Evident patches of grey hair on Ed Reed’s head show that father time is beginning to catch up with the future Hall of Fame safety.
Reed is still relatively young (34), but in football years, he’s on the level of someone at a senior citizens home playing bingo five times per week.
His body is battered and bruised but his mind still remains one of the best to ever be covered with a helmet. Reed’s knowledge of not only the game but of managing his body after an 11-year tenure in the NFL has been an asset to a Ravens defense that has been rattled with injuries all season long. Only Reed and cornerback Cary Williams have started every game during the regular season on defense.
Sunday could begin what very well could be the potential final playoff run – at least in Baltimore – of Reed’s career.
The Wild Card matchup with rookie quarterback Andrew Luck is one that should give Reed the upper hand against one of the NFL’s brightest young stars. Luck is a phenomenal talent and as a Stanford graduate, he clearly has the brains to go along with it. On Sunday, Luck will probably find out that Reed practically has a doctorate in quarterback psychology with how he’s able to consistently manipulate the minds of his opponents.
Reed has consistently shined during the playoffs. During his 11 career postseason games, he has eight interceptions, which is the most among active players. If Reed is able to intercept another pass, he’ll be tied with three other players for the most in NFL postseason history.
It’s clear that this year has been far from Reed’s best season but a matchup against the rookie Luck should make for a great side story on Sunday.
