Larry Brown Sports

The Houston Texans have made it no secret that they desperately want to bring veteran All-Pro safety Ed Reed on board. On Thursday, everyone from the Texans official Twitter account to defensive coordinator Wade Phillips was gushing over the team’s decision to fly a private jet to pick Reed up and bring him to Houston for a meeting. It’s starting to look like Reed could sign with the Texans, but did rapper Pitbull delay the team’s plans?

According to Around the League, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle told “NFL AM” on Friday morning that the Texans had to cut their meeting with Reed short on Thursday so they could get out of Reliant Stadium before more than 70,000 fans piled in for the Pitbull concert. Despite the inconvenience, McClain said he still expects Reed to sign with the team.

“I don’t think they would have done that if they didn’t think they had a good chance to keep him, they don’t want to send him home on Southwest,” McClain said.

On Friday morning, ESPN’s Adam Schefter cited a source who said it is only a “50-50 at best” chance that Reed signs with the Texans. There’s still a possibility he could return to Baltimore or explore other options. As of Friday afternoon, Reed had reportedly left the building in Houston without a deal.

The Texans and their fans would desperately like to have a veteran, ball-hawking presence like Reed to anchor their defense. If they’re unable to pull it off, blame Pitbull. Who knows what else could have been accomplished if his concert didn’t interrupt.

Ed Reed could be the latest Baltimore Ravens player to become a former Baltimore Ravens player.

According to Houston Chronicle writer John McClain, Reed will be at the Houston Texans’ facility on Thursday as their first unrestricted free agent visitor. The Texans need a replacement at safety for Glover Quin, who signed with the Detroit Lions.

Reed is a free agent after spending his entire career with the Baltimore Ravens, and there does not seem to be a consensus about what he will do. The San Francisco 49ers and Indianapolis Colts have been mentioned as other spots where he could visit.

If Reed, 34, decides to leave the Ravens, now might be the right time. He just won his first Super Bowl, and the exodus from the team has begun. LB Ray Lewis is retiring; LB Paul Kruger is signing with the Browns; LB Dannell Ellerbe is signing with the Dolphins; S Bernard Pollard was released; and WR Anquan Boldin was traded to the 49ers. The other side of the exodus is that the Ravens should have money available to make Reed a strong offer.

Very few people would be surprised if Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed ended up with the New England Patriots next season. Apparently one of the few who would be surprised is Reed himself.

Reed will become a free agent this offseason and the Patriots are in need of secondary help, which is why it makes sense that New England could take a run at him. Earlier this week, Reed helped fuel the speculation by praising Bill Belichick and saying he could “definitely” see himself playing for the Patriots coach. On Thursday, Reed ripped members of the media for the way they delivered that news.

“The bad part about this is that you all ask the question, but don’t write down everything that someone says,” Reed said according to Pro Football Talk. “People only get a part of what the comment was. I don’t have to say much about that. My heart is in Baltimore. The question is, ‘Would I play for Bill Belichick?’ Yes. What football player wouldn’t play for Coach Belicheck? Will I be in New England? Most likely not. It’s just terrible that people get half of the story.”

I understand that the Ravens and Patriots are rivals, but this may be a bit of an overreaction from Reed. It’s common knowledge that he and Belichick have a great level of respect for one another, so it wasn’t exactly earth-shattering news to hear that Reed would be open to playing for him. New England has always been known for signing veteran defensive players like Junior Seau, Rodney Harrison and Ted Washington, so Reed would seemingly fit the Patriots’ mold to perfection. No one is accusing him of being a traitor.

After the AFC Championship Game between the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots ended, we got the impression that a lot of the guys in purple and black despise Tom Brady and company. Despite the fact that Brady may have tried to cleat him during the game, Ed Reed does not sound like he is one of the Ravens players who dislike the Patriots.

With Reed set to become a free agent after the Super Bowl and New England in need of secondary help, there have already been rumblings about Bill Belichick making a run at Reed this offseason. On Tuesday, Reed said he would welcome it.

“Yeah, oh yeah, man, I could definitely play for coach Belichick,” Reed told reporters, via the Boston Herald. “He is a great coach. I’m sure he can help me to expand my football knowledge even more as a player and as a coach, so if I’m ever able to be around him, just like I was at the Pro Bowl, it’s huge.”

Belichick has always gone out of his way to praise Reed’s intelligence and playmaking ability, and the two seemed to hit it off in Honolulu a couple of years ago. Clearly the admiration is mutual. In fact, Reed said he has even gotten fashion ideas from the three-time AP Coach of the Year.

“It’s the reason why I wear my sweater cut off a little bit,” Reed said. “He’s the first guy I saw like, ‘That’s cool.’ You know, that’s cool. He cuts those sweater sleeves, and he’ll be comfortable. So there’s a reason why. Most people will tell you around the facility that’s how I look. It’s just a blessing to even have met, to know coach Belichick.”

Reed has made it clear that he wants to play next season, and I don’t think anyone would be the least bit surprised if he ends up doing so in Foxboro. Belichick loves signing veteran defensive players, and Reed is clearly one of his favorites.

The NFL announced on Tuesday that it is reviewing the play from the AFC Championship Game where Tom Brady slid toward Ed Reed with his cleats in the air. When watching the play, which you can see here, it certainly looked like Brady intended to kick Reed. Whether the NFL will actually discipline the Golden Boy or not remains to be seen, but the Patriots quarterback has since apologized to Reed.

“I told him — you know, we talked,” Reed told WJZ-FM in Baltimore, via ESPNBoston.com. “We talked actually not too long ago, we talked on the phone. He actually reached out to me, texted me. I tried to text him back, but the message exploded after 12 seconds, so I had to call him … and he’s just apologized and what not. But I told him, ‘You know, it’s good, man.’

“I know he’s a great player. I respect Brady and his game for all it stands for, and I know he’s not a dirty player. And emotions get going in the game.”

No two people in football respect Ed Reed more than Brady and Bill Belichick. They’re always gushing about him and talking about what an unbelievable defender he is, as evidenced by the way they were talking about him in the Belichick documentary “A Football Life.”

While people like Bernard Pollard want to see the league make an example of Brady and prove that quarterbacks don’t receive preferential treatment, it’s not like Brady intended to seriously injure Reed. He got caught up in the heat of the moment, which happens to almost every player at some point. The reason it’s such a big deal is that Brady has never done anything like that before. That’s precisely why the league is unlikely to fine him.

Ray Lewis and Ed Reed have been the core of the Baltimore Ravens’ stellar defense over the past decade, but both players are aging and at some point may either retire or move to another team. CBS Sports’ Jason LaCanfora reported on Sunday that the team is bracing for the possibility of life without both players.

Lewis is 37 and has been out since tearing his triceps in Week 6. He is scheduled to earn $5.4 million next season, and LaCanfora says the Ravens are leery about paying him that kind of money to potentially be a part-time player. Additionally, the team reportedly is concerned that Lewis wouldn’t accept being a part-time player should matters come to that. Given Lewis’ age, there has been looming speculation that the 13-time Pro Bowler might retire after the season. We have heard that might be the case, though it’s possible he might want to return to play a full season rather than go out following an injury.

Reed will be an unrestricted free agent after the season, and the 34-year-old safety could be in for another long contract negotiation with the team. LaCanfora says Reed would not take to being franchise tagged very well. Reed mentioned the possibility of retirement in May when he was seeking a new contract from the team. He’s in the final season of a six-year, $44.4 million deal signed in 2006.

Who knows if Reed will retire as he’s threatened, return to Baltimore, or sign with another team. What we do know is that Baltimore reportedly is preparing for a future without either player.

The Ravens are 10-5 and visit the 9-6 Bengals on Sunday. They’ve clinched a playoff spot for the fifth consecutive season, but their defense has slipped from allowing the third-fewest points in the league the past three seasons to ranking 12th this season.

The NFL has taken steps over the past few years toward preventing head injuries and “cleaning up” the game, so to speak, but for what reason? On the surface, it would appear that the league cares about player safety. However, anyone who pays attention knows that former players have been suing the league. If the NFL wants to stop dishing out money for settlements like these two, it needs to at least give off the appearance that it cares about the long-term health of its employees.

Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed does not want fans to be fooled into thinking safety is the NFL’s priority.

“All of a sudden, the NFL is starting to get sued for all the stuff they haven’t protected over the years, and they haven’t done … now you want to take it out on us?” Reed asked after the Ravens’ win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, via SI.com. “Take it out on yourself. It’s easy for them to do the things they’re doing, fining us and make us look bad, like we’re the bad guy, when we’re not.

“If they were really so concerned about the violence and the injuries, players getting hurt, answer this question for me … why is there Thursday Night Football? We played three games in 17 days. Why is there Thursday Night Football? Come on, man.”

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