Ed Reed recently broached an old locker room subject that’s far from a secret around the Baltimore Ravens organization.
The former NFL Defensive Player of the Year told ESPN that he and several other players were hoping the Ravens would hire Rex Ryan as head coach after Brian Billick was fired.
The team wound up going with John Harbaugh, who has led the Ravens to an unprecedented three consecutive playoff appearances. And Ryan has coached the Jets to consecutive AFC championship game appearances.
Ryan interviewed with owner Steve Bisciotti and other team officials for the Ravens’ coaching position, even parking his red pickup truck in the designated HC space when he arrived for his interview.
Although Ryan was a strong candidate and extremely popular with the players, he wasn’t exactly accountable during the interview when pressed about defensive players undermining Billick in his last year. He wound up passing the buck, saying he didn’t think it was his place to discipline the players. The answer wasn’t what the search committee was looking for.
"Like a dad, like a brother, man," Reed said in describing the defense’s relationship with Ryan. "We wanted Rex as the head coach in Baltimore. We did not want him to leave. It hurt when he left. We knew he was a great coach. There was a reason why that defense was the way it was.
"I would play anywhere with Rex, in a dark alley, on the street, in high school football, sandlot, anywhere, because he makes it fun. He loves this game. He truly loves this game and there’s a reason why those guys in New York back him the way they do."
Harbaugh and Ryan have vastly different coaching styles and personalities, but both have worked out well for their respective teams.
Ryan stayed on as an assistant head coach and defensive coordinator prior to leaving the Ravens to take over the Jets, taking linebacker Bart Scott and safety Jim Leonhard with him.
Meanwhile, Reed reiterated what he has said several times in the past: He would rather retire than have surgery on the nerve impingement in his neck.
"I don’t want to be like these guys having neck surgery and then you got to have another surgery just to continue to play this game,” Reed said. "I love this game, but I love myself more."
Aaron Wilson covers the Baltimore Ravens for the Carroll County Times
