Defense OK Sans Reed? '09 Gives Glimpse
Jun 29, 2010, 2:53PM
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When Ed Reed was reported on the inactive list before the Ravens' Dec. 7 game at Green Bay, even Baltimore fans sitting at home felt a Lambeau-Field-like chill run up their spine.
The Ravens were about to find out if they would survive without their former NFL Defensive MVP, their ball-hawking leader in the secondary.
Baltimore may have to face that possibility again at the start of the 2010 season as Reed told SIRIUS Radio that he's 35 percent healthy and not sure if he'll be ready by the Ravens' Sept. 13th opener. Reed indicated that it could take a year to get back to 100 percent.
But while no player can replace Reed, whose impact on a game can't be fully measured by a box score, Baltimore can look back to last year to be reassured that the sky isn't falling on Baltimore's Super Bowl aspirations.
Baltimore's defense didn't allow a single touchdown to the Detroit Lions or Chicago Bears at home in Weeks 14 and 15. During those wins it held Daunte Culpepper to 135 passing yards and two interceptions and Jay Cutler to 98 yards passing and four interceptions.
Granted, the Bears and Lions won a combined nine games last year. But while the competition should be considered, any NFL team is capable of putting up big numbers.
The tougher test came in losses to the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers on the road. But the secondary still statistically performed well.
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 263 yards, which seems like a lot unless considering that Rodgers averaged 277 yards per game. Rodgers threw three touchdowns but also tossed two interceptions. It was only one of two games on the season in which he was picked off multiple times.
The Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger threw for 259 yards in Week 16, but completed just 16 of 33 passes. The Ravens secondary notched one interception and surrendered one touchdown. Roethlisberger's 75.2 quarterback rating was his third-lowest on the season, 0.1 percentage point better than his second-worst showing.
The Ravens were partly effective because they cracked down on the big play. They allowed just four passing plays of 25 yards or more in the four games, including one against the Packers and two versus the Steelers.
Stepping in for Reed, safety Tom Zbikowski recorded two interceptions (against Green Bay and Detroit), four pass deflections and 14 tackles. If Reed does miss time early, it will likely be Zbikowski or free agent addition Ken Hamlin who will step into a big role.
The Ravens will be tested early on as they open with three of their first four games on the road and three straight games against AFC North foes following their kickoff against the New York Jets.
The statistics show the Ravens secondary can play quite well without Reed. Whether the Ravens can beat upper-echelon teams without Reed has yet to be determined, however.
Baltimore lost to the Packers and Steelers last year and went 1-5 in six games without Reed in 2005, the only other time it has been without its playmaking free safety.
