Ed Reed shines in Ravens' loss

BALTIMORE -- Ed Reed was sprinting toward the football even before Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer released the pass in the direction of wide receiver Chad Ochocinco.

It was a case of Reed’s formidable instincts, range and extensive knowledge of Palmer’s habits taking over as the All-Pro free safety swooped in for a 52-yard interception return for a touchdown. Ochocinco was covered on the play by cornerback Fabian Washington.

It was one of the Ravens’ top highlights during a 17-14 loss Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.

“Certain quarterbacks have certain tendencies,” Reed said. “It was just a great jam by Fabian and me breaking on the ball. I watch film constantly, man.

“We’ve been playing against each other for the last couple years, and I know him just as much as he knows me. It’s just competitors going against each other and somebody making a play.”

For Reed, it was his 45th career interception , the second of his season and the eighth defensive touchdown of his career.

The former NFL Defensive Player of the Year leads the Raven all-time in interceptions and has the most interceptions and interception return yards with 1,213 since entering the league seven years ago.

“It means nothing if you lose at the end of the day,” he said. “When you lose, everything is out the window. Individual stuff doesn’t matter at the end of the day for me anyway, at this point in my career. You’re just trying to win, man.”

Reed also chucked the ball out of Ochocinco’s hands in the open field in the final minutes of the second quarter.
The forced fumble halted a drive.

“We practiced it, we talked about it and you see things on tape,” Reed said. “It’s just instinctive stuff at the time. Actually, he shouldn’t have caught the ball. So, it’s just running to the football.”



(nationalfootballpost.com)