Nine-time Pro Bowl safety Ed Reed did it all, but the interception is what he’ll most be remembered for in his 12-year NFL career.
He walks away ranked sixth on the all-time list with 64 interceptions in the regular season. His nine postseason picks are tied for first with three others — Charlie Waters, Bill Simpson, and Ronnie Lott — on the career list.
He led the NFL in interceptions three times (2004, 2008, and 2010) and twice led the league in interception return yards (2004 and 2010).
His 1,590 interception yards in the regular season are the most in NFL history while he added 168 more in the playoffs. Putting those together, Reed fell just two yards shy of a full mile in interception return yardage for his career.
In total, 46 passers — a full active roster on game day — were intercepted by the 2002 first-round pick from the University of Miami. Of that group, half went to a Pro Bowl at least once in their careers and six were starting quarterbacks to win a Super Bowl.
Only Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay, Minnesota, and New Orleans avoided throwing an interception against Reed. He never played a game against the Bears — he was injured for contests against them in 2005 and 2009 — and all of those teams except the Ravens played in the NFC.
Reed was right in expressing his love for Cleveland quarterbacks during his retirement press conference as his 12 interceptions against the Browns were his highest total against any team, but he also plagued Cincinnati 10 times. Pittsburgh came in third, but only three of those six interceptions came against Ben Roethlisberger despite nearly a decade of battles between the Steelers quarterback and the Ravens safety.
Brian Griese was the first interception victim when Reed was 24 and Ryan Tannehill was the last in the 35-year-old Reed’s final game in 2013.
Reed’s final interception in a Ravens uniform came against Colin Kaepernick in Super Bowl XLVII, the night he’d raise the Vince Lombardi Trophy for the only time in his career.
A 41-year-old Vinny Testaverde was the oldest quarterback on which the intercepting Reed preyed.
Brian St. Pierre was the most obscure to be victimized as he was picked off by Reed in his only NFL start.
Former New York Jets running back LaMont Jordan was the only non-quarterback to be intercepted by the ball-hawking free safety. It came during Reed’s 2004 Defensive Player of the Year season, and a holding penalty wiped out what would have been a 104-yard return for a touchdown on the play.
Carson Palmer threw the most interceptions (six) against Reed, but the future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning tossed the highest number (three) in the playoffs. It was a family affair for the Manning brothers as Eli was intercepted once by Reed in 2004.
Three quarterbacks — Roethlisberger, Charlie Batch, and Jason Campbell — went five years in between throwing interceptions to Reed.
Campbell and Griese were Reed’s only victims to throw interceptions playing for two different teams. Campbell was the only quarterback that Reed intercepted both as a Raven and as a Jet.
Derek Anderson was the only passer to be intercepted by Reed in three straight seasons.
And even though they once played together in Philadelphia, Jeff Garcia and Kevin Kolb will forever be linked for throwing record-setting interceptions to the incomparable safety. Reed returned a Garcia interception 106 yards for a touchdown in 2004 and ran one back 107 yards for a score against Kolb in 2008. They are the two longest interception returns in NFL history.
In all, 73 interceptions and a Hall of Fame career no one in Baltimore will ever forget.
Passers who threw interceptions to Reed (including postseason)
1) Carson Palmer – 6
2) Peyton Manning – 4 (three in postseason)
3) Kelly Holcomb – 3
4) Derek Anderson – 3
5) Ben Roethlisberger – 3
6) Jason Campbell – 3
7) Tom Brady – 2 (one in postseason)
8) Chad Pennington – 2 (both in postseason)
9) Brian Griese – 2
10) Jon Kitna – 2
11) Ryan Fitzpatrick – 2
12) Andy Dalton – 2
13) Colt McCoy – 2
14) David Garrard – 2
15) Trent Green – 2
16) Charlie Batch – 2
17) Tony Romo – 2
18) Steve McNair – 1 (postseason)
19) T.J. Yates – 1 (postseason)
20) Jeff Garcia – 1
21) Kevin Kolb – 1
22) Trent Dilfer – 1
23) Colin Kaepernick – 1 (postseason)
24) Gus Frerotte – 1
25) Donovan McNabb – 1
26) Michael Vick – 1
27) Matt Hasselbeck – 1
28) Kellen Clemens – 1
29) David Carr – 1
30) Drew Brees – 1
31) Chad Henne – 1
32) Ryan Tannehill – 1
33) Brandon Weeden – 1
34) Matt McGloin – 1
35) Jeff Blake – 1
36) Marc Bulger – 1
37) Vince Young – 1
38) Brian St. Pierre – 1
39) Tommy Maddox – 1
40) Drew Bledsoe – 1
41) Vinny Testaverde – 1
42) Chris Simms – 1
43) Charlie Frye – 1
44) Eli Manning – 1
45) Sage Rosenfels – 1
46) LaMont Jordan – 1
