By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
The Steelers fired kicker Jeff Reed Tuesday because of his erratic performance on the field this season or his erratic behavior off it or some combination of the two. No matter the reason, coach Mike Tomlin made a bad mistake. If he had brought in kicker Shaun Suisham to challenge Reed, make him feel a little less comfortable and bring out the competitor in him, that would have been great. But to flat out release Reed? The team will be worse off because of it.
Reed has had a bad season, no question. He missed a 26-yard field goal against the New England Patriots Sunday night, although that seemed pretty far down the Steelers' list of problems after their 39-26 loss. The week before, he missed a 46-yard try that would have clinched a win against the Cincinnati Bengals, making his teammates sweat out a 27-21 victory that didn't end until the Bengals ran out of downs on the Steelers' 12. In the 17-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens Oct. 3, he missed from 49 and 45 yards.
For the season, Reed missed seven of his 22 field-goal attempts. This is the same guy who missed just 10 of his 87 tries in the previous three seasons. I know, kickers -- like real football players -- can lose it in a hurry. But Reed doesn't strike me as someone who is finished. I'm convinced he'll go on to another team and be successful again. I still think he can be one of the top kickers in the NFL. I'm not buying the argument that he had checked out mentally here and would never be good again for the Steelers, a conclusion that Tomlin obviously reached. I like to think if the game Sunday against the Oakland Raiders comes down to a 48-yarder on the bad turf in the wind and rain at Heinz Field that Reed would have drilled it. I guess we'll never know for sure.
Reed didn't help himself by acting like a jerk after the game against the Patriots. Funny, I thought it was wide receiver Hines Ward who was hit in the head that night, but it was Reed who sounded loopy. He said he wouldn't make excuses for the missed field goal, then spent five minutes doing just that. He blamed the lousy kicking conditions at Heinz Field, even though he always used to brag about doing well on that imperfect turf. He even took on the fans -- OK, 5 percent of 'em -- for going out of their way to boo him or mock cheer him when he misses a kick. It's never a good thing to take on the paying customers.
As inane as his ramblings were, Reed was much more inflammatory during the summer after he failed to reach a long-term contract with the Steelers. "I was told one thing and another thing happened. I'm not a big fan of lying," he said, a shot, presumably, directed at the Rooneys. He also said, rather famously, that "life is not really fair." That comment was made after the Steelers put their franchise tag on him and agreed to pay him $2.8 million this season. Life should be so unfair for all of us.
Reed also was involved in two incidents involving police in an eight-month period. He pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and criminal mischief after causing a disturbance and beating up a towel dispenser in February 2009 at the Sheetz store in New Alexandria. He also was arrested after a dust-up with cops in October 2009 outside a North Shore bar after a Steelers' game. Those charges later were dropped.
Tomlin said he didn't cut Reed because of his off-field indiscretions, including his latest stupid remarks Sunday night. "I'm more results-oriented. Results are what lead us to decisions." I hope that is true in this case. Pro football is a business. It should never become personal.
Still, Reed is gone and Suisham is in as the Steelers' kicker. Suisham has been out of football this season, which creates at least some doubt about his ability. He also must cope with the Heinz Field conditions at the worst weather time of the year and do it for a 6-3 team that still looks at itself as a serious Super Bowl contender, that fanny-kicking from the Patriots be damned. It's not as if he has signed on to kick for the 2-7 Bengals.
Good luck to Suisham with that.
As for Reed, here's hoping he won't be remembered just as "Sheetzilla" around here. He was some kicker for a long time. Shame on Tomlin for not being able to say anything nicer about the man as he pushed him out of the door than, "Jeff had a distinguished career here." Reed had much more than that for the Steelers. The man made significant contributions to two Super Bowl teams. For years, he was as dependable as anyone on the team.
Reed also was one of the more active Steelers in the community. Word is that when it came to charitable causes he never asked how much, only where and when. Those who saw him in those circumstances loved him.
Reed had a heck of a run here. He shouldn't soon be forgotten.
Ron Cook: rcook@post-gazette.com. Ron Cook can be heard on the "Vinnie and Cook" show weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on 93.7 The Fan.
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Steelers release Reed, sign Suisham
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Peter Diana/Post-GazetteThe Steelers declined to give specifics why they released kicked Jeff Reed.
The Steelers released their franchise player, one of football's best kickers, because he apparently stubbed their toe.
Coach Mike Tomlin informed Jeff Reed by telephone Tuesday morning, then declined to give specifics why he released the Steelers' No. 2 all-time leading scorer, but it could not have been solely because he missed a few kicks this season.
It cannot be that because the kicker they signed to replace him, Shaun Suisham, cannot match Reed's statistics and carries a reputation for not getting the job done in the clutch. A kick by Suisham last Dec. 6 is known by Washington Redskins fans as "The Choke" because he missed a 23-yard field goal with 1:56 left as Washington wound up losing to New Orleans in overtime, 33-30.
The Redskins cut him two days later. The Cowboys signed him, and, in a playoff game against Minnesota, Suisham missed two of his three kicks, from 48 and 49 yards in a Dallas loss and the Cowboys did not re-sign him.
Since the Steelers cut Suisham after he spent his first NFL training camp with them in 2005, he has been with the Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, the Redskins, back to the Cowboys, to the Cleveland Browns for one month before camp this summer, and to the St. Louis Rams, who cut him after four days in August. He was out of work until the Steelers signed him to a one-year contract Tuesday after he kicked for them at Heinz Field.
"We like his resume," Tomlin said. "We like how he performed today. He's been here before. I think he was in camp here in '05. He's a veteran guy. He's no stranger to NFL competition."
Suisham has a career success rate of 79.1 percent (87 of 110) and is relatively strong on kickoffs. Reed's career success is 81.9 percent, including his 15 of 22 this season -- one from 55 banged off the upright, he missed two others from 51 and 49, yet he made another from 52 in Heinz Field and he kicked one from 53 (tying his career long) in Cincinnati, a game in which many point to his missed 46-yarder for not sealing a game the Steelers ultimately won.
Reed has been known for clutch kicks throughout his nine-year career, all with the Steelers. He even was better in the postseason. He made 16 of his 18 field-goal tries in 12 postseason games, making every one since 2004 after missing two (3 of 5) as a rookie in '02.
So, it cannot be his kicking that prompted his ouster. If that were the case, the Steelers would have released him after his second season, when he missed nine kicks (23 of 32). It must be something else, it must be something he said, such as:
"If you're not perfect in this city, man, then you're going to hear about it. It's been like that for nine years, and why would they stop now?"
Or:
"I'm not going to make excuses. If you've played any kind of sports in your life, you realize that what we play on is not very good turf. It happens."
Again, Tomlin declined to address those comments by Reed or ones he made this summer when he called the Steelers liars for not fulfilling a promise on his contract, which was $2.8 million as their franchise player, $1 million of which they still owe him no matter what he earns from another team, unless he is claimed off waivers. He also had a few minor tiffs with the law, one not much more than a traffic ticket.
"We just looked at the cumulative body of work and where we are and how we move forward," Tomlin said. "We felt like at this time it justified a change."
Suisham comes in with a clean slate in many respects. He has not missed a kick for the Steelers, he has not bashed their fans nor Heinz Field nor the Rooneys. He also does not know the intricacies of kicking in the notorious Heinz Field winds, nor on its sloppy field.
Reed went on waivers Tuesday with 31 teams getting an opportunity to claim him, although they would have to assume his contract if they did. If he clears waivers by 4 p.m. today, he is a free agent.
Several teams are hunting for kickers, most seriously the Cincinnati Bengals, who placed Mike Nugent on injured reserve and Tuesday signed a kicker with no regular-season NFL experience. The Jets nearly lost Sunday to Cleveland because Nick Folk missed three field goals, including one from 24 yards.
"We want to get back out and kick and finish the year on a positive note," said Don Henderson, Reed's agent. "Who knows at this point in the season? A lot of things can happen."
The Bengals play in Heinz Field Dec. 17, and the Jets pay a visit one week later.
Injury updates
Tomlin issued a mixed bag for the state of Steelers injuries, including a potential bothersome one to Troy Polamalu, who has a right Achilles tendon strain.
"We're probably going to slow him down here in the early portions of the week, just like we did with Heath Miller, with an eye toward practicing in the latter part of the week," Tomlin said. "We expect him to play."
He also expects Chris Kemoeatu to return to start at left guard after he missed the game against New England Sunday night with knee and ankle sprains. Defensive end Brett Keisel, who has missed three of the past four games, "is still working with his hamstring. We'll see where he is later in the week."
Linebacker Lawrence Timmons left Sunday night's game with a hip bruise and "that may limit him in the early portion of the week. We expect him to come back."
Safety Will Allen experienced headaches Saturday from his concussion Nov. 8 and will undergo more tests this week.
Cornerback Crezdon Butler has a thigh strain.
Tomlin said Jonathan Scott performed well enough to keep his job at left tackle after making his first start for injured Max Starks.
For more on the Steelers, read the blog, Ed Bouchette on the Steelers at www.post-gazette.com/plus. Ed Bouchette: ebouchette@post-gazette.com.
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