GOAT Index

Two legends at a time. Thousands of votes. One ranking.

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Ed Reed: the case for the GOAT

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    Ed Reed: the case for the GOAT

    S · Ravens · Born 11 September 1978, St. Rose, Louisiana, USA · Career 2002–2013

    Free safety who spent 11 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, a ball hawk whose instincts made him the most feared deep defender of his era.

    Career highlights

    Why Ed Reed could be the GOAT

    Reed holds the record for most interception return yards and twice had returns of over 100 yards. Quarterbacks like Peyton Manning openly game-planned around where he was. No safety has combined ball-hawking and game-changing returns like Reed.

    What fans say

    Ed Reed is #24 of 30 in the fan ranking, with a 0–2 head-to-head record from 74 NFL votes. See the full NFL GOAT ranking

    Ed Reed head to head

    How the ranking works. Every head-to-head vote is a result, like a game. The standings use a Bradley–Terry model, the same idea behind chess ratings: beating a highly rated legend counts for more than beating a long shot. Ratings are shown on a chess-style scale centred on 1500.

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