By Tim Barbalace
What a weekend it was in Canton, Ohio. My family and I drove up Friday after the show, and it took us six hours to make it to our hotel, but it was all worth it to see Ed Reed get inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.
Ed Reed is probably my favorite sports player of my lifetime. There was simply nothing he couldn't do on a football field. He has NFL records for most career interception return yards (1,590), longest interception return (107, which broke the previous record he set of 104) and most career multi-interception games (12).
He also tied NFL records for most career playoff interceptions (9), and most career blocked punts returned for touchdowns (3). Oh, he also is the only player in the history of the NFL to return an interception, punt, blocked punt, and fumble for a touchdown. Simply put, Ed Reed is the greatest defensive playmaker in the history of the NFL.
Reed was special with the football in his hands and always was a threat to take it to the house, as long as he didn't lateral it first. His nickname of the "human ball magnet" couldn't ring truer. Reed led the NFL in interceptions in a season three times, and in his final year of doing so in 2010, he accomplished the feat despite playing in only ten games due to starting the year on the PUP list.
Early on in his career, Reed could definitely bring the hammer down on receivers crossing the middle of the field. A nerve impingement in his neck caused his tackling ability to suffer later as he got older, but his instincts and high football IQ were able to keep his level of play from slipping.
I was lucky enough to see a few of his big career moments in person including his 107 yard interception return for a touchdown against the Eagles in 2008 and his last regular season interception as a Raven against the Steelers in 2012. Now I can add seeing him get inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Ed Reed's speech perfectly encapsulated what he is all about. His speech was filled with emotion, humor and spontaneity.
Reed admitted that he wrote his speech while sitting on stage waiting for his turn, but was able to deliver a powerful message. He detailed his life journey starting with his birthplace in St. Rose, Louisiana where he used sports as his outlet away from a "crime-infested" neighborhood. Reed recalled an encounter with a police officer one night as a moment that steered him on the right path.
"I remember him saying, 'Son, I know you. I see you around here playing sports. You don't need to be hanging with those other kids and those other guys because you have something," Reed said.
Reed then proceeded with his journey from Destrehan high school through the University of Miami. He talked about playing with the Ravens and made sure to give credit to Ray Lewis, Jonathan Ogden, and OJ Brigance. He even went on to thank the other two organizations that he spent time with during his playing career.
"Thanks to Houston Texans for letting be there for a couple months...thanks to the Jets where I finished off at," Reed said. "But there's no place like Baltimore!"
Reed tackled severe issues like Saturday's shooting in El Paso, Texas, as well as those in Gilroy, California, on July 28th. He spoke about the need to address mental illness and called it "one of the biggest problems in our world."
Reed did make sure to provide some levity throughout his speech. He admitted that the 2001 Miami Hurricanes could not have beaten an NFL team, "not even the Cincinnati Bengals .... or those Cleveland Browns." Reed's dig at the two Ohio teams didn't end there.
"I mean, I did have 30 picks against the two teams," Reed said. "It's not my fault you guys were always switching quarterbacks."
It was a speech filled with plenty of emotions, but Ed Reed delivered a powerful message that spoke to everyone watching.
"Everyone has their own greatness and reaching your greatness depends on your environment and your structure — the company you keep — and your attitude," Reed said. "There will be good and bad, right and wrong. Your reaction, your choice, good or bad, has consequences that affect you and those around you. No matter what encourage those around you and yourself."
Watch Ed Reed's full speech below: