Ed Reed tried to topple the New England Patriots throughout his playing career but he’s willing to help the team in his football afterlife.
The Hall of Fame safety revealed Monday on “The Dan Patrick Show” he considered applying for the job of Patriots defensive backs coach. Reed said head coach Bill Belichick taught him a lot as a player and he’s keen to continue learning from the legendary Patriots boss.
“I told him I was thinking about putting in an offer to take his DB (defensive backs) job,” Reed said, as transcribed by WEEI.com. “He was blown away by that.
“I don’t know. I know Coach (Belichick) would be something I wouldn’t mind learning (from) how to be a better coach. I learned so much from watching him and understanding after winning a championship, knowing what it took to win a championship. I had a lot of coach-ear when I played and I think coaches could attest to that on the conversations we’ve had. … Just watching Coach Belichick over the years, interviews, what have you, his book, reading his book and just how he conducted things for his team helped me to be a better leader on my team.”
Reed told The Buffalo News last Friday he’d “love” to join the Patriots coaching staff. His only previous coaching experience in the NFL came in 2016 when he was an assistant defensive backs coach for the Buffalo Bills.
Nevertheless, the Patriots don’t have a defensive coordinator or defensive backs coach, and Belichick is expected to handle most of the play-calling duties on that side of the ball. Should he decide he needs some extra help, reaching out to one of the best defensive backs in NFL history seems like a sensible option to consider.
