Jets safety Ed Reed will play his first game at MetLife Stadium with the team on Sunday against the Dolphins. He was upset to learn Wednesday he won’t see famed Jets fan “Fireman Ed” leading the cheers.
“That guy with the hard hat on, is he still here? What’s his name, Fireman Ed?” Reed said. “I need him getting the whole stadium crunked.”
“Fireman” Ed Anzalone quit a year ago after the Jets were humiliated on Thanksgiving by the Patriots 49-19 in the game famous for Mark Sanchez’s “buttfumble.” Anzalone stopped leading the “J-E-T-S” chant after that game.
Reed joked that maybe Anzalone would come back.
“He retired? I can’t believe it. We need to bring him out of retirement,” Reed said.
The Jets are 4-1 this season at home and 1-5 on the road. Reed said the Jets are counting on the fans to give them a boost on Sunday.
“It’s going to be fun to play in front of the home crowd and have that energy that we need,” Reed said. “We’re going to need the 12th man really bad to get this going the right way, to try to get this train moving to where we want to go. I think as a team we need it. We need that energy.”
CB Antonio Cromartie did not practice with a hip injury and coach Rex Ryan said he could be a game-time decision.
“That’s tough to call right now,” Ryan said.
WR Jeremy Kerley practiced on a limited basis after missing the last two games with an elbow injury. Kerley was unsure if he could play Sunday.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I’m going to try to go out there.”
Reed has not been a part of a win since last year’s Super Bowl when he played for the Ravens. The Texans lost all seven games he played in this season and the Jets are 0-2 since he joined them. Reed said he doesn’t dwell on it since football is a team game.
“I’m not playing this game by myself,” he said. “There’s not 53 Ed Reeds or 46 Ed Reeds dressing out on Sunday. That’d be a Super Bowl right there.”
Reed did say he wants to win very badly.
“When we do win I might dump Gatorade on myself,” he joked.
DL Sheldon Richardson was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month … The team signed TE Chris Pantale to the active roster from the practice squad and added WR Michael Campbell to the practice squad.