Could Hall of Famer Ed Reed be the next great NFL head coach?

Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed was known for his leadership, intelligence, intangibles and incredible play. Reed wants to be a head coach in the NFL.

Ed Reed is widely considered the best safety to ever play in the NFL. Reed earned the respect of  elite competitors like Bill Belichick and Tom Brady who by necessity always “knew where Ed Reed was on the field.” 

Reed’s talent, instincts and knowledge gained from countless hours of study each week were the formula for his ultra-successful career that culminated with him being granted access to the NFL Hall of Fame.

The love of the game is still there for Reed who is now giving back working as Manny Diaz’s chief of staff for his alma mater the University of Miami. Reed also has one year of forgettable NFL coaching experience working as a defensive backs coach under Rex Ryan in Buffalo.

“A positioning coach doesn’t have a voice,” Reed told FanSided. “I’ve been a position coach in Buffalo trying to impart my wisdom on a defense was not even being heard and these are people who I’ve coached with, played with. It was discouraging.”

Reed has been vocal on social media every now and then about his desire to coach again. He covets either a coordinator or ideally head coaching opportunity. Joe Judge, David Culley, Dan Campbell are all recent examples of head coaches who did not have coordinator experience, so either option should be open to Reed. What seems most important to Reed in any job opportunity is a partnership.

“I don’t see the respect coming towards players as coaches,” Reed said. “When I was a coach there were not conversations with my head coach. They weren’t taking that wisdom that you have from the football field and take into consideration of you being around the locker room with players to understand if they could run the scheme or not.”

The time for a new way of thinking and more importantly action from the NFL is overdue. Commissioner Roger Goodell was peppered with questions once again about the lack of African-American coaches in the league at his Super Bowl press conference after only two minorities were hired for seven head-coaching openings.

“We African-Americans definitely get treated differently it’s no secret,” Reed said. “You can look at it from the coaches to the owners. When you go into that office to interview you are not looking at people like myself who are interviewing you. You tend to relate differently.”

Candidates like Reed are few and far between. Playing experience that commands respect along with the intense desire to succeed at anything he puts his mind to. But will he get the chance?

Ed Reed spoke with FanSided on behalf of Crown Royal and the Crown Royal Water Break. Crown Royal believes being a royal fan this season means staying safe, generously supporting your community, and drinking responsibly while rooting on your team. That’s how to Crown Your Game Day.