Steelers’ Reed named special teams player of the week

By Neal Coolong  |   Thursday, October 02, 2008  |  Comments( 2 )

Pittsburgh Steelers
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It's not common for a Steelers special teams player to receive leaguewide honors.

For his three-field goal and 11-point effort, including a 46-yard game-winner, against the Ravens, Steelers kicker Jeff Reed was named AFC special teams player of the week for the first time in his quiet career. Reed is 7 for 7 on field goal attempts this year, having kicked a career-long 53 yarder in a 15-6 loss at Philadelphia in Week 3.

Commentary: Reed garnered some Pro Bowl consideration last season after going 23 of 25, with one miss coming on a 65-yard attempt in Denver, and the other in monsoon conditions in Pittsburgh against Miami in Week 12.

The team's confidence in Reed has grown in recent years; in fact, the Steelers named him the special teams captain, an honor a kicker hasn't held for the team in several years. He has also helped the Steelers' kickoff team become one of the lowest net return units at 19.9 yards per runback.

Fan Pulse: Fans posting on Steelers Fever are discussing the revived special teams units, which have been an issue in the past few seasons.

Injury Watch: Pittsburgh won a slugfest with rival Baltimore on Monday night; however, they lost starting right guard Kendall Simmons (Achilles) and running back Rashard Mendenhall (shoulder) for the season. Parker has been hampered by a sprained knee, and will not play in Week 5.

Fantasy Football Impact: The Steelers as a team and as fantasy contributors have not fared well against Jacksonville, their Week 5 opponent, lately. Mewelde Moore, the probable starting RB, is not worth picking up on the waiver wire, but it could be a decent week for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger -- who had five touchdown passes in two games against Jacksonville last season.
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About Neal Coolong

Neal Coolong is a freelance sports writer with contributions to Scout.com, AOL and Steelers Live. He lives with his fiance in St. Paul, Minn., and saves every dime (that she knows about) for their wedding next June. He's already made the prediction that the Steelers 2007 draft class will be one...
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