JETSerious: The Film Don’t Lie Featuring Jets FS Ed Reed

Let’s welcome back our good buddy JETSerious, with a film breakdown of safety Ed Reed.

Today we’re going to go inside the film room, and break down the play of Jets (free agent to be) Safety Ed Reed.

Reed has tremendous upside, when you consider his impact in the locker room. But some feel he’s lost a step, and rightfully so.

So, do the Jets bring Reed back for another year? That’s the million dollar question… literally.

Let’s take a look at the tape, and dissect Reed’s impact on the field.

Enjoy!

Jets vs. Raiders

Ed Reed communicates with Dawan Landry prior to the snap, as shown above. He is confirming the coverage, which includes a blitz from Dawan Landry.

The Jets send six, dropping five into coverage. Reed has the go to jump any short route, because the Raiders are backed up in their own territory and the Jets are sending pressure. This means that the QB will have to get rid of the throw in a hurry.

The Raiders call a pass, intended to go to the first receiver; a shallow cross over the middle. With Cromartie taking the deep portion of the field (bottom blue arrow), Reed (yellow) is able to gamble on a short pass over the middle.

Reed reads the quarterback’s eyes, leading him directly in front of the crossing route.

Once the pass is thrown, Reed is able to attack the ball at its highest point. This is a critical aspect to the turnover, requiring Reed to beat the receiver to the ball. He is able to make the pick. It doesn’t look like he lost a step yet,does it?

Let’s continue…

Once Reed makes the interception, it looks like he should be able to reach the end zone untouched. Here is where it looks like he may have lost a step since his glory days in Baltimore.

Reed, not quick enough to reach the end zone untouched, shakes a defender and gets the ball inside the 5 yard line.

Instead of picking on Ed for losing a step, we should praise him for his smarts. If you look closely above (yellow), you can see that Reed knows that the Raiders are going for the strip-fumble. Reed holds on to the ball tightly, assuring a Jets takeaway.

Continue with us to page 2, where we’ll break down Ed Reed’s interception during the Jets week 17’s win down in Miami…

Jets @ Dolphins

A big reason to the Jets success in week 17 has a lot to do with making Ryan Tannehill uncomfortable inside the pocket. On this play, the Dolphins send five receivers out. This play is intended to hit the deep IN-route across the middle. The Jets are playing a cover 3, it least appears, with Ed Reed responsible for the deep 1/3 (center field).

Reed is circled in red. He is at his best when he reads the quarterback’s eyes. He’s excellent at keeping everything in front of him, because it’s harder to catch up to a receiver while turning your hips around, rather than attacking the ball/receiver downhill. With Reed staying deep and keeping everything in front of him, Landry is able to try and jump the deep IN.

Landry (blue) closes in on the route very nicely, allowing him to create a pass deflection. Reed (red) begins to attack the football, in the event the ball is tipped.

Above, you can see how deep Reed (red) is from the ball and Tannehill’s intended receiver (yellow).

Here’s a better look from the end zone angle, where you can see how far Reed truly is. Ed is at least ten yards from the tipped pass. He is across the far hash mark, away from the ball. Still, he is able to locate the ball in the air and begin to close in.

Reed (red) scoops another interception, and attempts to take it to the house. We all know he didn’t return the INT for a touchdown, but the fact that he is able to reach the ball on the fly is very impressive.

Just look at Rex Ryan. Although this is a different interception from a different game, that’s besides the fact that Rex still gets a fire in his belly when his guy, Ed Reed makes a play. Rex is circled in red and ecstatic on the sidelines. He is sprinting towards Reed! You’ve got to love Rex’s enthusiasm for his players, especially the future Hall of Fame safety.

Obviously, I’m a little biased when it comes to Ed Reed and his spot on the Jets final 53-man roster in 2014. But what do you think?