What To Do With Ed Reed

[Thepurplehaze]

So, we can all agree that Zibby looks like a beast out there. If Zibby excels before Reed comes back, would it really be fair to put him on the bench mid-season? I mean, this is ED REED we're talking about, but I would rather have Zibby in there than a crippled, past his prime, Ed Reed.

Not to mention the money that Reed wants and his allegations that he "shouldn't even be playing this year". What do we do with Ed Reed? discuss

[DevilsLuck]

I say let Reed finish out his contract or retire or whatever he wants to do and keep Zibby on board as an replacement.

[AwakenTheDemon]

Zibby, as great as he may look, is no Ed Reed. Also, it's completely unfair to Ed to call him "crippled" and "past his prime". Reed underwent his surgery to remedy the lingering issues in his hip so it won't affect his play like it used to.

What do we do with Reed? That's a silly question. We keep him.

[757RavensFan]

Ed Reed at 70% healthy is still better than 90% of the safeties in the league. You keep Reed until someone comes in and takes/earns the starting spot over him.

[PuRock]

Let's hold off on throwing Ed Reed under the bus already. He has given the Ravens fans tons of great football.

He'll be back and he'll make his ball hawking INTs again, then everybody will be yelling to pay the man. I do agree Zibby helps the other cornerbacks out more because he plays the position like he's suppose to. But he is no Ed Reed.

Ed Reed can change games.

[lowrider]

[quote name='AwakenTheDemon' timestamp='1281725012' post='450914']
What do we do with Reed? That's a silly question. We PLAY him.
[/quote]
I had to edit your statement real quick

Even crippled he was a game changer. He is better than any option we have. Still one of the best safeties in the league.

[Milton145]

Just because our back up safety is playing well in Reed's absence, you just want to throw away our future Hall of Famer because he is injured and on the latter part of his career, but still very capable of playing at an extremely high level?

That's like saying if Ray Lewis is injured and Gooden was playing well, when Lewis comes back you want to keep Gooden in there instead of Ray.

Even when Reed is back, I'm sure Zibby will still find ways to get on the field.

[Reddawn36]

sir, you are crazy


Ed Reed is more or less a bonified Hall of Famer (if not the system is rigged)

Zbi.. at this point in time is pretty beastly... and will be a good replacement for when Reed decides to retire... but to say play him OVER reed is just absurd

[TSizzle00]

[quote name='Thepurplehaze' timestamp='1281724275' post='450902']
So, we can all agree that Zibby looks like a beast out there. If Zibby excels before Reed comes back, would it really be fair to put him on the bench mid-season? I mean, this is ED REED we're talking about, but I would rather have Zibby in there than a crippled, past his prime, Ed Reed.

Not to mention the money that Reed wants and his allegations that he "shouldn't even be playing this year". What do we do with Ed Reed? discuss
[/quote]
Past his prime? In his last game he picked PEYTON MANNING off two times in one drive while playing at 50%.

[Twoo]

I might get flamed for this, but the Ed Reed era is over IMO. What made Reed amazing was his ability to roam freely anywhere on the field and make plays. He was able to do this mostly because he has cornerbacks that could hold their own without him having to continually provide coverage support over the lower middle of the field. There was a huge marked improvement in our secondary when Zibby took the field last season. The main reason being the cornerbacks could play closer to the line knowing their safety was going to be behind them at all times providing coverage assistance. When Reed was back there our corners played pretty far off the line because Mattison knew that Reed wouldn't be following the coverage calls and we suffered accordingly.

Argue all you want, what I just typed IS the truth and it's never really been brought to light because... well... IT'S Reed and no one can put down Ed.

[K-Dog]

[quote name='Twoo' timestamp='1281738122' post='451054']
I might get flamed for this, but the Ed Reed era is over IMO. What made Reed amazing was his ability to roam freely anywhere on the field and make plays. He was able to do this mostly because he has cornerbacks that could hold their own without him having to continually provide coverage support over the lower middle of the field. There was a huge marked improvement in our secondary when Zibby took the field last season. The main reason being the cornerbacks could play closer to the line knowing their safety was going to be behind them at all times providing coverage assistance. When Reed was back there our corners played pretty far off the line because Mattison knew that Reed wouldn't be following the coverage calls and we suffered accordingly.

Argue all you want, what I just typed IS the truth and it's never really been brought to light because... well... IT'S Reed and no one can put down Ed.
[/quote]


I agree. Ed Reed is less effective because he is Ed Reed, and every one knows what a ball hawk he is. That said, just having him on the field narrows the passing lanes significantly. Ed is a keeper no fis ands or butts about it.

So is Zibby.

[DrMoonTooth]

Last time I checked, Ed Reed is still a Pro-Bowl Safety. I'll be glad when he recovers and hushes all the "Ravens fans" that are suddenly calling for his head. Zbikowski is a good backup, but Reed standing on the field already makes him better. His presence is that great.

[heapitup247]

[quote name='Twoo' timestamp='1281738122' post='451054']
I might get flamed for this, but the Ed Reed era is over IMO. What made Reed amazing was his ability to roam freely anywhere on the field and make plays. He was able to do this mostly because he has cornerbacks that could hold their own without him having to continually provide coverage support over the lower middle of the field. There was a huge marked improvement in our secondary when Zibby took the field last season. The main reason being the cornerbacks could play closer to the line knowing their safety was going to be behind them at all times providing coverage assistance. When Reed was back there our corners played pretty far off the line because Mattison knew that Reed wouldn't be following the coverage calls and we suffered accordingly.

Argue all you want, what I just typed IS the truth and it's never really been brought to light because... well... IT'S Reed and no one can put down Ed.
[/quote]

Ed Reed does play in his coverages. A majority of the time Ed is in a cover 1, meaning hes the deep safety, playing center field. The entire purpose of playing center field is to let Ed Reed be Ed Reed, and not give him coverages to worry about. We changed gameplans when Ed was out, as well as had Dawan play deeper safety than he does normally. If the secondary did play better, it was due to the coverage and gameplan change, not Ed Reed not doing his job.

To think that Ed Reed is hurting this team is absolutely ridiculous.

[-Truth-]

[quote name='Twoo' timestamp='1281738122' post='451054']
I might get flamed for this, but the Ed Reed era is over IMO. What made Reed amazing was his ability to roam freely anywhere on the field and make plays. He was able to do this mostly because he has cornerbacks that could hold their own without him having to continually provide coverage support over the lower middle of the field. There was a huge marked improvement in our secondary when Zibby took the field last season. The main reason being the cornerbacks could play closer to the line knowing their safety was going to be behind them at all times providing coverage assistance. When Reed was back there our corners played pretty far off the line because Mattison knew that Reed wouldn't be following the coverage calls and we suffered accordingly.

Argue all you want, what I just typed IS the truth and it's never really been brought to light because... well... IT'S Reed and no one can put down Ed.
[/quote]
The improvement in our secondary came after the Bye Week, not after Zbikowski entered the starting lineup. When was it ever said that our CBs didn't play 7 yards off because Ed was liability? They played off coverage because they were inexperienced, and doing so would allow an opportunity to recover if beaten on a double move. It was a known fact that Mattison expected pressure from our Defensive Line, meaning our CBs constantly had underneath help from our LBs. This obviously wasn't the case with Rex Ryan, since he sent multiple LBs on blitzes, and the CBs were forced to play closer to the WRs, as the opposing QBs knew they only had mere seconds to get rid of the ball. Reed was still renounced as one of the best in the league while dealing with major injuries, and with his intent to only return when completely healthy, he will be at least just as effective.

[Marc2k6]

It seems that Zibby has a really big pair of shoes to fill here in B-More! Zibby just has to be the best he can be and I think he is pretty good, I'm not looking for him to be the next Ed Reed, I just want him to be the best he can be and from what I have seen, he is pretty good.

As far as what to do with Ed Reed, Child Please! You are talking about Ed Reed, he has earned his place and his right!

[Ed_Reed_Pick_Six]

I just want Ed to get healthy, and not rush back to playing. If we have to play minus some key guys back there for a few games, so be it. I'd rather have them ready for the stretch run than rush these guys back and have them re-injure themselves.

[Thepurplehaze]

Apparently most people aren't on the same page as me here (not surprisingly).
Listen, Ed Reed IS past his prime. No one is arguing that he is not still a great player. However, with multiple statements pertaining to his possible retirement and lingering injury problems, the guy is clearly in rough shape. Now Ed wants to be paid like a top safety after considering retirement? I want to see #20 retire as a raven but we have a possible beast back-up in Zibby.

[Ngata92NT]

[quote name='Twoo' timestamp='1281738122' post='451054']
I might get flamed for this, but the Ed Reed era is over IMO. What made Reed amazing was his ability to roam freely anywhere on the field and make plays. He was able to do this mostly because he has cornerbacks that could hold their own without him having to continually provide coverage support over the lower middle of the field. There was a huge marked improvement in our secondary when Zibby took the field last season. The main reason being the cornerbacks could play closer to the line knowing their safety was going to be behind them at all times providing coverage assistance. When Reed was back there our corners played pretty far off the line because Mattison knew that Reed wouldn't be following the coverage calls and we suffered accordingly.

[b]Argue all you want, what I just typed IS the truth[/b] and it's never really been brought to light because... well... IT'S Reed and no one can put down Ed.
[/quote]

Rightttt because you're the infallible god of football and no arguing could ever convince you that we are better off with Reed in the lineup because you're just THAT smart.

Our secondary play improved because of defensive adjustments and accumulation of experience and comfort within Mattison's system. Also, the fact that two of the games Zibby started in were against the Lions and Bears... in case you didn't notice the other two games we lost against GB and Pitt and our secondary wasn't looking so hot.

I never noticed any difference in how far the corners lined up from the WR when Zibby was in. Are you sure you're not just making that up to help your argument? Did you go back and re-watch the games and measure how far each corner back played from the line of scrimmage? I re-watched a few of the games and they lined up at the same distance. They might have played a little tighter in the Bears/Lions games because they dominated that day and could get away with being aggressive. But against GB and Pitt they gave the same kind of space as earlier in the season.

Reed is an absolutely amazing safety, still one of the best in the NFL and probably the best ball hawk in history. He's so dangerous that quarterbacks have to account for him and be aware of him at all times. He's a game-changer with tremendous awareness and can return interception like no one else I've ever seen. Your assertion that the defense is better without him is ludicrous and I don't think anyone who's ever played against ed reed would tell you that the defense is more intimidating and effective when Zibbys there instead of Reed. But that's just my two cents, I don't have access to absolute knowledge like you do.

Edit: I'm also a big fan of zibby too, he's got some serious talent and I hope we keep him around for a long time.

[Ed_Reed_Pick_Six]

[quote name='Ngata92NT' timestamp='1281753487' post='451195']
Rightttt because you're the infallible god of football and no arguing could ever convince you that we are better off with Reed in the lineup because you're just THAT smart.

Our secondary play improved because of defensive adjustments and accumulation of experience and comfort within Mattison's system. Also, the fact that two of the games Zibby started in were against the Lions and Bears... in case you didn't notice the other two games we lost against GB and Pitt and our secondary wasn't looking so hot.

I never noticed any difference in how far the corners lined up from the WR when Zibby was in. Are you sure you're not just making that up to help your argument? Did you go back and re-watch the games and measure how far each corner back played from the line of scrimmage? I re-watched a few of the games and they lined up at the same distance. They might have played a little tighter in the Bears/Lions games because they dominated that day and could get away with being aggressive. But against GB and Pitt they gave the same kind of space as earlier in the season.

[b]Reed is an absolutely amazing safety, still one of the best in the NFL and probably the best ball hawk in history. He's so dangerous that quarterbacks have to account for him and be aware of him at all times. He's a game-changer with tremendous awareness and can return interception like no one else I've ever seen. Your assertion that the defense is better without him is ludicrous and I don't think anyone who's ever played against ed reed would tell you that the defense is more intimidating and effective when Zibbys there instead of Reed. But that's just my two cents, I don't have access to absolute knowledge like you do.[/b]

Edit: I'm also a big fan of zibby too, he's got some serious talent and I hope we keep him around for a long time.
[/quote]
Preach.

[Ngata92NT]

[quote name='Thepurplehaze' timestamp='1281753254' post='451190']
Apparently most people aren't on the same page as me here (not surprisingly).
Listen, Ed Reed IS past his prime. No one is arguing that he is not still a great player. However, with multiple statements pertaining to his possible retirement and lingering injury problems, the guy is clearly in rough shape. Now Ed wants to be paid like a top safety after considering retirement? I want to see #20 retire as a raven but we have a possible beast back-up in Zibby.
[/quote]

Reed is past his prime... so is Ray. That doesn't mean they still aren't heads and shoulders above most players at their respective positions. Reed is still a great player, maybe not as great as he used to be, but still very dangerous (two picks off Peyton, one off Brady in the post-season).

I agree that if Reed is "crippled" we shouldn't play him... that's why we have Zibby. But if he's healthy of course he plays. Don't talk about whats "fair" for Zibby the best player should always start. Not only that but Zibby has his whole career ahead of him while Reed has 2-3 years tops.

[DrMoonTooth]

[quote name='Thepurplehaze' timestamp='1281753254' post='451190']
Apparently most people aren't on the same page as me here (not surprisingly).
Listen, Ed Reed IS past his prime. No one is arguing that he is not still a great player. However, with multiple statements pertaining to his possible retirement and lingering injury problems, the guy is clearly in rough shape. Now Ed wants to be paid like a top safety after considering retirement? I want to see #20 retire as a raven but we have a possible beast back-up in Zibby.
[/quote]
Have sympathy for Reed. He played through a lot of pain last year. No NFL football player who has done so much and sacrificed his body in such a rough sport should be harshly judged for considering retirement. Besides, he has a right to have his contract renegotiated. If he's going to try and come back from injury as the best safety in the NFL, he should be paid like it...if he gets 100% healthy, I see no reason to not pay the man. I'm sure he doesn't actually expect a new contract before he recovers from injury.

Many people quickly forget that Ed is only 2 seasons removed from NFL Defensive Player of the Year numbers with 16 PDs, 9 Ints, 1 FF, and 2 Tds.

[DrMoonTooth]

[quote name='Ngata92NT' timestamp='1281753487' post='451195']
Rightttt because you're the infallible god of football and no arguing could ever convince you that we are better off with Reed in the lineup because you're just THAT smart.

Our secondary play improved because of defensive adjustments and accumulation of experience and comfort within Mattison's system. Also, the fact that two of the games Zibby started in were against the Lions and Bears... in case you didn't notice the other two games we lost against GB and Pitt and our secondary wasn't looking so hot.

I never noticed any difference in how far the corners lined up from the WR when Zibby was in. Are you sure you're not just making that up to help your argument? Did you go back and re-watch the games and measure how far each corner back played from the line of scrimmage? I re-watched a few of the games and they lined up at the same distance. They might have played a little tighter in the Bears/Lions games because they dominated that day and could get away with being aggressive. But against GB and Pitt they gave the same kind of space as earlier in the season.

Reed is an absolutely amazing safety, still one of the best in the NFL and probably the best ball hawk in history. He's so dangerous that quarterbacks have to account for him and be aware of him at all times. He's a game-changer with tremendous awareness and can return interception like no one else I've ever seen. Your assertion that the defense is better without him is ludicrous and I don't think anyone who's ever played against ed reed would tell you that the defense is more intimidating and effective when Zibbys there instead of Reed. But that's just my two cents, I don't have access to absolute knowledge like you do.

Edit: I'm also a big fan of zibby too, he's got some serious talent and I hope we keep him around for a long time.
[/quote]
Now that's the REAL truth! Well said, sir.

[Marcus]

Put Reed on the PUP list so he can come back 90% healthy.

[Ed_Reed_Pick_Six]

[quote name='Marcus' timestamp='1281793985' post='451462']
Put Reed on the PUP list so he can come back 90% healthy.
[/quote]
I would also rather have him back for the stretch run that him rush back and not be ready to go.

[K-Dog]

[quote name='Ed_Reed_Pick_Six' timestamp='1281794205' post='451464']
I would also rather have him back for the stretch run that him rush back and not be ready to go.
[/quote]

[DrMoonTooth]

[quote name='Marcus' timestamp='1281793985' post='451462']
Put Reed on the PUP list so he can come back 90% healthy.
[/quote]
He'll probably want to be on the field at only 90%, but I'd rather see him at 100% before he risks anything.

[i82much]

Seems to me the D is just as good without him. No offense, but I kind of wonder if some folks aren't letting their emotions about Reed get in the way of their judgment about how the team looks with or without him.

[DrMoonTooth]

[quote name='i82much' timestamp='1281803739' post='451522']
Seems to me the D is just as good without him. No offense, but I kind of wonder if some folks aren't letting their emotions about Reed get in the way of their judgment about how the team looks with or without him.
[/quote]
I can only speak for myself in that I do love Ed Reed, but it doesn't effect how I judge him as a player. Reed is as intelligent a football mind as you'll ever see on the field, and it shows in his performance. Just him being on the field makes us a better defense because Quarterbacks refuse to throw near him and pay the price when they do.