Ed

Injuries may have sapped the Ravens of starting linebackers Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs for Sunday's contest against the Washington Redskins, but the Ravens will still feature free safety Ed Reed in their defensive backfield. And the Redskins are fully aware of the eight-time Pro Bowler's potential to wreak havoc at FedEx Field. “Ed Reed, he's the top of that defense,” Washington's exciting rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III said after Wednesday's practice. “With Ray Lewis being out, he is the leader of that defense.

The absence of inside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe and tight end Ed Dickson from Wednesday's practice isn't shocking. But cornerback Corey Graham was also not present during the portion of practice open to the media. Graham was not reported to have suffered an injury in the aftermath of the Ravens' 16-13 overtime win against the San Diego Chargers this past Sunday. His absence might not be serious, but if Graham is unavailable, the defense may have to turn to either Chris Johnson or Chykie Brown to start against the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday.

Actor Ed Norton might not make any retailer's favorite actor award this year after heartily endorsing Patagonia's anti-Cyber Monday stance. While most other companies were doing anything they could to lure buyers on Cyber Monday, one of the biggest online shopping days of the year, the outdoor gear provider Patagonia went the opposite direction. The company flat-out asked people not to buy anything from their store. Their pitch showed a picture of a Patagonia fleece with a bold-faced message, "DON'T BUY THIS JACKET.

The NFL should be ashamed of itself for suspending Ravens safety Ed Reed for a game because of his hit on Pittsburgh receiver Emmanuel Sanders in the third quarter of Sunday night's game. It's one thing to fine a guy several thousand dollars, but another when you start taking away game checks. That's when you start messing with his livelihood and his family. The NFL has crossed the line. I could see if Reed was another James Harrison, the Steelers' outside linebacker who intentionally tries to hurt players.

The Ravens caught a big break when the NFL overturned Ed Reed's one-game suspension on appeal Tuesday and instead imposed a $50,000 fine for his third violation of the league's player safety rules over the past three seasons. Reed will be able to practice this week and play in Sunday's game in San Diego, and the Ravens will not be missing a third key starter in the defensive secondary against the pass-happy San Diego Chargers. So, all's well that ends well, right? Not necessarily.

Ravens safety Ed Reed said that he was grateful that his one-game suspension for repeated violations of the rule prohibiting hits to the head and neck area of defenseless players was lifted Tuesday after his appeal. As a result, Reed will be on the field Sunday against the San Diego Chargers. However Reed was assessed a $50,000 fine for his hit on Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders in the third quarter of the Ravens 13-10 victory. defended his style of play, acknowledged that there is a “fine line” between protecting players and not taking away from the game and said the new rules and fines are creating a “flag football thing.” “The rules of the game have changed a whole lot since I got in the league,” said Reed after distributing turkeys to families of Booker T. Washington Middle School along with teammates Cary Williams and Anquan Boldin.

Here's a look at what other media outlets are saying about the one-game suspension for Ravens safety Ed Reed for repeated violation of player safety rules. • Mike Florio of NBCSports' ProFootballTalk believes the decision means the NFL has a "three strikes" policy for repeat offenders of the safety rules . The punishment comes in response to Reed's third penalty for violating the rules protecting defenseless players in the past three seasons. It suggests that, if the league intends to be consistent, any player with three violations in a three-year window will receive a one-game suspension.

Every week, I hope to bring you a quick Q&A with someone who covers the Ravens' opponent that week. In case you haven't heard, the Ravens play the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on Sunday. I chatted with longtime Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter Ed Bouchette this week while I covered the Steelers in Pittsburgh. MV: What are your expectations for quarterback Byron Leftwich, who will fill in for Ben Roethlisberger? EB: He's played well in the preseason. And when he was getting ready to start in 2010 when Ben was suspended, he was having a real good preseason, I thought, then he got hurt and didn't play.

Ravens free safety Ed Reed was upset with his performance following a 55-20 rout of the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, so much so that he was apologetic afterward. The former NFL Defensive Player of the Year ricocheted off of former University of Maryland wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, missing the tackle on a 55-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter. Reed incurred a right shoulder stinger and didn't finish the game, but not because of his injury. "Just had a bad day," Reed wrote on his Twitter account.

The strangest post-game comments Sunday came from Ravens Pro Bowl safety Ed Reed. He had a poor game against the Raiders and hasn't played well this season. He is in the final year of his contract, and was pulled from the game Sunday after three quarters because of a "stinger" in his shoulder. "Yeah, the game was, we thought, out of reach," Reed said when asked if it was a coach's decision to leave the game early. "The offense was playing well and I was having a pretty bad game as an individual and I really didn't want to go back out there as a competitor playing the way I was playing today.