One reason the second half of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ schedule this year looks so tough is that all their divisional games are crammed in there. Those AFC North games are always brutal, especially against the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens and Steelers have one of the greatest rivalries in football, and their relationship is a complicated one. As former Steelers kicker Jeff Reed explains, there was always a mix of respect and hate.
Reed played for the Steelers from 2002 to 2010, helping the franchise win two Super Bowls. He recently did an interview on The Sports Guyz YouTube channel where he spoke about his feelings on the Ravens.
“Have a very strong respect for them. Ed Reed was very tight with me. Ray Lewis, I wouldn’t say he was tight with me at all. Suggs hated everyone on our team. He was, I won’t say it, but you know what he was. When you’re at the coin toss, because I was a captain for two years, you shake hands with the other team. You just do, and he didn’t. Everybody else was fine.”
Reed’s playing days came in the heart of the Steelers-Ravens rivalry, so his feelings are probably more than justified. There always seems to be mutual respect between both teams because they play such similar styles. Both teams are tough, gritty, and willing to give anything to win, which is what makes them such good opponents.
It sounds like pass rusher Terrell Suggs wasn’t willing to participate in the respectful part of that rivalry. Suggs was one of the biggest thorns in the Steelers’ side, constantly wrecking games. He also still seems to dislike the Steelers just as much as when he played, so at least his feelings are genuine.
Reed continued describing how he viewed the rivalry.
“They were a very respectful team. When we played each other, there was some bad language on that field, but ultimately, the mutual respect between those two franchises was unbelievable and still is. If they lose every game, that’s fine with me.”
Despite all that respect, Reed still has no love lost for the Ravens. The dynamic between these two teams helped to define a generation of football. Even though it isn’t as physical anymore, it continues to be a powerful chapter in the history of the NFL.
Hopefully, both teams will be decently healthy by the time they play each other this year. The NFL is just better when the Steelers and Ravens are both competitive. Funnily enough, even though the Ravens have their franchise quarterback, they’ve only gone 3-7 against the Steelers in the last five years.
That shows how hard these teams are willing to fight to beat each other. It just means more when you have such an intense rivalry. Reed’s viewpoint is probably one shared by many former Steelers and Ravens, although maybe not Suggs. This year should hopefully add a few more stories to this legendary rivalry. Let’s just hope they have a happy ending for the Steelers.
