Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed has no role in the Major League Baseball playoffs. So don't expect his shoulder injury to affect his playing time Sunday against the Houston Texans.
"I didn't drop any bombshell," Reed told NFL.com and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport this week. "I'm not a pitcher. I don't play baseball. So long as I'm not throwing. ... That's something that we knew about. It's nothing to worry about. It is what it is.
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"The last few weeks, I have been dealing with it. I am not a pitcher, so I am not throwing anything. I haven't been pressing, so it's alright."
Reed's been around long enough to know he put his foot in his mouth when he went on a Baltimore radio show and revealed he's been playing with a partially torn labrum. Reed hasn't been on the injury report in weeks, and the NFL is now investigating why that's the case.
A source told Rapoport the team was "very upset" with Reed for disclosing his injury information. Reed says banged-up players not showing up on the injury report is commonplace. We don't doubt him on that.
Reed will be on the field when the Ravens visit the Texans in a conference showdown with potentially huge implications on the playoff picture in January. Texans tight end Owen Daniels said Houston doesn't expect a limited Reed.
"A lot of people play banged up," Daniels told Rapoport. "Just about every linemen in this league probably has a torn labrum, with all the banging they do down there. I don't know. I don't think that's affecting my preparation at all. I don't see any differences on film from him. He looks like Ed."
The Ravens need Reed to be himself as they attempt to fix their defense. Entering Sunday, the unit is ranked 26th in football. No wonder Terrell Suggs is rushing back to action.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @danhanzus.
