MIAMI – Memo to Kerry Collins:
Do not throw the ball anywhere near Ed Reed.
He wears No. 20 and he plays safety the way Willie Mays played center field and all you have to do is ask Chad Pennington.
Collins, Giant fans may recall, threw four interceptions in Super Bowl XXXV against Ray Lewis and the Ravens – and Reed wasn’t even in the league yet.
All Reed did yesterday was snare two of Pennington’s four interceptions, one of them became a 64-yard touchdown that broke a 3-3 tie and changed the whole afternoon for the Ravens, 27-9 winners over the Dolphins yesterday. Baltimore’s defense also recovered a fumble.
Collins exacted a small measure of revenge back in October when he beat the Ravens with an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Alge Crumpler with 1:56 left, but this is a different defense when it smells the money and the blood.
The Ravens and Titans collide Saturday in what will be a violent AFC Divisional playoff matchup.
For the Dolphins, it was Reed it and weep.
Terrell Suggs: “The kid’s a freak and he’s the greatest safety alive. When he gets the ball, he’s going to go the distance with it. . . . Ed Reed can cover everybody on the field.”
Ravens coach John Harbaugh: “He’s maybe the best player in the game. Put him next to Ray Lewis and we’ll say they’re the two best in the game.”
Reed’s second interception was all the more impressive because he won a chess match with the brainy Pennington and denied a Dolphins red zone threat.
“He’s up 20-3, and he totally leaves his spot and shows up in a place you would never imagine him being in,” Pennington said with admiration.
It was another example of the marriage between instincts and athletic arrogance that defines Reed.
“Playoffs is totally about reaction – not holding back, trusting what you know and going with it,” Reed said.
Reed registered nine interceptions this season, with two touchdowns. He has five interceptions in three career playoff games. He has 12 career touchdowns.
“I played offense a long time ago,” Reed said, and smiled. “Just having the ball is in me. Wanting to score is in me.”
Reed used to play the outfield and admired Ken Griffey Jr.
“You know they’re gonna know where he is,” safety Jim Leonhard said.
Even when they know where he is, he’s dangerous, and the first interception was a perfect example.
“It was just a quick snap; Samari (Rolle) wasn’t ready. I wasn’t ready,” Reed said. “The ball kinda floated a little bit. It was just a matter of catching it.” And returning it. “It felt like a 200 from track. I don’t think I caught my breath until like the third quarter,” Reed said. “It was fun.”
Patrick Cobbs had lost a fumble at his 19, resulting in an 8-yard Le’Ron McClain touchdown run that made it 20-3 when Pennington, left naked without a running game, engineered a time-consuming drive late in the third quarter. That’s when Reed darted in front of Cobbs at the Ravens 8 for his second interception.
“Corey (Ivy) had got a great jam inside . . . that gave me enough time to get over there,” Reed said.
Poised rookie Joe Flacco (9-for-23, 135 yards, 1 rushing TD) was error-free, thanks in large part to a smashmouth running game (151 yards on 33 carries) – and of course, Reed.
“We are spoiled,” Flacco said. “You see him catch the ball and you are like, not again! He takes it to the end zone almost every time.”
Reed said he doesn’t care about any Defensive Player of the Year honors.
“We’re on a mission to win the Super Bowl,” he said. “If I win it, I win it. If I don’t, I don’t. There’s only one trophy – I want to put my hands on it. That’s why we play this game.”
PARCELLS WILL STAY
Executive vice president of football operations Bill Parcells will return to the Dolphins next season and not exercise an escape clause in his contract, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
“Bill’s going to stay,” owner H. Wayne Huizenga told the newspaper. “He told me (Friday) he’s going to stay. He said he likes it here.”
– with Post wire services
Ravens 27 Dolphins 9