Ed Reed had a Hall of Fame career that ended in 2013, and while he waits for Canton to come calling, the former Ravens first-round pick is the latest addition to Rex Ryan's staff in Buffalo. The two men were together in Baltimore from 2002-2008, and reunited during Reed's final season with the Jets, where Ryan was the head coach.
All told, Reed played for three teams in 12 NFL seasons -- the first 11 with the Ravens, the last split between the Texans and Jets. And while Tom Brady once courted Reed to join the Patriots, it never happened and the two remained on-field rivals. But that didn't stop Reed's 8-year-old son from becoming a Pats fan, and the reasons are pretty simple.
"His mom is from Boston, though she's not a Patriots fan," Reed said last week, via ESPN.com. "His grandmother lives up there, and the kid likes champions, man. What can I say? I grew up in New Orleans, I loved my home [town] team, but I was a San Francisco [49ers] fan. I was a Joe [Montana] fan. So that's just how it is.
"When you're a kid and you're watching sports growing up, who's winning those championships? You tend to gravitate toward winners. Which is a good thing. It helps you from a work ethic standpoint, who you're watching. Who wants to follow losers? Just saying."
Put another way: If history is any guide, we probably don't have to worry about Reed's son becoming a Bills fan anytime soon.
