learn a lot of stuff. I've been to a lot of camps. At a lot of them (NFL players) are out there, but they don't talk to you or anything."

Said Deandre's mom, Mikki Zimmerman: "He's very down to earth. I like Ed Reed."



(blog.nola.com)