Bills' Reed faces yet another make-or-break year

TDJets72027 · Jul 18, 2007

Like that fat kid playing with a light-saber in the YouTube video or Howard Dean's genitals-in-a-vice-grip shriek, some are forever defined by their worst moment. It might not be fair, but one miserable incident can forever shade our opinion of someone.

As for Buffalo Bills Josh Reed, it's hard to hear his name without picturing his 2003 Week 1 drop against the Patriots where he was so open that he may as well have been the only one on the field. In addition to serving as the one black mark on an otherwise uncommonly perfect day for the Bills, who won 31-0, it was also an omen that Reed's promising first year was not going to be bettered or even replicated.

Maybe Reed's most inglorious moment would be pushed out of memory if he had some considerable accomplishments since then, but instead he's regularly blended into the offense's background. Once again, this is a season where some observers question whether Reed will even be a Bill on Opening Day, much less contribute significantly. His intermittent performance and long stretches of disappearance aside, this year is yet another chance for Reed to show he can be as productive as he was as a third option way back in 2002.

To be fair, Reed did finish second on the Bills in receiving in 2006, but praising him for being Buffalo's runner-up for receiving yards is like presenting a sash and tiara to the thinnest fat girl at the prom. He mustered a measly 410 yards, just 8 yards ahead of Peerless Price; further, unlike Reed, Price finally started clicking with J.P. Losman later in the season and began emerging as a credible option. Reed's total is under one-third of Lee Evans's 1,292, which is partly a reflection of how good Evans is but more an indication of the relative weakness of his fellow receivers.

Getting two touchdowns and averaging 31.5 yards per game, as Reed did in 2006, won't cut it. Reed defenders would note that his 21 catches for first downs in 2006 is an impressive stat. That equals 61.8 percent of his catches, but that ratio would be much more remarkable for a receiver who rang up more than 34 grabs.

He has the ability to move the chains, but it's largely neutralized by both his occasional drops and invisibility; the latter may or may not have been caused by cosmic radiation, but that's still no excuse, and he certainly hasn't used his superpower for good. Some praise Reed's blocking, but that's like glorifying a 7-foot center whose greatest skill is setting screens. Instead of a good blocker, many would prefer a wideout who is more proficient at, oh, catching.

What exacerbates the disappointment is that Reed showed so much in his rookie season. In Kevin Gilbride's run-fearing offense, he was an ideal complement to Price and Eric Moulds, threatening the center of the field while the two faster guys dominated the periphery. But Gilbride's maddening unwillingness to call less predictable plays eventually gummed up the works. That, coupled with Price moving to Atlanta in order to cash larger checks, started Reed's downfall into obscurity.

It was unfair to think a one-time college running back better equipped to head for the middle than straight downfield could replace Price. But Reed still hasn't done enough since then to even warrant retaining a secondary role.

And, speaking of replacements, Roscoe Parrish is faster, returns punts, and has the potential to accomplish more in his first five seasons than Reed has done, even factoring in the wrist injury that sabotaged most of Parrish's rookie effort.

As with that James Belushi sitcom, Reed bafflingly hangs around despite few admirers and a wretchedly spotty record of quality. He's held a roster spot longer than some have ever dreamed he would; moreover, if it's at the point where Reed making the team is an unfortunate given, the least he could do is show more than a sporadic flash of competence and rare broken tackle. If nothing else, he can try to get more than eight touchdowns over the next five years.
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http://www.realfootball365.com/nfl/articles/2007/07/bills-joshreed-makeorbreak180707.html

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Bills' Reed faces yet another make-or-break year

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Bills' Reed faces yet another make-or-break year

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