Playing the Browns had Ravens safety Ed Reed all fired up Sunday afternoon. When Reed wasn't intercepting passes on the field, he was getting too close to a heater on the sideline during a 20-10 victory at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
Baltimore Ravens free safety Ed Reed intercepts a pass intended for Cleveland Browns wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi in the second quarter of Sunday's game in Cleveland.
When Reed wasn't intercepting passes on the field, he was getting too close
to a heater on the sideline during a 20-10 victory at Cleveland Browns
Stadium.
After a fourth-quarter pick, Reed put on a full-length warmup jacket and
backed up to the heater. The next thing he knew, the lower portion of the
jacket was smoldering.
Reed ripped off the clothing and threw it on the ground.
"You've got to be smarter than that when you're trying to stay warm,'' Reed
said with a chuckle.
Interestingly, Reed earlier told Ravens coach John Harbaugh not to get too
close to the heater or he might regret it.
Harbaugh was unaware of the incident until he followed Reed to the podium
at the Ravens' postgame news conference.
"I think you've got your hook for your story: Ed was on fire,'' Harbaugh
told reporters. "And he really was on fire. He just played so well. He's
such a big factor back there.''
Perhaps the football gods were getting back at Reed for an ill-advised move
shortly after the interception. Reed grabbed the Colt McCoy pass just beyond
the goal line and returned it to the Baltimore 29, then flipped the ball
back in the neighborhood of teammate Lardarius Webb. The Ravens, leading,
20-10, were fortunate Webb fell on it at the Baltimore 29 with 4:35 left.
"You will never hear me say this -- but that was a dumb decision,'' Reed
said.
Harbaugh and Reed's teammates are quick to forgive him for the occasional
brain cramps, because they know he will more than make up for them. Reed, a
nine-year pro, finished with two interceptions Sunday to give him six in
nine games this season. His 52 career picks rank second on the active list
behind the Saints' Darren Sharper, who entered the weekend with 63.
Reed's 52 return yards boosted his career total to 1,390.
The future Hall of Famer loves to face Cleveland, against which he owns 10
interceptions. Reed had welcomed McCoy to the club when he stepped in front
of a floater in the second quarter and returned it 20 yards to midfield.
McCoy went 15-of-29 for 149 yards and three interceptions and rushed four
times for 30 yards. Reed, willing to look past McCoy's 27.0 rating, gave
props to the rookie.
"Colt did a great job of managing the game,'' Reed said. "He got out of the
pocket and used his legs. Any time you can get out of the pocket, it makes a
difference.''
The only passer to hurt the Ravens on the scoreboard was Browns receiver
Mohamed Massaquoi, who threw a 29-yard pass to Brian Robiskie to make it 7-0
midway through the first quarter. Cornerback Chris Carr lost track of the
ball as Robiskie dived to secure it.
The play originated with a fake handoff by Seneca Wallace.
"We knew they were going to have something, and we had that play covered,''
Reed said. "We just need to play the ball better. It was a great catch by
Massaquoi and a great catch over there.''
In the aftermath of Baltimore's sixth consecutive victory over Cleveland,
Reed and his teammates opted not to talk smack.
"Much respect to Cleveland,'' Reed said. "They have been fighting all
season, and we knew it was going to be tough. They hung around and gave
themselves a chance to win; we just made a couple more plays.''
The Ravens, who have won three straight games, clinched a playoff berth for
the third consecutive season.