Ray Lewis and Ed Reed probably will always be linked, two longtime friends who have defined the Ravens' defensive dominance but as Lewis prepares to play what could be the final home game of his 17-year career on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, Reed said he's not thinking about his own future.
"I'm going to go to the next question because I'm not in that mindset," said Reed when asked about his future plans.
The 34-year-old, who was selected to his ninth Pro Bowl last week, is a free agent after the season and the Ravens have a tough decision to make on whether to bring him back. Reed has pondered retirement the past couple of offseasons, and after dealing with shoulder and neck injuries throughout his career, he has said several times that his long-term health will factor heavily in his decision.
"Family is No. 1. My son is young, but like I said, I am not thinking about that right now," Reed said. "That's not my question. That question is not for me in my career right now. Maybe later in the offseason, some time I'll start thinking about that stuff. I'm not thinking about it right now."
Reed said Lewis told him this past offseason that the 2012-13 campaign would be his last, so while the inside linebacker surprised many of his teammates Wednesday by walking up to the front of the auditorium and telling them that these playoffs would be his "last ride," Reed was hardly fazed.
"Like [Terrell Suggs] said, 'bittersweet' all at the same time. You want to see the guy play. You want to see him play the thing that he loves because we all love it," Reed said. "But, he put things in perspective. I told him, 'You really put things in perspective because all of us have that moment.' All of us are going to have that moment where it's all over. To be part of Ray Lewis' career in my 11 years here with him, it's been amazing. I'm nothing without the D-line and the linebackers. Without Ray, my career probably is not the same."
Source: Baltimore Sun
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January 03, 2013
