Great Ed Reed Interview

[Marc2k6]

How long ago did Ed Reed sign his contract? Should the Ravens have to look at the top paid players in the NFL every other year so that they can pay their top players like salaries? Contract values change from year to year, the amount of money that Ed Reed agreed to at the time he signed his deal was that of the utmost respect, now 5 or 6 years later it is not respectable? Get out of here with that!!!!!!! Not trying to hear it!

[rlh445]

Reed's the man. I believe he just wants what he feels he's owed. I have no problems with that whatsoever.

[rlh445]

[quote name='Marc2k6' timestamp='1333909859' post='1045510'] Should the Ravens have to look at the top paid players in the NFL every other year so that they can pay their top players like salaries?
[/quote]

Hahaha. Um, yes that's [u][i][b]EXACTLY[/b][/i][/u] how it works, Marc. Reed is smarter, more gifted and way more experienced than any young FA FS out there right now and given what he's done and has continued doing for the franchise for nine years it's pretty obvious that he'd want to get paid that way. If you wanna look at his age and nerve impingement as a detriment to the amount of coin he should receive that's your business, but I have no problems with the way Ed is looking at it.

[The Raven]

[quote name='rlh445' timestamp='1333912997' post='1045532']
Hahaha. Um, yes that's [u][i][b]EXACTLY[/b][/i][/u] how it works, Marc. Reed is smarter, more gifted and way more experienced than any young FA FS out there right now and given what he's done and has continued doing for the franchise for nine years it's pretty obvious that he'd want to get paid that way. If you wanna look at his age and nerve impingement as a detriment to the amount of coin he should receive that's your business, but I have no problems with the way Ed is looking at it.
[/quote]

If thats EXACTLY how it works, why has Yanda not said a thing about Grubbs getting more money, when Yanda is clearly the better guard? Grubbs got more money, why hasn't Yanda complained? I guess cuz he's not greedy and is happy to be playing football for a living. Granted, its only one year later, but you have to think, Yanda doesn't complain, why does Reed? And don't gimme that HOFer and GOAT nonsense. Firstly, it's a team sport, and you shouldn't complain about you wanting more money, you should earn it. Not to say Reed hasn't, but you shouldn't complain about it. Secondly, T.O. is also a possible HOFer, but people would pounce on him immediately for making any kind of remark like that. On the other hand, many people praise Reed and say he should get the miney he asks for. Why is it okay for Reed to complain about money, but not T.O.? Yes, I know T.O. is a cancer and such, but the point stands.

There's no reason for an over 30, declining, injured, beat up, free safety to cry for more money than he's worth. 7 million is plenty for a player in his position. I heard from a friend that Reed wants QB type money, and its asinine for us to pay him that much, and its even more asinine for him to ask for it openly to the media.

Maybe I might seem a little disgruntled about it, but I really hate when players cry about wanting more money. Especially when they cry about it every stinkin off-season.

[Bltravens]

[quote name='rlh445' timestamp='1333912997' post='1045532']
Hahaha. Um, yes that's [u][i][b]EXACTLY[/b][/i][/u] how it works, Marc. Reed is smarter, more gifted and way more experienced than any young FA FS out there right now and given what he's done and has continued doing for the franchise for nine years it's pretty obvious that he'd want to get paid that way. If you wanna look at his age and nerve impingement as a detriment to the amount of coin he should receive that's your business, but I have no problems with the way Ed is looking at it.
[/quote]
No, its not how it works. Reed signs a contract in 2006 being the highest paid safety in the league at the time. If Reed doesn't know about inflation then I don't know how he passed ANY courses at Miami. He'd have to be out of his mind to think he'd be the highest paid safety every year until he retired. That's not happening. Hell, Lewis didn't complain about his 7 (or 6 cant remember) that he signed years into it, and he's ACTUALLY a top 5 defensive player of all time. It took Lewis to become a free agent and people pestering him about how much he thought he was worth when compared to Suggs and Scott being FAs at the same time. Lewis knew he was better than Scott even though Scott was significantly younger.

There's no reason whatsoever the Ravens should give Reed a pay raise, while he is currently on a contract that made him the highest paid safety at that time, and still slated to make 7mil this coming season. Reed will likely be offered a contract similar to what Ray got 3 years ago, and if he turns that down than suffice to say he's not as smart as he seems.

[RavensRevenge]

I agree with posters (e.g., The Raven) who question Reed's current situation. I loved Reed for about the first eight years of his career. However, I don't see the burst of speed anymore where he comes out of nowhere and makes an INT.

The NFL can be a very cold-hearted business. If I were Ozzie, I would have approached him before the free agency period began and asked him to take a pay cut to about $5 mil. Then Ozzie would have two extra million to keep either Zibi (was my favorite Raven) or Haruki.

If Reed refused, then I would consider releasing him and freeing up a nice amount of cap room. Of course, I'd hate to see the moment when Reed is no longer a Raven. However, NFL GMs have to be pretty ruthless about removing descending stars in favor of ascending ones.

He costs $7 million a year, has nagging injuries, no longer has a real burst of speed. If any other player has these qualities, does he get cut by the GM?

[redrum52]

I bet the same people saying cut Reed or he shouldn't be complaining were the same ones blasting the guy who said we should cut Lewis. Are you all serious? He came out strong and re injured himself earlier in the season. Watch the tape, he was moving well as well as tackling. I'm pretty sure he hurt himself having to clean up someone else's whiff. He's a main reason our pass defense looked as good as it did last year, along with Webb. If Reed is gone Pollard doesn't have the freedom to roam the LOS as he does now and provide that extra run support. Not only that but some of the same people complaining about Reed are the same ones clamoring about how Flacco deserves to be paid this season though EVERYONE else waits til there contract expires. This is hilarious to me. Extend the mans contract at least 2 years if he says he can play and it comes at a reasonable price. If hes asking for "qb" money like some have said I understand why it hasn't been done but every time the post season rolls around we know regardless of reg season he shows out.

[RavensDE]

Ed Reed is under contract. The moment he can't perform as good as the next guy he will be on the bench. Until that contract expires or he isn't the best player at his position I expect to see him out there winning games for us, and I bet thats what happens.

[Ravenseconbeast]

[quote name='RavensRevenge' timestamp='1333937251' post='1045760']
I agree with posters (e.g., The Raven) who question Reed's current situation. I loved Reed for about the first eight years of his career. However, I don't see the burst of speed anymore where he comes out of nowhere and makes an INT.

The NFL can be a very cold-hearted business. If I were Ozzie, I would have approached him before the free agency period began and asked him to take a pay cut to about $5 mil. Then Ozzie would have two extra million to keep either Zibi (was my favorite Raven) or Haruki.

If Reed refused, then I would consider releasing him and freeing up a nice amount of cap room. Of course, I'd hate to see the moment when Reed is no longer a Raven. However, NFL GMs have to be pretty ruthless about removing descending stars in favor of ascending ones.

He costs $7 million a year, has nagging injuries, no longer has a real burst of speed. If any other player has these qualities, does he get cut by the GM?
[/quote]

Clearly not a Ravens fan. Keep trying though. Ed Reed is a HOFer. He wont get CUT ever. You have to be a pretty shoddy franchise to get rid of Ed Reed. Fortunately we are not one of them.

[Tiz]

[quote name='Ravenseconbeast' timestamp='1333951367' post='1045813']


Clearly not a Ravens fan. Keep trying though. Ed Reed is a HOFer. He wont get CUT ever. You have to be a pretty shoddy franchise to get rid of Ed Reed. Fortunately we are not one of them.
[/quote]
New to the nfl?
There have been numerous cases of HOFers finishing their career outside where it started and this off season having an example readily available for you.

[RavensRevenge]

[quote name='Ravenseconbeast' timestamp='1333951367' post='1045813']
Clearly not a Ravens fan. Keep trying though. Ed Reed is a HOFer. He wont get CUT ever.[/quote]

LOL. I wrote the Ravens should try to pay him $5 million instead of $7. Is $5 million not a good salary?

[bmore ravens]

Honestly, I doubt that Reed even finishes this season. Giving him a new contract before this year starts could be described as one thing and one thing only - a mistake. Let Reed prove that he can stay healthy for an entire year. If he plays at an elite level all year then we can be assured that he can effectively train for an entire offseason and come back in better shape the following year. As it stands, he already counts for 7.4 mil against the cap... Not good... And if he only plays 10 games, you are paying that much for only 10/16 of his overall value to the team. It's hard to [u]miss[/u] on a first-round safety. Let's grab one.

[Hardbaugh]

I'm an Ed Reed fan both the player and the person (from what I read and heard from people that have met him personally) but the unfortunate reality of the NFL is the salary cap and it's impact on the team.

Reeds salary this coming season is still very good for a safety. Hopefully this isn't his last season suiting up for the Ravens but the possibity that he is playing for another team if he makes the choice to continue his career after next season is more than remote considering the younger players the Ravens need to pay.

That said I'd love to see the Ravens forge an agreement that benefits both the player and team going forward so he can finish out his career in purple.

[GrimCoconut]

I have done some thinking on this whole Ed Reed situation, with the possibility of losing him next year and everything. I came to some interesting conclusions.

Both of our safeties are FAs next year. Pollard & Reed are on contract years. Considine is on a 1-year deal. That means that at least three of our safeties are FAs and can sign wherever they want. Naturally, that leaves a very thin safety group. So, this begs the question: (a two-parter) what happened to Zbikowski & Nakamura? Sure, they left for more playing time & a starter role. There is a very legitimate chance they could have had it if they stayed one more year. So, why did they leave and why didn't the FO push harder for us to keep them?

I would say the logical answer is that we may very well have a plan to keep either Reed, Pollard, or both. We may also even convert a CB we have (Brown) to safety. I do expect us to draft a safety or a CB who can transition this year, but I found that thought interesting.

I think there is a very good chance we can keep Ed Reed, despite my emotional opinions earlier to the contrary.

[Marc2k6]

[quote name='rlh445' timestamp='1333912997' post='1045532']
Hahaha. Um, yes that's [u][i][b]EXACTLY[/b][/i][/u] how it works, Marc. Reed is smarter, more gifted and way more experienced than any young FA FS out there right now and given what he's done and has continued doing for the franchise for nine years it's pretty obvious that he'd want to get paid that way. If you wanna look at his age and nerve impingement as a detriment to the amount of coin he should receive that's your business, but I have no problems with the way Ed is looking at it.
[/quote]

Well what is the purpose of signing contracts then because the year you sign your contract it will be a top dollar contract. The next year there will be someone with less skill getting paid more than you. In the salary cap era, you can not continue to renegoitate players contract based on salary inflation. If Reed wants some more mony he better get a new agent. Ed Reed through out his career has not really had any endorsement deals that I can think of. Why? I think he missed the boat in a major way on that, agent with a one track mind.

[RavensDE]

Ed saw key pieces being taken care of before they hit the open market (Flacco, Yanda, Ngata, etc.) and reached out to say, "Hey if you want to keep me off the market for a few years too, I'd like an extension (with a nice signing bonus to help me sail into the sunset)." The Ravens said, "Sorry Ed we don't want to do that (the math is wrong, your old and we could let you go if we had to)." I can see how Ed's feelings were hurt and he felt disrespected. The Ravens are right to think that way as a logical well minded institution. I think Ed realizes the truth but he's just a little sour about it. Everything is fine.

[GrimCoconut]

[quote name='RavensDE' timestamp='1334000105' post='1046067']
Ed saw key pieces being taken care of before they hit the open market (Flacco, Yanda, Ngata, etc.) and reached out to say, "Hey if you want to keep me off the market for a few years too, I'd like an extension (with a nice signing bonus to help me sail into the sunset)." The Ravens said, "Sorry Ed we don't want to do that (the math is wrong, your old and we could let you go if we had to)." I can see how Ed's feelings were hurt and he felt disrespected. The Ravens are right to think that way as a logical well minded institution. I think Ed realizes the truth but he's just a little sour about it. Everything is fine.
[/quote]
Yanda was a free agent who explored what other teams had to offer before returning to the Ravens. Ngata was franchised last year and we worked out a new contract.

The only two players I can remember getting an extension worked out before their time was Webb and Flacco, of whom only one got their deal as of now.

I'm not sure what your point is there.

[reediddy]

[quote name='rlh445' timestamp='1333912809' post='1045529']
Reed's the man. I believe he just wants what he feels he's owed. I have no problems with that whatsoever.
[/quote]

Exactly, and he is owed a LOT. Best safety in the league! Made so many plays in the playoffs for us. Pay the man! Of course, lock up the future first (RR and JF) and he should understand that, but there's no doubt Oz will take care of him

[Hardbaugh]

[quote name='GrimCoconut' timestamp='1334001805' post='1046086']

The only two players I can remember getting an extension worked out before their time was Webb and Flacco, of whom only one got their deal as of now.

[/quote]
It's been awhile ago but Kelly Gregg got a new deal with one year remaining. (thinking out loud-->>>) However with cap management and the salary cap, every year is essentially a new year, the Ravens could have had a window with extra money to spend so what is standard operating procedure one season may not be so the following year.

I'd bet every member on this board would want Reed locked up but given younger players that need to be retained in the coming seasons that may not be the financial reality.

There's a potential for tough choices on the horizon in the future for some veterans on this club in which the Heap and Mason release could be small in comparison.

[GrimCoconut]

[quote name='Hardbaugh' timestamp='1334008391' post='1046188']
It's been awhile ago but Kelly Gregg got a new deal with one year remaining. (thinking out loud-->>>) However with cap management and the salary cap, every year is essentially a new year, the Ravens could have had a window with extra money to spend so what is standard operating procedure one season may not be so the following year.

I'd bet every member on this board would want Reed locked up but given younger players that need to be retained in the coming seasons that may not be the financial reality.

There's a potential for tough choices on the horizon in the future for some veterans on this club in which the Heap and Mason release could be small in comparison.
[/quote]
I see your point, but I want to raise one of my own.

We are a good team that retains its own players, so as a result we don't have a lot of room. When the cap goes up, that will change but now it is the way it is. Yes, we will have some hard choices ahead of us. I feel like those tough choices aren't as bad, though.

I think the one guy that will get cut first (if anyone does next year) will be Boldin. The reason I say that is because we have Doss who is very similar to Boldin. There is no one behind Reed, and nobody on this team who can do what he does. I think once you have talent behind a player that can play up to or close to that player then you start to get some people looking for jobs. Here are some recent examples:

We draft Cody, and the next year we release Gregg.
We draft Dickson & Pitta, and the next year we release Heap.
We draft Kindle & Kruger, and we don't bring back JJ.
We draft Doss & Smith, and we release Mason.

Now, there's no one behind Ed Reed. Sure, things can change in the draft depending on who we get. The problem is Mason, Gregg, & even Heap were all past their prime. Look at their production after they left.

I don't think we will let Ed Reed go, and I'm not saying that from the perspective of someone who is hopeful we keep Ed Reed. I think Ray Lewis is on his last year. I don't think he will play beyond this, regardless of how young he says he feels. I think this is it for him, but for Reed I see him playing another three years in all honesty. That's why I say I don't feel like we will have some "tough decisions", because for those to be tough decisions it would have to be Ed or Ray, and I see Ray retiring and Ed getting a new deal with Boldin being cut or retiring.

[JO_75]

[quote name='RavensWin09' timestamp='1333773246' post='1044655']
if he wants a contract i think he wants, he better get 8+ ints this year because he won't be hitting the fountain of youth any time soon.
[/quote]

Well hopefully we get some kind of pass rush this year that isn't named T-Sizzle. Suggs was the only consistent pass rusher we had last year, other wise there was no pressure on the QB. If we pressure the QB, then they make mistakes and then the ball is mis thrown and lands into Reed, Webb, Jimmy and Pollard. I think the Ravens should help Reed out by creating some more pass rush and Reed may have a good year interception wise.

[The Raven]

[quote name='JO_75' timestamp='1334015073' post='1046279']
Well hopefully we get some kind of pass rush this year that isn't named T-Sizzle. Suggs was the only consistent pass rusher we had last year, other wise there was no pressure on the QB. If we pressure the QB, then they make mistakes and then the ball is mis thrown and lands into Reed, Webb, Jimmy and Pollard. I think the Ravens should help Reed out by creating some more pass rush and Reed may have a good year interception wise.
[/quote]

We were top 3 in sacks, exactly how much more help does Ed need? Kruger and McPhee both had around 6 sacks. Not that bad. Redding was also pretty consistent in getting into the backfield. Pressure is not the issue for Reed, the issue is quarterbacks just don't throw near him.

[Hjulmann]

I agree with him being underpaid in Baltimore. But some of his arguments are quite shabby man. He said he has a family to take care of. I don't think you'll have problems paying taxes and feeding your own with a 44,4million contract... But yeah, he should get more money, but for other reasons.

[BmoreRavens732]

Both interception arguments are wrong!! Pressure isnt a factor nor is the lack of targets (though it could help) he only had 3picks last year because he literally dropped the balls he got his usually sticky hands on. They were very catchable balls but he just didnt hold on. He dropped one in the first pit game then one in the niner game then one in the second cincy game and I swear theres a few more I just cant remember the games but he also dropped one or two in the texans playoff game and one in the afccg. His hands need to be more consistent like recent years. If anyone thinks im making it up just to cover for reed < lol. Go rewatch the games and you guys will see

[Guest RBates]

[quote name='CapoRocky' timestamp='1333659889' post='1043378']
What the heck is hariming..lol?

I'm really sure that like[b] Payton, [/b]he wants to play, but age or injury catches up to everyone in the NFL. Honestly, I think that despite his statement that he'll play 4 or 5 more years this year will be the last for Ed. He has been fighting the same shoulder and neck injuries for several seasons and it has affected his ability to engage a runner in the open field. I really wasn't sure that he would return this year after the Bengals game. He was the hero that ended the Texans final drive in the playoffs. If it wasn't for Ed, then we never would have gotten to suffer through the heartbreak of the Evans drop and Cundiff wiff.
[/quote]Peyton....lol...... or Sean Payton........

[RavensDE]

In any case Reed isn't going to not show up for work. He will be there to fufill his contract, earn millions of dollars and try to win a super bowl. The year after he may leave for one final pay day, but my bet is he retires. I think thats part of the reason he's sour, he wants another pay day before he retires and he sees that this last 7mil is it. Poor fella.

[MLGWL20]

If Ed leaves after this year and goes to another team and we face that team in the superbowl I don't know what I'd do. I'd honestly be pulling for him and his team, it's crazy to even think that but I would.

Hopefully after this year he gets a 2 year deal with a player option each of the 3 years after that

[scrock]

No matter what happens Ed Reed is a Raven for life, he will go into the Hall of Fame as a Raven, be inducted into the Ring of Honor and I hope he gets a little extension and a little raise in pay and retires a Raven instead of heading off for another team.

Don't be like those other legends who leave their one and only and try to keep playing, stay a Raven for life. It will mean more imo

[usmccharles]

[quote name='MLGWL20' timestamp='1334079907' post='1046573'] If Ed leaves after this year and goes to another team and we face that team in the superbowl I don't know what I'd do. I'd honestly be pulling for him and his team, it's crazy to even think that but I would. Hopefully after this year he gets a 2 year deal with a player option each of the 3 years after that [/quote]

Seriously? id much rather us get a ring than a player that thought he deserved more money but didnt get it from us because we dont beleive he does....i dont think he does. if he wants a ring he knows where to stay....

[scrock]

Ed deserves a ring but if he left and we faced him in the Superbowl ? I'm sorry Ed but I want to win just as bad as you....haha

That would certainly teach him a lesson though, sometimes the grass isn't always greener, all the players know the Ravens organization is first class everything