Ed Reed has lost a step and is clearly nearing the end of his career. Or, maybe I’m just a stupid blogger who thinks I know more about football than I actually do. That’s basically the message the New York Jets defensive back sent earlier this week.
Reed has heard plenty of stories about how he looks slow this season and is incapable of covering speedy receivers. On Friday, he decided he had heard enough.
“This is football, man,” the 35-year-old said, via Jane McManus of ESPNNewYork.com. “We in this locker room been playing football for a long time. Nobody’s perfect out here on the football field. You guys’ job is to critique, be critics; that’s what you do. That’s why you ask the controversial question, try to make it controversial. Then you trash people in the media. I could care less about that. Missed tackles happen.”
Reed scoffed at the notion that he is responsible for some of New York’s losses this season.
“Even reading you guys’ blogs, reading your comments, knowing half [of you] don’t know as much about football as you think, unless you come in the film room,” he said. “Don’t even know the schematic part, you can ask the question, but that don’t mean you’re an expert at what we do.
“It’s funny to me, reading it. Smile at it, laugh at it. But that’s your job. Some of your jobs you take it and tear people down, try to tear the team down. [You don’t] understand that it’s a team, and you’d rather point the finger at one individual.“
Losing is certainly a team effort, but that doesn’t mean Ed Reed is the same Ed Reed he used to be. The former Pro Bowler did admit that this season has been a “long year” and “not what I expected.” Plenty of things have gone wrong for the Jets that aren’t Reed’s responsibility. That being said, he seems to be struggling with the fact that his signing has not helped the team and everyone knows it. Getting old sucks.
