Ed Reed. Best Ever.
It’s been some hours since the game ended. I’ve read the multitude of text messages that I got right after the the interception and touchdown run. I’ve had time to think about it, and the conclusion is still the same.
Ed Reed is the best safety in the history of the NFL.
He’s the only player in league history to score on a blocked punt, interception, fumble return and kickoff return. There have been great hitters and there have been great cover men, but no one has put it all together like Reed.
Not Ronnie Lott, not Ken Houston. Mel Renfro and Darren Sharper may be your closest bets, and they were and are great players. But the same kind of respect and caution reserved for cornerbacks and linebackers in opponent game planning is extended to Ed Reed.
And it usually doesn’t matter.
Part of Reed’s success has been the free reign that he has received from defensive coordinators through the years. His speed makes them comfortable whether he’s at the line of scrimmage or 20 yards deep in the middle of the field. His penchant for disruption is matched only with his ability to read plays as they develop. He has a knack for showing up around the ball more times than not, just in case the line makes a good push or the QB misjudges the timing.
Much in the way Deion Sanders controlled a side of the field, or Ray Lewis controls the line of scrimmage, Ed Reed controls the levels of passing progression. And before you mention Rod Woodson or Aeneas Williams, remember that they transitioned to safety in the twilight of their playing careers. No one has had a stretch of dominance at the safety position that Ed Reed has had over the last four seasons. And when you consider that his career was this close to ending just several months ago, it gives you real perspective on how good this dude really is.
And how nobody has ever been quite as good.
UPDATE - And with that being said, would you believe that Reed is NOT the Defensive Player of the Year?
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