Ravens announce Legends of the Game for AFC Championship matchup

Ravens announce that Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are Sunday’s Legends of the Game. Jonathan Ogden will be the Honorary Captain.

With the Ravens set to face Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, Baltimore is calling on the big guns and stars from the past for support.

The Ravens announced that Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are Sunday’s Legends of the Game, while Hall of Fame offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden will be the Honorary Captain.

Michael Phelps will deliver the game ball, the offense will be introduced before kickoff, and T-Pain will perform at halftime.

Anquan Boldin, Dennis Pitta, Todd Heap, Matt Stover, and Terrell Suggs will also be recognized at different game points.

Ed Reed wanted to give his Hall of Fame spot to Steve Atwater in 2019

When Ed Reed was elected to the Hall of Fame, he wanted to give his spot to Steve Atwater. Fortunately, Atwater got in one year later.

Former Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2019, but he wanted to give his spot in Canton to Denver Broncos legend Steve Atwater instead.

“I was, like, trying to give my spot up to Steve Atwater at the time,” Reed recalled during a recent interview with Ryan Clark on the Pivot Podcast.

“Man, hold up, I grew up watching Steve Atwater. And he’s on the [finalist] list, but he’s not in there. You know, and I’m like, ‘This is crazy. Like I’ll give my spot up for Steve. Send me in next year.’ You know, he was one of the pavers that I truly watched.”

Fortunately, Atwater was elected to the Hall of Fame one year later. Atwater expressed his gratitude to Reed after his Hall of Fame nod.

“It really meant a lot to know that a player of his caliber — he’s an amazing player — thought that much of me to say something that kind,” Atwater said in 2020. “And I told him when I saw him, I was like, ‘You don’t really have to say that.’

“But I really appreciated it because I think some of the voters may have said, ‘Wow we really have to kind of take a look at Steve if a lot of these younger guys say they looked up to him and they want him to be in the Hall of Fame. How can he not be in here and we have a lot of other guys?’”

Atwater earned eight Pro Bowl nods and won two Super Bowls during his career. Reed was elected to nine Pro Bowls and won one Super Bowl. Now they are both in the Hall of Fame where they belong.

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Kyle Hamilton is day-to-day after suffering a grade 1 MCL sprain

Kyle Hamilton diagnosed with grade 1 MCL sprain; Labeled ‘day-to-day’ with chance to play this Sunday

The Baltimore Ravens avoided a significant injury to a star player following their thrilling 37-31 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Rams.

According to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz, safety Kyle Hamilton suffered a grade 1 MCL sprain during the game.

Head Coach John Harbaugh labeled Hamilton “day-to-day” during his Monday press conference, adding that he has a chance to play against the Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday.

Hamilton exited the game and was taken to the locker room with a knee injury but returned to the field of play later in the game before leaving again, this time for the remainder of the contest.

The news that the second-year budding star will not miss much time, if any, is a massive sigh of relief for the Ravens as they push for the AFC’s No. 1 seed. Hamilton has become a driving force of one of the NFL’s best defenses this season with his playmaking ability and versatility to play all over the field.

With his ninth tackle for loss this season coming against the Rams, Hamilton set a new franchise record for tackles for loss by a defensive back, previously set by the legendary Hall of Famer Ed Reed with eight in 2003.

With high-powered offenses like the San Francisco 49ers and Miami Dolphins coming up on the schedule, Baltimore will need Hamilton more than ever.

The best defensive player of all time for all 32 NFL teams

Who has terrified quarterbacks and coaches the most for every team?

The modern NFL game is not built for defenses to thrive. Heck, even in times of “three yards and a cloud of dust,” it’s arguable the league never actually wanted defenses to win. At least, once the powers that be learned that offense sells like hotcakes.

Suffice it to say, playing defense in the NFL can be an impossible job. So the men that have courageously taken on the assignment of slowing down high-flying attacks stand out all the more.

In pro football lore, the best defenders ever are those who made offensive coordinators lose countless hours of sleep as they game-planned. They are the players who made quarterbacks quite literally see ghosts when standing in the pocket. They are pictures of reliability and dependability and are the preeminent warriors of the West’s favorite gladiator sport.

The below list examines the greatest defender in the history of all 32 NFL teams. My criteria was simple and rooted around these questions: What was their production like? Did they have a high intimidation factor? How available were they for their teammates? Did they pioneer a new way of playing their position?

It’s not easy playing defense in the NFL. But these fine gentlemen sometimes made the impossible seem like a casual task.

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Mark Daigneault compares Cason Wallace to this Hall-of-Famer

“When he smells the ball, he’s a hawk on the ball.”

The Oklahoma City Thunder come away from the 2023 NBA draft with Cason Wallace as their top pick. The Kentucky guard was added to OKC’s roster following a trade up to the No. 10 spot with the Dallas Mavericks.

The 19-year-old is a defensive-first guard with offensive upside who has the makings of being a legit outside shooter. Playing at Kentucky should also excite fans. College players historically play closer to their floor than ceiling there.

Wallace has already drawn several high-profile comparisons to other great perimeter defending guards: Jrue Holiday, Marcus Smart and, even his own teammate, Lu Dort.

Following his introductory press conference, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault offered his own player comparison.

Ed Reed.

Yep. That’s right — the football player.

After establishing himself as one of the greatest safeties ever, Reed was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019. The Hall-of-Famer spent most of his 11-year career with the Baltimore Ravens.

What about Wallace made Daigneault think of Reed when he was studying his tape in the pre-draft process? His defensive tenacity to cause havoc on the ball without leakage.

“He’s like Ed Reed out there,” Daigneault told reporters following the presser. “He’s just got a beat on the ball. He’s got great discipline. He’s where he’s supposed to be. He’s not reckless. He’s not doing his own thing, but when he smells the ball, he’s a hawk on the ball. He played football coming up, and he looks like a free safety out there.”

That’s quite the compliment — both with its praise and uniqueness. Daigneault also spoke glowingly about Wallace, saying he fits right in with their culture and is a great two-way player who has playmaking potential.

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Former Ravens S Tony Jefferson retiring from NFL, joining Baltimore in new role

Former Baltimore Ravens safety Tony Jefferson is retiring from the NFL.

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The Baltimore Ravens have had a lot of great safeties over the course of their franchise history. Players such as Rod Woodson, Ed Reed, Eric Weddle and others come to mind, with other contributors at the position also stepping up in a big way both on and off of the field.

One of the more beloved players in team history is former Baltimore safety Tony Jefferson. On Thursday, it was reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN and later confirmed by the Ravens that Jefferson will be stepping away from playing in the NFL after nine seasons, but will be returning to Baltimore to take on a scouting role within the organization.

The veteran was paired with Weddle to form a great tandem for the Ravens.  Unfortunate injuries were a part of his story in Baltimore, but he’ll now take the next step in his football career in the team’s front office.

Former Ravens S Ed Reed will no longer coach at Bethune-Cookman University

Former Ravens safety Ed Reed will no longer coach at Bethune-Cookman University

The Baltimore Ravens have had many greats walk through their doors, and few (if any) have made more of an impact on the team than former safety Ed Reed. The all-time great has been very vocal about his desire to coach football, and seemed to have that opportunity at Bethune-Cookman University after it was announced that Reed would take over the head coaching position at the school.

It looked to be a great match for both sides, although it was recently announced that Bethune-Cookman will no longer ratify Reed’s contract. The move means that Reed will not be coaching at the university after weeks of negotiations.

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Ed Reed rails against Bethune-Cook after head-coaching deal falls apart

Ed Reed will not be head coach at Bethune-Cookman after the school did not ratify his contract

The contract that Ed Reed had negotiated for weeks to become head football coach at Bethune-Cookman was not ratified, the NFL Hall of Famer announced on Saturday.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer tweeted the HBCU school would not make good on the agreement in principle it had reached with him.

Warning: Salty language in Reed’s impassioned speech.

Colorado football coach Deion Sanders showed his support for Reed.

Bethune-Cookman naming Ed Reed head football coach

Bethune Cookman is hiring ex-NFL star Ed Reed as its football coach

Ed Reed created many great memories as a star in college at the University of Miami. The former Hurricane great will look to do the same as a head coach. He agreed to the job with Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday.

Located in Daytona Beach, Florida, Bethune-Cookman is a Historically Black College with a football program that’s won a pair of national championships and 14 conference titles. However, Bethune-Cookman is coming off back-to-back 2-9 seasons since joining the Southwestern Athletic Conference in 2021.

Reed, one of the greatest Baltimore Ravens of all time, was an assistant defensive backs coach for the Buffalo Bills in 2016. In 2020, he returned to his alma mater in an advisory role as the Hurricanes’ chief of staff.

Reed replaces Terry Sims, who was let go in November. Sims concluded his Wildcats career with a 38-39 record overall, having had four winning seasons out of the seven he led the Wildcats program.

 

Seahawks FS Quandre Diggs takes inspiration from Ed Reed on leadership

He is also taking inspiration from the greatest of all time.

Seahawks free safety Quandre Diggs plays his position about as well as anyone in the NFL right now. He is also taking inspiration from the greatest of all time. That title belongs to Ed Reed, who played safety for the Ravens the way Mozart made music from 2002-2012.

Along the way, Reed earned nine Pro Bowl nominations, five All-Pro selections, a Defensive Player of the Year award, one Super Bowl win and a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Like Jerry Rice, Reed’s supremacy at his position is unchallenged. Diggs says he wholeheartedly believes this Reed clip on leadership.

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