Ravens vs. Patriots: Ed Reed Justified in Calling out Joe Flacco

Ed Reed has never won a Super Bowl, and with his career winding down, this year may represent the best chance he has to do so.

The last thing he needs is his quarterback blowing that for him.

Consider me one of the people who think Reed's recent comments about Joe Flacco on SiriusXM Blitz were totally on-point (via Julian Benbow of Boston.com):

"

Joe was kind of rattled a little bit by that defense. They had a lot of guys in the box on him and they were giving it to him. I think a couple of times he needed to get rid of the ball. It just didn't look like he had a hold on the offense.

It was just kind of like (Baltimore's coaches) was telling him to do, throw the ball or get it here, you know, get it to certain guys. And he can't play like that.

"

Let's break this down paragraph-by-paragraph:

1. Flacco was rattled by that defense, and to a certain extent it's understandable. The Texans defense is very, very good, and they sustained pressure on Flacco all game long. It made him more passive than he should be as the team's quarterback.

2. The subtext from the last sentence of the first paragraph through the entire second paragraph is simple: Joe needs to take control of his football team. HIS football team. He can't just do what he's told, he needs to do whatever it takes out on the field to win.

Whether you like Reed saying it publicly or not, he's sending Flacco a very clear message—take the wheel of this ship. Take control of the game. Be the captain, kid.

Ed Reed's a leader of the locker room, and as he told Chris Berman on SportsCenter, "there's always a method to the madness."

For what it's worth, he also called out the offensive line and the offensive scheme for not getting Ricky Williams involved enough in the game.

However, as always, we're focusing on Flacco. We should be—he's the quarterback.

Which is why Reed's message needed to be delivered, one way or another. The Ravens will go only as far as Flacco can take them.

This makes Reed's point clear. Joe Flacco better be willing to lead them.

Otherwise, Ed Reed won't be getting his Super Bowl ring this year.

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