Ed Reed getting anxious on PUP

One week into his six-week stay on the PUP list, safety Ed Reed is getting antsy. Reed said Thursday that he called the NFLPA last week in an attempt to reduce his mandatory six-week inactive stint.

“I thought I could have got it reduced,” said Reed, who is recovering from offseason hip surgery and won’t be allowed to play before the Oct. 24 game against the Bills. “Maybe I should’ve called [commissioner Roger] Goodell. It’s all in the game. You’ve got to abide by the rules and all I can do is take advantage of this time, and I know these guys are going to do their jobs.”

Reed said he remains on schedule to return in late October.

“I was scheduling myself to be back the first game,” he said. “As an organization, as a player … we thought the best thing would be to give it a couple more weeks. We didn’t know how many weeks it was going to take for me to get fully back, even after this six weeks. But, like coach said, it’s going to be hard to hold me back these next couple weeks.

“I think it’s been getting better. I’m working hard, doing a lot of work with trainers here, my doctor. I’m just keeping that dialog up, [to] make sure they’re communicating and I’m doing everything I possibly can.”

Reed said it was difficult to watch Monday night’s opener in the Meadowlands from the sideline, “but I understand my role, I understand my part right now, so it makes it easier for me to communicate with the guys to yell out all the tendencies I see to them.”

Reed served as an extra coach against the Jets, and this week, he said he’s looking for ways to get better in that role.

“You might see me with a notebook this week,” he said, “just helping the guys out. It’s harder … to get into the flow of the game on the sidelines. [I’m] just trying to know the game plan, see what they’re doing, how they’re attacking their zones one drive, and get some pointers from that.”
Reed also played peacemaker during pregame warm-ups Monday night when he attempted to calm down Jets defensive end Shaun Ellis after a brief confrontation with Ravens running back Ray Rice.

After a short exchange of words at mid-field, Rice flipped a football at Ellis, who responded angrily. Former Raven Bart Scott then threw a hard pass back at Rice. Reed grabbed hold of
Ellis to keep the situation from escalating. Reed attributed the incident to the emotions of the game and in particular, pregame posturing between the two teams.

“Guys were talking a lot of smack, getting caught up in other things outside of football. When the game starts to get a little personal, then you’ve got other issues you’re dealing with. I think guys were just a little overly hyped at the beginning. The little incident with Ray Rice and Ellis, I don’t want to say [it was] a misunderstanding, it was just two guys having conversation.

“Yeah, I didn’t see that until ESPN and the NFL Network showed it. It was just like some things are taken overboard. Bart is a smarter player than that. It reminded me when he threw the [flag] a couple years ago, when we played the Patriots down here with the whole referee thing. But you’ve got to be smarter than that, you can’t let emotions get to you too much in this game.”

Meeting reporters before practice, Reed also made these points:

On the play of Tom Zbikowski, his replacement at safety, including the aborted attempt to return a punt from the Ravens’ 5-yard line:

“[He played] really good. That [the punt return] takes you down really bad. But he’s doing awesome. Like I told him, just concentrate on playing safety right now. We pay you to play safety. But I know he’s a hell of a return guy, a smart guy, and all he was trying to do was make a play. And I know if I was back there, I probably would’ve done the same thing. As long as you protect the ball and be smart with it … you’re trying to do the right thing for the team.”

On whether he was impressed with the defensive effort against the Jets:

“I’m not impressed with our defense. Our defense has been like this. We’re going to continue to do these things and play hard-nosed football. It’s about getting better every week, so there’s really nothing to be impressed about, outside of going out and getting the win, the way we know how to do it. We got the utmost confidence in ourselves, we just got to go out and do it.”

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(baltimoresun.com)