E.Reed's availability Sunday will be determined by Reed himself

There’s still some uncertainty within the Ravens organization about whether six-time Pro Bowl free safety Ed Reed will be make his season debut this Sunday against the Buffalo Bills. But defensive coordinator Greg Mattison said the best source to answer that question is Reed himself.

“Ed Reed’s played long enough in this league and has done so many great things in this league that Ed Reed will let us know when Ed Reed is ready to go,” Mattison said Thursday. “He’s not a guy you have to question. Ed Reed will only go out and play if he thinks he can play well enough to help us win and to do what he has to do. Now Ed Reed will go out and practice and he’ll continue to work on things and run the defenses and stuff like that, and if he feels like he’s ready to go, then that’ll be his decision, and we’ll go from there. But him being out there, I want you to know there were a lot of smiles when you saw him standing back there. I said this before: I’ve only been with him for three years, but my God, he looks good out there.”

Reed missed training camp and was placed on the physically-unable-to-perform list after undergoing surgery in the offseason to repair his ailing hip. The team has 21 days to activate Reed from the PUP list and place him on the 53-man active roster. Until then, the organization is not required to make any roster moves.

But Reed participated in his first practice with the team Wednesday, and he looks as sleek and as fit as a 32-year-old, nine-year veteran can look.

“Anytime you add him to the secondary and you look out there and you see that number, it’s different for me, I know that,” Mattison said. “And that’s not taking anything away from Tom Zbikowski. He’s done a tremendous job, but that’s Ed Reed. Just the vibrance, just to hear him talking back there and saying, ‘Watch this’ and ‘Watch that,’ that’s what he brings to the table.”

With the status of Reed and Zbikowski (bruised heel) still in limbo, could Haruki Nakamura be in line for his first career start alongside strong safety Dawan Landry?

“Haruki’s always prepped for starting,” Mattison said. “And you’ve heard me say this before: whoever’s the backup has got to look at himself as the starter. You’re always one play away from being in there anyhow. So we’ve got guys ready to do that.”

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.



(balimoresun.com)