Tag: Ed Reed

Ed Reed on NFL’s social justice end zone messages: ‘We’ve been knowing these messages… what are we

SportsPulse: Mackenzie Salmon connected with Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed to get his thoughts on the NFL’s new social justice messaging that will be featured on end zones this year. Reed was pretty blunt about what ‘messages’ mean at this point.

SportsPulse: Mackenzie Salmon connected with Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed to get his thoughts on the NFL’s new social justice messaging that will be featured on end zones this year. Reed was pretty blunt about what ‘messages’ mean at this point.

Watch Patriots coach Bilkl Belichick gush over Ed Reed play

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick rarely shows emotion but he’s still gushing over one of Ed Reed’s best plays.

There are coaches in the history of the NFL who commanded as much respect as Bill Belichick. But interestingly, history is an area of professional football that coach Belichick is also something of an expert on. Put simply, he has forgotten more about the game than most of us will ever know.

With this in mind, it speaks to the greatness of a play or a player when Belichick describes something as “one of the greatest plays I’ve ever seen.” This was the compliment Belichick paid to Ed Reed for an interception from Peyton Manning.

It’s not so much the play itself that Belichick loves, however. It was the preparation that went into everything before the play.

“[Reed] lined up on the weak side of the formation, and on the snap of the ball, he turned and ran to the middle of the field like he was going to play in the middle of the field.”

“Reed knew that when he went to the middle of the field, Peyton would come back to the ‘X’, so he ran to the middle of the field, and without even looking at the quarterback, turned and ran back over to the sideline and intercepted it.”

This wasn’t something Reed came up with the week of the game against the Colts, however. Reed knew that there are few quarterbacks to ever compare to Manning for diligent tape study. Reed decided to turn this strength into a weakness.

This interception was 10 weeks in the making. That’s what made it one of the great free safety plays of all time in Bill Belichick’s opinion, and that’s just another reason why Ed Reed sits enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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Former Raven Bart Scott: ‘To mention Troy Polamalu in the same breath as Ed Reed… it’s disrespectful’

The former Ravens linebacker feels it’s disrespectful to mention Steelers Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu together with Ed Reed.

Bart Scott is clearly bitter. Bitter about his own average career, bitter about losing to the Steelers in the playoffs (twice), bitter about playing second fiddle to Ray Lewis while in Baltimore.

On Bleacher Report’s The Lefkoe Show, host Adam Lefkoe asked Scott: “When you’re around greatness, is it hard to hear other people called great?”

Scott began his answer by saying that there are different levels of greatness and, therefore, there should be different wings of the Hall of Fame. The former Ravens and Jets linebacker first brought up Steelers strong safety Troy Polamalu. “Troy Polamalu is very deserving of going to the Hall of Fame but to mention Troy Polamalu in the same breath as Ed Reed? To me, it’s disrespectful.”

In an attempt to explain why he feels it’s disrespectful, Scott talks in circles.

The segment caused a heated debate among NFL fans on social media. Troy’s former teammate, linebacker Vince Williams, also brought up several valid points:

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Rodney Harrison compares Bears safety Eddie Jackson’s instincts to Ed Reed

In 3 seasons, Eddie Jackson has established himself as one of the best safeties in the NFL. And he’s been compared to one of the best.

In just three seasons, Bears safety Eddie Jackson has established himself as one of the best safeties in the NFL. And Chicago compensated him as one, signing the former fourth-round draft pick to a four-year extension worth $58.4 million, making him the highest-paid safety in the game.

Jackson has been praised for his vision and instincts, something that has made him quite the ballhawk in his first two years in the league. In his first two seasons, Jackson totaled eight interceptions, 21 passes defensed, four forced fumbles and scored five defensive touchdowns, which garnered him All-Pro and Pro-Bowl nods in 2018.

And Jackson certainly has a fan in former Super Bowl-winning safety Rodney Harrison.

“I think this young player is a terrific player,” Harrison said, via NBC Sports Chicago. “Good size, great instincts, everything that you want in an all-star caliber safety. I thought he played a little out of position last year, playing a little more strong safety, I think he’s a more of a natural, ballhawking free safety. They need to bring somebody in to play that (strong safety) position. Just let him roam with his athleticism.”

While Jackson had a solid season in 2019 — which included his second Pro Bowl nod — he didn’t as many as those explosive plays that he’s become known for, which can be attributed to moving him to the box. Like many, Harrison believes Jackson’s great contributions come when he’s operating in centerfield, similar to one of the best to ever do it in Ed Reed.

“I think Eddie Jackson needs to go in the middle of the field, because he’s got so much range and so much vision,” Harrison said. “You look at the vision and the instincts, it’s like Ed Reed. Why would you take him out of the center of the field, and put him as the strong safety? If you’re going to do anything, send him off the edge, bring him, blitz him, disguise, move around, do all those different things.”

When the Bears signed Jackson’s Alabama teammate Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to join him in the secondary, they moved Jackson to strong safety, where he wasn’t able to contribute in the way he’s been known to roam the middle of the field.

“A guy goes from getting his hands on the ball, strips, INTs, pass breakups, and then you take him out of the center, where he was a first-team All-Pro, and I actually voted for him, and you put him in the box?” Harrison said. “It’s crazy. You don’t have to pigeonhole him, but don’t put him in the box solely, because you just limit his ability and what he can do.”

Thankfully, Jackson figures to return to free safety this season, and veteran Tashaun Gipson or Deon Bush will likely occupy the strong safety role, which should mean more of those explosive plays are on the way in 2020.

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Ravens president Dick Cass, LB Patrick Queen and others sign letter of support to end qualified immunity

The Baltimore Ravens are well represented in the letter of more than 1,400 professional athletes and coaches to support the bill.

Several current and former Baltimore Ravens players, including wide receiver Anquan Boldin and linebacker Patrick Queen, have joined support for a federal bill to end qualified immunity for police. In total, over 1,400 current and former professional athletes and coaches from the NFL, MLB, and NBA signed the petition from the Players Coalition to members of the United States Congress.

The request comes as protests continue in major cities around the country in the wake of George Floyd’s death in police custody. Though the four officers involved in Floyd’s arrest have been arrested and charged for his death, the matter has sparked civil unrest as protesters seek changes to police policies and funding.

The Ravens are well represented in the letter with a bevy of familiar names, both current and past, adding to the list. In addition to current and former players like Boldin, Queen, Ed Reed and Torrey Smith, Ravens president Dick Cass was among those to add his name to the cause. In total, Baltimore has ties to at least 29 of those mentioned by name in the letter, including the following:

Ravens president Dick Cass
Linebacker Patrick Queen
Defensive back Justin Bethel
Defensive lineman Calais Campbell
Defensive tackle Justin Ellis
Former wide receiver Anquan Boldin
Former quarterback Tony Banks
Former linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo
Former cornerback Gary Baxter
Former safety Terrence Brooks
Former wide receiver Mark Clayton
Former wide receiver Yamon Figurs
Former defensive tackle Dwan Edwards
Former offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor
Former cornerback Corey Ivy
Former fullback Kyle Juszczyk
Former wide receiver Jermaine Lewis
Former fullback Vonta Leach
Former wide receiver Breshad Perriman
Former running back Ray Rice
Former safety Ed Reed
Former defensive lineman Cory Redding
Former wide receiver Torrey Smith
Former wide receiver Steve Smith Sr.
Former linebacker Courtney Upshaw
Former linebacker Adalius Thomas
Former tight end Benjamin Watson
Former safety Anthony Weaver
Former center Jeremy Zuttah

Ending qualified immunity would make it easier for citizens to sue police officers accused of brutality. In the letter, the Players Coalition called on Congress to eliminate qualified immunity so, “when police officers kill an unarmed man, when they beat a woman, or when they shoot a child, the people of this country must have a way to hold them accountable in a court of law.”

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Opinion: Ed Reed cheated the Texans in 2013

Hall of Fame S Ed Reed says he felt “lied to” about the Houston Texans signed him in 2013. Is it fair to say maybe they were cheated of his services?

Former Houston Texans safety Ed Reed told Bleacher Report in an interview that debuted Monday that he was “lied to” as part of the organization’s efforts to bring him to the two-time AFC South champion club.

What then-owner, the late Bob McNair, then-general manager Rick Smith, or then-coach Gary Kubiak told the former Baltimore Raven to get him to sign with Texans is ambiguous. Whatever was said, it was enough to convince the five-time All-Pro to sign a three-year deal worth $15 million. Keep in mind the Ravens let Reed’s contract expire after his 11th season with the club and his starting all 16 games en route to the franchise’s second Super Bowl victory.

The 35-year-old was going to a Houston team that had stalled out in the divisional round of the playoffs the past two seasons. They needed to get over the hump and at least crack into the NFL’s final four. Having a proven winner such as Reed on the defense would probably help the locker room finally comprehend what being a champion is all about.

Not even two months after Reed signed with the Texans, he needed to have his hip cleaned up, the same one that forced him to start the 2010 season on the physically unable to perform list. Injuries happen. Much like 2010, Reed would not make his season debut until the regular season kicked off. Coincidentally, the former 2002 Ravens first-round pick made his premiere against his original draft team in Week 3.

2013 was an unmitigated disaster for the Texans, far worse than the 2017 season. After starting 2-0 with rookie receiver DeAndre Hopkins catching the game-winning touchdown in overtime against the Tennessee Titans, Houston never won another game. Also keep in mind Reed missed the first two games of that year; all he knows about the Texans is losing.

Maybe the Texans were a bunch of losers. After all, the franchise was founded in 2002 and didn’t have its first winning season until 2009. All they had to show were two division titles and two playoff wins over the Cincinnati Bengals, who hadn’t won a playoff game since 1990.

“I was surrounded by a bunch of guys just coming to work,” Reed said in the interview. “It was a job. It wasn’t football anymore. That was very draining, man.”

Kubiak had been the Texans’ coach since 2006 and all of the club’s success happened during his tenure. However, the club couldn’t snap that interminable losing streak and he was fired with three games to go. Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips took over and saw the Texans finish 0-3 as interim coach and etch a 2-14 mark into franchise annals.

Maybe Kubiak and his staff were losers. That would be a convincing argument, but two years later he led the Denver Broncos to their first Super Bowl win since 1998 when he was the offensive coordinator under Mike Shanahan.

The coaching in Houston wasn’t the problem. On the 2015 Broncos staff were six former Texans assistant coaches, including Phillips, who was the defensive coordinator of a Broncos defense that finished No. 1 in the league.

Reed wasn’t necessarily a has-been either. When the Texans released him, Reed signed with the New York Jets for seven games — a team coached by one of his former Ravens defensive coordinators in Rex Ryan. Despite not producing so much as a pass deflection with the Texans, the former Raven grabbed three interceptions and four pass breakups to go along with his 22 tackles and two tackles for loss.

The Texans didn’t get the playmaking safety they hoped with the $5 million guaranteed they gave to Reed. In fact, in the same free agency that they obtained Reed, they lost a four-year veteran they took in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. The cornerback-turned-safety grabbed two interceptions, broke up 13 passes, forced two fumbles, logged 84 tackles, collected six tackles for loss, and even produced 1.0 sack. That safety was Glover Quin, and he got away from Houston to have a Pro Bowl second half of his career in Detroit.

The problem with Reed’s tenure in Houston was Reed himself. As he admitted in the interview, the game of pro football was like a job, not like a recreational activity. Reed should have discerned more to determine if Houston was the right fit instead of signing with the first offer he got.

Steve Atwater appreciates Ed Reed’s support for Hall of Fame candidacy

Broncos legend Steve Atwater appreciates the support Ed Reed gave his Hall of Fame candidacy.

Broncos legend Steve Atwater was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame last week. He should have gotten into Canton years ago but it’s good to see that the voters finally got it right.

Last year, former Ravens safety Ed Reed said he’d rather give his spot in the Hall of Fame to Atwater than get in with Atwater being left out. During a press conference last week, Atwater expressed his gratitude for Reed’s remarks.

“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. “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 played from 1989-1998 and earned eight Pro Bowl nods, winning two Super Bowls. Reed grew up watching him and played in the NFL from 2002-2013, earning nine Pro Bowl selections and winning one Super Bowl.

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Former Ravens S Ed Reed new University of Miami ‘Chief of Staff’

Former Baltimore Ravens and University of Miami safety will be returning to his alma mater as their new “Chief of staff” under Manny Diaz

Former Baltimore Ravens legend and Hall of Fame safety is returning to his alma mater. The University of Miami has hired Reed to be their “Chief of Staff” and will be an adviser in all matters to coach Manny Diaz, according to the team’s website.

“We are thrilled to welcome Ed back to Coral Gables,” Diaz said. “He is not only one of the most decorated players in Miami football history but also a devoted Cane who cares deeply about this program. All of our players, coaches and staff will be fortunate to tap into his experience, knowledge and passion on a regular basis.”

Reed played safety for the Hurricanes and was a first-team All American in 2000 and 2001 before being selected by Baltimore in the first round of the 2002 NFL draft. He continued that impressive legacy with the Ravens, going to the Pro Bowl in nine of his 11 seasons with the team. Reed was quickly named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on his first year of eligibility, getting a consensus vote after just two minutes of deliberation.

Reed has said he wanted to get back into coaching and this will seemingly give him an opportunity to do a little bit of everything. He previously held a position as an assistant defensive backs coach with former Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan when he was the head coach of the Buffalo Bills, but was relieved of duty when Ryan was fired.

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Former Ravens Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs take Bernard Pollard to task over Baltimore hate

Former Baltimore Ravens legends take their former teammate Bernard Pollard to task on Twitter for his hate of the Ravens.

The Baltimore Ravens saw plenty of people jump on their bandwagon this season. Baltimore went 14-2 in the regular season, finishing with a 12-game winning streak that will likely see quarterback Lamar Jackson win the NFL’s MVP award. But apparently, not everyone is a fan, including former Ravens and Tennessee Titans safety Bernard Pollard.

At kickoff, Pollard posted a tweet rooting for the Titans. It immediately drew plenty of comments from Baltimore fans and even a few of Pollard’s former teammates.

Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed was the first to respond and take Pollard to task for being salty.

Reed wasn’t the only player to come back at Pollard. Former Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs reminded Pollard he played for both teams and earned a Super Bowl ring with one of them.

For those not in the loop, Pollard has had a longstanding beef with Baltimore coach John Harbaugh. He hasn’t been shy about going after Harbaugh since his release from the team following the 2012 season. That included blaming the coach’s ego for destroying what Pollard believes could have been a dynasty.

Pollard also hasn’t been a fan of Jackson’s either. In conversations with fans on Twitter during the 2018 NFL draft, Pollard said he though Jackson doesn’t have what it takes to be an NFL quarterback.

Though Pollard was willing to admit Jackson is the league’s MVP this season, he was also quick to claim the second-year quarterback can’t get the job done in the postseason and ultimately isn’t the answer.

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