Reed sparks brilliant effort by Ravens' defense

Jan 4, 2009 - 11:20 PM By Christopher Stock PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

MIAMI (Ticker)-- Ed Reed did it again.

Reed, who earned his fifth trip to the Pro Bowl this season, intercepted two passes, including one he returned 64 yards for a touchdown in the Baltimore Ravens' 27-9 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday in an AFC wild-card playoff game.

It was a magnificent homecoming for Reed, who was a two-time All-American at the University of Miami and helped lead the Hurricanes to the 2001 national championship.

"This is a blessing because this is where it all started," Reed said. "It's special because we've been building a team for a long time around here."

Reed, 30, led the NFL this season with nine interceptions, returning two for touchdowns.

"No one is surprised by the way Ed Reed plays. Ed Reed is maybe the best player in the game," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "You could certainly make an argument for it."

Even more impressive was that Reed picked off eight passes in the Ravens' final six games. Baltimore went 5-1 in that span to finish 11-5, earning the final AFC playoff spot. He also had 40 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and 14 pass breakups.

"I love Ed," teammate and star linebacker Ray Lewis said. "The beauty of Ed is that Ed understands his role. If the ball don't get over Ed, we don't lose. It's simple mathematics.

Facing a 3rd-and-8 situation in the second quarter, Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington stepped back to pass and threw a deep ball intended for Ted Ginn.

Ginn got tangled up with cornerback Samari Rolle and the pass floated into Reed's arms. Reed took the ball to the left side of the field while avoiding a tackler, then cut across back to the right side and got a key block from Terrell Suggs on his way to the end zone to give the Ravens a 10-3 lead.

"I probably haven't seen any better returns," Harbaugh said. "It was remarkable."

In the third quarter, Reed picked off another pass inside the red zone as the Dolphins were trying to cut into a 20-3 deficit.

He nearly had a third interception in the fourth quarter as a pass sailed over his head and was hit on the play, but did get both hands on the ball.

"League MVP, league MVP no doubt, MVP or whatever you want to call it," Ravens wide receiver Mark Clayton said. "He deserves all of the accolades. Ed is such a good guy and he really knows the game. With the things he does, nothing really surprises us."

Reed has intercepted 43 passes in his seven-year career and has returned five for a touchdown. During his career in the playoffs, Reed has five interceptions in three games.

"When he gets the ball, I think score," Harbaugh said. "I think that's what everyone thinks."

Pennington threw just seven interceptions during the regular season, but he was picked off four times by the Ravens, the NFL leader in interceptions.

"If he puts it in the air, we definitely want it, said cornerback Fabian Washington, who had an interception. "We are not a team that is going to shy away from getting interceptions. He put them in some good places to pick and we came up with them."

Baltimore will travel to Tennessee on Saturday to face the Titans, who defeated the Ravens 13-10 on October 5.

The Titans would be wise to avoid throwing in Reed's direction, but the Pro Bowl safety advises against the tactic.

"You can't just throw away from me because we have 10 other guys on the field," Reed said. "This team is just trying to stay focused. Now it's time to get ready for the next one."