Ed Reed confused many players on the field during his Hall of Fame career, and apparently, he also left them quite befuddled off of it. When watching film in preparation for game day, Two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning never really found himself in awe of the legendary Baltimore Ravens safety.
The New York Giants great even thought he could exploit the matchup based on what the tape was showing. But Manning learned what so many others did when facing Reed: looks can be deceiving.
“You kind of saw it on film that he was smooth, {but} you're kind of watching it and you're like, ‘well, I don't think Ed's doing the right thing here. Maybe that was a bust and we can take advantage of it,'” Manning recalled while appearing on The Colin Cowherd Podcast. “Then you realize he's just smarter. He just knew how to read eyes, and he was just such a natural, attracted to the ball. He was like the scariest person.
“I just didn't want to throw near him, because I knew if a ball wasn't perfectly thrown and hit my guy right in the numbers, then somehow he was going to end up with it.”
Article Continues Below.@EliManning tells @colincowherd the NFL player who was much better in game than on film pic.twitter.com/89bhqpFepW
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The worst performance of Manning's rookie 2004 campaign came in a December matchup versus the Ravens. No. 10 completed just 4-of-18 passes for 27 yards and two interceptions, one of which was snagged by Reed. New York suffered a 37-14 loss and actually benched its young quarterback in the second half. Brighter days lay ahead for the player and franchise, but that brutal afternoon in Baltimore was a cautionary tale.
Do not underestimate Ed Reed. The Miami Hurricanes alum recorded nine interceptions for a mind-boggling 358 yards that season, earning Defensive Player of the Year honors and the first of five First-Team All-Pro selections. He was not out of sorts like Eli Manning had hoped. No. 20 was two steps ahead of his opponent.
Evidently, watching film does not always help.