Ravens safety Ed Reed, a Louisiana native and University of Miami graduate, takes time to share some of his off-the-field thoughts with BR.com as he prepares to play the Indianapolis Colts this Sunday.
BR.com: What is the best or worst reaction to a gift you've given?
Ed Reed: "My dad crying when I first bought him a new truck when I got drafted."
Have you ever given any gifts that people didn't like?
"No. I'm usually a pretty good gift-giver."
What was the first CD you ever bought?
"First CD I ever bought? Oh man, there have been so many. First CD I ever bought was probably Goodie Mob. That was back in high school. Actually, the first CD I ever bought was Outkast. Goodie Mob and Outkast are like the same family though. It was one of the two of them. Oh yeah, high school, Southernplayalistic[adillacmuzik], Outkast."
Finish this sentence: When I attend a sporting event as a fan, I…:
"Tailgate at the University of Miami."
What's the best application you've downloaded to your iPhone?
"Dominoes. I play dominoes on my phone. Dominoes and that little balance game with the ball – Labyrinth."
What's your most memorable song from a high school dance?
"Clarence Carter, Strokin'. That's so funny. They used to play that, (starts singing) 'I stroke it to the east, and I stroke it to the west.'"
Is there any reason that one sticks out in your mind?
"Because they always played it, no matter what. They linedanced off it. Now it's the Cha-Cha Slide, yep."
Out of all the awards you've won, what stands out to you?
"The Urban League gave me an award for being good in the community. It was something I didn't expect. I didn't expect it at all."
If you could temporarily insert yourself into an actor's life, who would that be?
"From an acting standpoint, it'd probably be Eddie Murphy. I saw a lot of Eddie Murphy movies growing up: Raw, Delirious, 48 Hrs., all his movies. Every so often I get that, 'You look like Eddie Murphy' thing. Every so often."
Do you think you look like Eddie Murphy?
"I don't know. It depends. It depends on the character, probably."
During Mardi Gras time, have you ever had the baby Jesus in your piece of King Cake?
"Yep, got it last year actually. Then you've got to buy the next King Cake. In Louisiana – you can get them shipped here – they have real good ones. Cream cheese, oh my gosh."
Did you ever do any fishing or crawfish catching when you were growing up in Louisiana?
"I've been crawfishing before when I went camping when I was a kid. In some areas you can catch crawfish crawling on the side of the road. They come out of the water at night. At nighttime they look like ducks trying to cross the street, and you can just catch them on the road. They make it easy for you."
How old were you when you learned how to spell "Mississippi"?
"Can I even spell Mississippi now? Nah, I'm just joking. I learned the song first, and I think I was like 8 or 9."
How does the song go?
"M, i, crooked letter, crooked letter, i, crooked letter, crooked letter, humpback, humpback, i. I missed an 'i' after the crooked letter, but you get the point."
When was the first time you saw snow?
"The first time I saw snow was 1989 in Louisiana. Yep, the first time it snowed in Louisiana. I think I remembered that because that's the year my grandmother passed. That's why I remembered that. So cold, it was cold. It wasn't a lot of snow though, it wasn't even a couple of inches, but it just fell a little bit."
I know you didn't go to LSU, but how would you spell "go"?
"G-E-A-U-X or something like that. That's how they would spell it, but not how I would spell it. I'm not Cajun."
