Ed Reed Has 'Talked Briefly at Times' With John Harbaugh About Returning as Coach
The theme for "Late for Work" today is current and former Ravens players (and one executive) making media appearances.
Ravens great Ed Reed told Baltimore Beatdown that he has spoken "briefly at times" with Head Coach John Harbaugh about returning to Baltimore as a coach, but it doesn't sound like the Hall of Fame safety will be back on the Ravens sideline anytime soon.
Reed, the chief of staff for football at the University of Miami, said he is not interested in being a position coach. Reed, who spent one season as the Buffalo Bills' defensive backs coach in 2016 under Rex Ryan, aspires to be a head coach or defensive coordinator in the NFL or college.
Reed said it would be difficult working under a head coach who is younger than him. Nearly one-third of NFL head coaches are younger than Reed, 42. (Harbaugh is 58).
"I've talked to Coach Harbaugh briefly at times, about things. I'm not a position coach, man," Reed said. "I can coach position, but no. It's not a position that I want because for one, I'm working with guys that are probably younger than me. [They] haven't played the game and just won't even hear my voice [if I'm] put as a position coach. My voice won't even be heard. So that's why I tweeted about being a [defensive coordinator] or head coach. I know what I'm capable of, I know what I aspire for. You gotta know your worth."
In a conversation with ESPN’s Jamison Hensley, Reed revealed that he sought advice from Ravens Executive Vice President and former General Manager Ozzie Newsome about how to approach his job with Miami.
"It's not a coaching position but it's there to set a standard for coaches and players. For me, it's more like a GM role," Reed said. "I've reached out to Ozzie on how to approach it from working with coaches and not being in the meeting room all the time. I've learned so much over the years. I had a bunch of great coaches around me. I was known to be a coach on the field, which I was."
Reed also made an appearance on "Good Morning Football" to talk about the starting quarterbacks in Sunday's Super Bowl, the Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes and Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Tom Brady.
Reed was asked how he would have fared against Mahomes.
"I think it'd have been a great game to play against him because he's a smart quarterback that can make plays not only with his arm but with his legs," Reed said. "My thing to make my game simple is to know my opponent, know my threats, where they're at within the defense. So no matter what they're doing, I would just focus on doing my job. That's what you have to do going against both of these quarterbacks because they're smart."
Reed reflected on the battles he had against Brady, who has referred to Reed as his kryptonite.
"It took years to be Brady's kryptonite," Reed said. "You had to move around. You couldn't just stay in one place playing against a quarterback like that, and that was my job, to try to discourage or make him think I'm somewhere I'm not."
Newsome Reveals How He Felt When Ravens Greats Left to Play Elsewhere
Speaking of Ozzie, he stopped by "Club Shay Shay," the podcast hosted by Hall of Famer and former Ravens tight end Shannon Sharpe, to discuss a variety of topics, including his feelings on longtime Ravens Reed and Terrell Suggs leaving to play with other teams at the end of their careers.
"Once a Raven, always a Raven," Newsome said. "As with anything in life, you understand that there's a limit in how far you can go. When you have to look at the totality of what you're trying to do and build a football team, you can only go so far. So at some point, and I've always said this and I said it to you when you went back to Denver, I want you to make all the money you can make.
"If you got a chance to make some more, go somewhere, please go. This is all I can do. And we still can hug and shake hands because I appreciate what you've done. You only have so many years that you can make this type of money, and you need to go ahead and make it if you can. And if you can't, I'll welcome you back. You're still part of the family."
Sharpe said Newsome's honesty in dealing with players is why he's so beloved.
"You're honest, you're up front with them and you tell it how it is," Sharpe said. "There ain't no, 'Well Ozzie said this and then somebody else said that.' Whatever you say, take that to the bank."
Calais Campbell, J.K. Dobbins Give High Praise to Lamar Jackson
It seems as if Lamar Jackson will always have his share of critics, but there's no doubting how much his teammates believe in him and enjoy playing with him.
Defensive tackle Calais Campbell said on Fox Sports' "Speak for Yourself" that he thinks Jackson will have an opportunity to win multiple Super Bowls.
"He has a great arm and he has a great understanding of the game," Campbell said. " … I do see his ability to throw the ball. I know we don't do it much, but he's going to continue to get better at it. I hope that next year is our year, but he's going to have a chance to win a few [Super Bowls] by the time his career's over."
During J.K. Dobbins' appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," the rookie running back could not have been more enthusiastic about playing alongside Jackson.
"I'm glad I'm teammates with Lamar, man," Dobbins said. "He's an amazing player. He's also a good guy as a well. He's a great leader, a great brother. I'm glad I'm on his team. It's amazing to watch some of the things he does on the field. Man, this guy's special."
Dobbins still marvels over Jackson's performance in the Ravens' 47-42 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 14.
"[When] we came back after his little 'poop,' that was the craziest thing I've ever seen," Dobbins said.
"The thing is ,though, on that play where we scored, I think it was fourth down, and I was telling him to run. … Next thing you know, he pulled up, I got hit blindside and I saw the ball in the air. I was like, 'Oh my gosh, this is playoffs or no right now.' Hollywood [Brown] caught the ball and scored, it was amazing. It was like a movie. He comes out from the locker room, everybody's cheering. … That was the craziest thing ever."
Reflecting on his rookie season, Dobbins said the biggest lesson he had to learn was patience. He averaged just over four carries per game in his first six games before taking on a major role in the second half of the season.
"It was tough on me mentally not being able to get at least five carries the first half of the season," Dobbins said. "But the coaches had a great plan for me. Looking back at it now, I understand what was going on and what they were doing. …I'm not a selfish guy. I just want to make plays. I pride myself on being a playmaker."
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