It has been well documented that Ed Reed has been playing through immense pain, as he is currently suffering a labrum tear in his shoulder. While playing through injury is something we’ve come to expect from the savvy veteran, is he starting to hurt the Ravens more than help them?
I saw numerous plays against the Raiders where Reed either failed to make tackles, or looked more hesitant in run support. At one point, Oakland tight end Brandon Myers made a catch down the middle and Ed Reed jumped on top of him as Myers basically piggy-backed him for a few yards before finally hitting the ground. Reed missed one tackle against Raiders full back Marcel Reece, not wrapping up and favoring his right shoulder, as he failed to knock Reece out of bounds.
It wasn’t until late in the second quarter when it appeared that Reed’s shoulder had had enough.
Ed Reed came screaming up to tackle Darrius Heyward-Bey, but wasn’t able to wrap up with his right arm due to the injured shoulder. Reed instead made a huge collision into Heyward-Bey’s shoulder, bouncing off as DHB ran 55 yards for the touchdown.
Ed Reed was then shown lying on the ground, clutching his shoulder, as he needed to be helped off the field.
It was listed as a stinger and Reed said that it was nothing to worry about, but the injury continues to become a problem week after week.
Reed’s shoulder allowed a touchdown this week, but thankfully didn’t hurt the team in the end. However, that play could have been the difference in a close game. While his big playmaking ability is duly noted, the Ravens may want to consider resting him until his shoulder heals if it continues to cause problems.
