Former DHS star ranked as 88th best NFL player ever

Former Destrehan High School star defensive back Ed Reed is getting some high praise from his football colleagues.

NFL Films, in collaboration with the NFL Network, has pieced together a 10-part program that is ranking the top 100 NFL players of all time.

This past week Reed, a six-time All-Pro safety with the Baltimore Ravens, was ranked as the 88th best NFL player of all time. The 2004 NFL Defensive Player of the Year has recorded 46 pass interceptions, forced nine fumbles and scored 13 touchdowns. He also has three blocked punts, one punt return, two fumble recoveries since entering the league as a first round choice from Miami (Fla.) back in 2002.

NFL Films President Steve Sabol says that Reed goes down as one of the top playmakers on defense ever to play in the league.

“The way the league is structured today you think of playmakers on offense, but Ed Reed changed that in the 2000’s,” he said. “He has great instincts to the football and a general knack for being around the football. Ed is very deserving of this honor and he truly is one of the best defensive backs to ever play this game. He is a surefire NFL Hall of Fame player.”

Reed’s presentation on the NFL Network was narrated by Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro wide receiver Hines Ward.
The voting for the 100 greatest NFL players of all time came from a panel of football historians, current and former NFL coaches and players and select sportswriters and sportscasters.

 

Blue sees his first action for the Tigers

Former Hahnville High School standout halfback Alfred Blue saw his first college action this past weekend when the LSU Tigers defeated Vanderbilt 27-3.

Blue, a true freshman for LSU, rushed the ball 5 times for 23 yards and scored his first collegiate touchdown with a 6-yard gallop in the fourth quarter.

LSU head coach Les Miles says he is excited about the progress of Blue.

“Alfred did a very good job for us out there. He runs with power and speed and he is very versatile,” he said. “He’s a tough runner and I love his physical nature. He is going to be a nice addition to our stable of backs and I am expecting big things from him in the future. He made some mistakes out there, but he also made some very positive plays.”

 

Young wins debut

Former Hahnville quarterback B.J. Young connected on 18 of his 38 passes for 148 yards to help Southeastern Louisiana beat UT Martin 24-10 last week.

 

It was Different, but it was a Win

If I wrote last week that the New Orleans Saints would only score 14 points against the Minnesota Vikings virtually everyone would have thought the Saints would have lost their season-opener to the Vikings.

While we were all staring at the points scored by the Saints last season we might have overlooked a developing young defense.

In the 14-9 win over the Vikings the Saints offense didn’t kick into high gear. We saw four dropped passes from the usually sure-handed wide receiver unit and we also saw Garrett Hartley miss two makeable field goals.

I am not very concerned about the Saints offense. Those big numbers posted on the scoreboard will reappear in the very near future.

But what we saw was a Saints defense that gave up only 87 yards on 19 carries to one of the premier runners in the game in Adrian Peterson and a stout defensive front which confused, pressured and harassed Vikings quarterback Brett Favre all evening.

It was a very impressive performance motivated by a lack of respect from many outside the Saints locker room.

“We had something to prove tonight,” said Saints defensive tackle Anthony Hargrove. “Our offense is terrific, but everyone was saying that our defense was a liability.

“I don’t know what they will write or talk about now. We are ready to show everyone that we have some good players on this side of the ball also.”

With good health to both starting cornerbacks, Tracy Porter and Jabari Greer, the Saints used a variety of defensive schemes to get additional pressure on Favre while also having defenders scattered throughout the field to make the veteran quarterback try and squeeze the football into tight coverages.

“That was a very impressive performance out there by the Saints defense and their offensive line,” said former New Orleans Saints head coach Jim Mora. “The Saints defense was physical, they gave up just a limited amount of big plays and they tackled well. Brett Favre had a small window to drop passes into.  I also thought the Saints offensive line did a great job protecting Drew Brees and opening up holes in the fourth quarter. Some might say this was an ugly win, but in my mind it was a beautiful victory.”

Getting off to a 1-0 start is important, but no one could have guessed the real star performers would have been on defense against a team featuring Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson, Percy Harvin and Visanthe Shiancoe.

 

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