Rapid Reactions Heading into Week Eleven

By: Matt Harmon

Jets sign FS Ed Reed

• Contrary to popular fan sentiment, this was the only landing spot that made any sense for Reed. The Patriots do not need him with stud Devin McCourty already playing like Reed in his prime, and the Ravens already burned that bridge. You scroll on down for a breakdown of where Ed Reed is as a player at this point; he is most likely done and has not put good tape out there for the past two years. However, if Reed can come to the Jets, and a coach in Rex Ryan he is very familiar with, and gives them twenty-five or so quality snaps a game, then this is a very successful signing. Can Reed do that? Maybe not, but where is the risk here? If he is even half the player he used to be, Reed can fill the biggest hole on the Jets defense, and at the very least he is an extremely intelligent player who is well versed in this defensive scheme who can impart a bit of wisdom to some the young safeties like Jaiquawn Jarrett and Antonio Allen while he rides the bench. Let’s not act like the Jets gave Reed a massive and irresponsible contract based on reputation like the Texans did, this is a low money deal with virtually no risk to give Reed a looksee to find out if he can help a team surprisingly in contention. This signing could be completely inconsequential in a few weeks, but it’s a no risk move with the potential for a slight reward. It is doubtful Rex has unreasonable expectations for Ed Reed at this point in his career, as anything more than a part-time player and veteran leader.

Texans Waive FS Ed Reed

• To the casual football fan, this transaction probably brings about a lot of confusion; Ed Reed is a champion, a future Hall of Famer, and one of the two best safeties of our generation. The truth is that Reed’s play had already begun to slip in his final season as a Raven, and the Texans irresponsibly signed him to a big contract to replace the departed Glover Quinn and bring a championship pedigree to the youngest franchise in the NFL. Reed subsequently missed all of the offseason, and the early part of the season, after a hip surgery and was clearly not the same player when he returned to the field. The Texans had already begun to limit his snaps and he only appeared on twelve plays Sunday against the Cardinals. After the game the always outspoken safety said the Texans were outcoached in the loss to the Cardinals, a rather insensitive comment given that their head coach missed the game after suffering a warning stroke during the team’s previous loss to the Colts. His play likely got Reed his walking papers, but those comments probably did not help his cause. Bottom line is that Reed did not have a role with the Texans, a team that already had a starting safety on IR, and it is very likely he is done and is at the end of an illustrious career. It is very hard to see any team having serious interest in him, and even more so claiming his contract on waivers. Contrary to the popular narrative, Reed is not a fit in New England or back in Baltimore. The best, and maybe only, fit for Reed is to join a former coach as a role player and possibly fill the biggest hole on a potential playoff team's defense. No matter what, let’s just hope no team fools themselves into believing Reed is a great or even full time player anymore based off his name. The Texans’ mistake is an important one for all NFL team’s to learn from.  
  

Titans lose QB Jake Locker for the season

• This injury probably solidifies the “injury prone” label for Locker. Locker has never played a full 16 game schedule in his young career, and this is his second injury of this season. Locker suffered the dreaded Lisfranc injury, and will miss the rest of this season. The injury really is a shame for Locker who was playing the best football of his young career, and seemed to be rounding into the franchise quarterback that the Titans dreamed he would be when they made him the eighth overall pick in 2011. Locker should be ready to return to return to the field in the offseason, though it is reasonable to question whether he can still be an effective player; Matt Schuab’s play fell off a cliff around the same time he returned from a Lisfranc injury. The Titans may not even have a job for him when he returns. Can this team afford to not give itself a viable alternative to a quarterback who has sustained a number of injuries, and has never been a consistent quarterback even if he was starting the corner? Also, this is hard to judge after owner Bud Adams’ passing, but if the Titans do not make the playoffs this year the coaching staff that drafted and believed strongly in Locker may be gone. This rally is an unfortunate situation for a young player who seemed to finally be finding his stride in the league.

Texans place Arian Foster on IR

• This one has been brewing since Foster missed most of the offseason and preseason with a back injury. Now, Foster is done for the season with another back injury and the backfield duties with be split between Ben Tate and undrafted free agent, Dennis Johnson. This is a big opportunity for Ben Tate, one of the better back up running backs in the league and an impending free agent, to showcase himself to the 31 other teams in the NFL. Tate is dealing with an injury of his own, a recurring theme for him, and has never shown he can carry the load on his own, so it should be no surprise if Johnson, a solid all around player, actually ends up being the more productive player. Even if Tate does take this opportunity and run with it, he will just be setting the stage for some team to overpay for him in the offseason. Tate is not nearly as a good a player as Arian Foster, and this loss does hurt the Texans in the short term. In the long term, it is fair to wonder if Foster will ever be the same player again. Foster was already carrying a large amount of touches in his young career, and back injuries seem to always linger with players. 
  

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