The Scores Report - The National Sports Blog » Ed Reed

Can Joe Flacco rise to the occasion?

Staff — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:03:14 +0000

It’s been a tough week for Joe Flacco, as Ed Reed’s comments have made Flacco the center of attention going into today’s playoff game with the Patriots. Flacco has added even more pressure on himself with comments before last week’s game suggesting that he wasn’t getting respect from the media.

This game will be a defining moment for his career. He has to show that he can rise to the occasion in the playoffs on the road. The Patriots aren’t known for their defense, so Flacco should have his chances.

The Ravens don’t wan’t to get into a shootout with Tom Brady, but Flacco is going to have to come up with some big plays to win this game. I’m skeptical.

2010 NFL Question Marks: Baltimore Ravens

Anthony Stalter — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:00:09 +0000

Merry training camp season, everyone. It’s been a long offseason, but football is finally gearing up again and to celebrate I’m rolling out a new series on TSR entitled “2010 NFL Question Marks,” where I discuss one or two of the biggest concerns that teams have heading into the new season. Granted, some teams have more issues than others, but I’ll primarily be focusing on the biggest problem areas. First up is the Baltimore Ravens and their question marks surrounding their secondary.

After dismantling the Patriots in the postseason last year, Raven fans are more excited about the team’s Super Bowl hopes this season than I am about “Shark Week” every year. (I think it goes without saying that sharks are the greatest fish, human and/or breathing organism on the planet. I mean, they’re sharks.)

And who could blame the Baltimore faithful? Joe Flacco is heading into his third season (which is the year when things are supposed to really “click” for players), Ray Rice is on the verge of superstardom and the passing game added a legitimate No. 1 wideout this offseason thanks to Ozzie Newsome’s trade for Anquan Boldin.

But just like all 32 teams at this time of year, the Ravens have some concerns and most of theirs lie within the secondary.

First and foremost, Ed Reed isn’t healthy and that’s a huge problem. At 31, some note that he isn’t as physical as he was earlier in his career, but the guy can still cover ground with the best of them. His ability to read what formation an offense comes out in, bait the quarterback into making a poor throw and then actually make a play on the ball is unrivaled. In fact, I wouldn’t hesitate to say he was the best coverage safety in the league last year, along with Arizona’s Adrian Wilson.

But again, he’s also hurt. The Ravens recently placed him on the active/Physically Unable to Perform list and he’s a candidate to miss the first six weeks of the season as he continues to battle a hip injury. He missed four games last year and the Ravens still made the playoffs, but playing without him isn’t something the team wants to make a habit of.

The good news is that Tom Zbikowski is Reed’s replacement. The former Notre Dame’s two biggest contributions to the team is his versatility and his toughness. He also provides outstanding depth for a secondary that simply cannot stay healthy and if he winds up starting the first six games for Reed this season, he could wind up making a significant impact.

Thanks to Zbikowski, Reeds’ injury is less of a concern than the growing problem the Ravens currently have at cornerback. Head coach John Harbaugh said in mid-June that Fabian Washington and Lardarius Webb (an underrated player who turned in a nice season last year) won’t be 100% early in the year as both defensive backs continue to recover from ACL injuries. Washington was already placed on the same PUP list as Reed, so obviously the Ravens are being cautious with his recovery.

Injuries aside, Washington didn’t play particularly well last season and Domonique Foxworth struggled early on after signing a huge contract in the offseason. Granted, the Ravens’ pass-rush wasn’t up to snuff either (they produced the second lowest sack totals in franchise history), but the secondary was routinely beat early in the year.

It’s fair to note that Foxworth did play better during the second half and if both Washington and Webb can return to full health, then the Ravens’ secondary is going to be just fine. Plus, let’s keep in mind that a defensive backfield is only as good as its pass rush, so it would be nice if Terrell Suggs returned to form, too.

Given the concerns that other teams are facing right now, the Ravens’ secondary question marks are rather tame. But this team needs to stay healthy at the safety and cornerback position if the Ravens are going to live up to the expectations that some have set for them (which includes a possible Super Bowl appearance).

Ravens could be without Ed Reed for the first six weeks of season

Anthony Stalter — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:15:30 +0000

The Baltimore Sun is reporting that Ed Reed (hip) will probably begin the regular season on the PUP list.

• Ed Reed, safety: The Pro Bowl safety is almost a certainty to start training camp on PUP. In fact, it would be surprising to see Reed play in the preseason. He recently said he is 35 percent recovered from offseason hip surgery. The most likely scenario is placing Reed on the Reserve PUP at the start of the regular season, which would mean he misses at least the first six weeks.

Ken Hamlin and Tom Zbikowski will battle for the starting free safety position in training camp and preseason. Hamlin has started in all but two games throughout his career, so he has the leg up on Zbikowski in terms of experience. But Hamlin’s production has decreased over the last couple of years, so it isn’t a foregone conclusion that he’ll win the job.

It’s a little odd that Reed told a local radio station in Baltimore a couple of weeks ago that he would like a new deal in place before returning to the field, even knowing that he’s doubtful to return anytime soon. Granted, he did say he wouldn’t push the issue until he was healthy, but he nevertheless has awful timing.

He still has three years remaining on the six-year, $44.4 million contract extension that he signed in the summer of 2006 – the same deal that included $15 million in guaranteed money. It’s not surprising that Reed wants to cash in one last time, but considering he’s not healthy and was even complementing retirement as recently as April, he’s not in position to be pushing for a new deal.

Ed Reed expected to play in 2010

Anthony Stalter — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 14:22:27 +0000

According to the National Football Post, Ravens’ safety Ed Reed is definitely expected to play in 2010.

It would take a major setback with his nerve impingement in his neck and ligament tears in his hip and groin for Reed to stop playing football.

The All-Pro defensive back didn’t change his public stance during an interview with Sirius Radio. Reed said following a playoff loss to the Indianapolis Colts that he was contemplating retirement.

“I’m feeling good,” Reed said. “It’s still early in the offseason. The comment was made right after the game because that’s the truth of the matter. I’ve got some things I got to take care of before I continue to go there. But the comment hasn’t changed, it still is what it is.

“I mean, for most people in the world, 50/50 is just that. If you’re able to go, you know, most people who know me, when I’ve been hurt over the years, and lately, these last two years, a lot. But if I can walk and talk, I’m out there communicating and making plays.”

Although multiple injuries hurt his play in 2009, Reed can still play at an elite level at his age. So as the article notes, unless he suffers another setback in his recovery process then he should be back in 2010, which is a great thing for the Ravens.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Ravens’ Ed Reed contemplating retirement

Anthony Stalter — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:30:26 +0000

Following the Ravens’ 20-3 loss to the Colts on Saturday night, safety Ed Reed indicated that he might retire in the offseason.

Reed is only 31, but hip, neck and groin injuries limited his mobility and production throughout the season. He told the Baltimore Sun that he would speak with his medical team soon and then make a final decision about whether or not to continue his playing career. He indicated that he has aspirations to coach at the college level and might peruse those interests sooner rather than later.

When healthy, Reed still plays at a high level and it would be surprising if he hung ‘em up with $19.7 million left on his remaining contract. Money isn’t everything, but if he can fully recover in the offseason and enter the 2010 season with a full bill of health, it’s doubtful that he would retire.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Ravens self-destruct in loss to Colts

Anthony Stalter — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 04:45:59 +0000

If the Ravens wanted to resemble the exact opposite of the team that took the field last week in New England, then they accomplished their mission on Saturday night in Indianapolis.

Baltimore turned the ball over four times in its 20-3 Divisional Round playoff loss to the Colts. If you count Ed Reed’s fumble (what a tremendous play by Pierre Garcon, by the way) following an interception of Peyton Manning, then the Ravens fumbled the ball three times tonight. Ray Rice was a small disaster, while Joe Flacco threw two interceptions and averaged just 5.4 yards per passing attempt.

The Colts deserve a ton of credit for playing fundamentally sound for most of the night. But this game should have been closer then the final score indicates and there’s little doubt that head coach John Harbaugh will lose some sleep tonight thinking about how many opportunities his team coughed up. What happened to the Raven team that marched into Foxboro last week and gave the Patriots the beating of a lifetime? What happened to the team that was so focused, so mentally prepared to play that many people thought they would pull off the upset in Indy?

The Colts once again proved that they match up extremely well with Baltimore. The Ravens beat themselves throughout the night, but it’s not like their offense was moving the ball at will either. They had a couple of nice drives that ended in turnovers, but for the most part the Ravens looked completely out of sync offensively.

Baltimore reminded everyone tonight why it finished 9-7 this season. They were too inconsistent throughout the year to make a deep run in the postseason and maybe we should have seen this outcome coming.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

NFL Divisional Playoff Preview: Saturday

Mike Farley — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 12:00:46 +0000

Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints
4:30 pm ET
TV—FOX

If last week’s wild card game between Arizona and Green Bay is any indication, the Cardinals are having a difficult time stopping the opposition. And when the opposition is the New Orleans Saints, who boast the top offense in the NFL, you have to believe this game today could get ugly. Pair that with the fact that the Cardinals racked up 51 points last Sunday against the NFL’s second ranked defense, and that New Orleans is 25th overall in team defense (26th against the pass), and there is more fuel to the shootout theory here. Of course, the game plan for each team should be to try and run the ball to control the clock, and if that’s the case, the Saints have a decided edge with their sixth ranked rushing attack. Remember, though, the key word in “game plan” is “plan,” because it’s not likely the Packers or Cards expected to play an arena league game last week. In other words, you can bet Kurt Warner and Drew Brees will wind up airing it out in this one, with those speedy receivers on both sides reducing the game to a track meet. And really, that’s how this game should be. As for the outcome, we’ll give the rested home team a slight edge. THE PICK: SAINTS 52, CARDINALS 49

Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts
8:15 pm ET
TV—CBS

Speaking of rested players, there is going to be a mutiny in Indianapolis tonight if the Colts lose this game. Head coach Jim Caldwell and owner Bill Polian have been adamant about their belief that resting Peyton Manning and other regulars during most of the final two games, instead of pursuing a perfect 16-0 record, was the prudent thing to do. And while playing those guys would have been a huge risk (see Welker, Wes), you have to believe it was even riskier to not play them. Meanwhile, the Ravens, who come in with a solid ground game that is ranked fifth in the league, are just the kind of team that can give the Colts and their 24th ranked run defense fits anyway. John Harbaugh wants to run Ray Rice all day long and keep it away from Mr. Manning as much as possible, and he’d love to run the ball 52 times like he did against New England. When the Colts do have the ball, they are ranked dead last in rushing offense but second in passing. So guess what they’re gonna do? But the Ravens were in Tom Brady’s face all game last week, and you can expect Ray Lewis and company to try and do the same to Manning, who also has to worry about ball-hawking safety Ed Reed, voted Safety of the Decade earlier this week by USA Today. The Colts are extremely talented and didn’t win 14 games by accident, but that resting players thing is going to bite Caldwell and Polian in the butt. THE PICK: RAVENS 23, COLTS 20