If the 21st Century NFL adopted the two-way "iron man" playing rules of the sport's early days, no modern player would have an easier transition than Ravens safety Ed Reed, a defensive player who turns into an offensive playmaker as soon as the ball comes his way.
Baltimore Ravens' Ed Reed
Last Sunday, Mr. Reed caught the 50th interception of his career, and, as usual, he didn't let the play end there. Mr. Reed is fond of transforming himself into an option quarterback after he intercepts a pass, and he celebrated Sunday's interception in style, gaining 19 yards before lateraling the ball to teammate Dawan Landry, who ran 23 more yards for a touchdown. It was the sixth time Mr. Reed has lateraled an interception to a teammate, and those teammates have averaged 9.7 more yards after getting the ball from Mr. Reed.
But where Mr. Reed really shines is when he keeps the ball to himself. He has 1,338 interception-return yards in his career, averaging 26.8 yards a return. That's the highest interception-return average in NFL history among players with at least 30 interceptions; the only other player with at least 30 picks to average more than 25 yards a return is Mr. Reed's former teammate, Deion Sanders.
Mr. Reed is third in NFL history in total interception-return yards, 145 yards shy of Rod Woodson's record. With a little bit of luck, Mr. Reed could break that this season. After all, he set the NFL record for the longest interception return when he ran one back 106 yards in 2004, only to break his own record in 2008 with a 107-yard return.
—Michael David Smith
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