Monday, February 4, 2013
Reed to the Saints?
By Tim Kavanagh
Veteran safety Ed Reed closed out the final season on his current contract in helping the Baltimore Ravens capture their second Super Bowl. Reed's first quarter interception wasn't the most pivotal play of the game, but it certainly made a difference, and game-changing efforts like that one have been commonplace in the Miami product's career. As he enters free agency, many wonder where he'll be suiting up in 2013.
While the connection with Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots is now the stuff of legend after the past few weeks, there's also been some speculation that the Louisiana native could wind up with the New Orleans Saints. This idea was brought up by WWL radio host Bobby Hebert recently, and ESPN NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas thinks that it'd be a logical move for Sean Payton and Co., regardless of who is hired as the next defensive coordinator:
Pat Yasinskas
Would Ed Reed fit with the Saints?"First off, he's a Louisiana native and he might be attracted to the possibility of finishing his career at home. Second, Reed looks like he still has something left in the tank physically. But, perhaps most importantly of all, Reed would bring swagger and leadership to a defense that was horrible last season. While the other three NFC South teams like to build through the draft and don't often bring in players in their 30s, the Saints have shown a past willingness to go in the other direction. In 2009, they brought in veteran safety Darren Sharper and he helped get them a Super Bowl title. The Saints need a lot of other pieces to fix their defense. But adding Reed, even if it's only for a year, might help speed up the process of improving the defense."
