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Reed Overcomes Rough Start In Ravens' Victory

BALTIMORE (AP) -- Baltimore Ravens wide receiver David Reed overcame a rough start against the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday night to make a strong debut in his first game since offseason wrist surgery.

Reed dropped his first pass from rookie quarterback Tyrod Taylor, but redeemed himself by tying Lee Evans as the Ravens' leading receiver with three receptions for 68 yards during a 31-13 preseason win at M&T Bank Stadium.

"I was just a little anxious," Reed said. "I saw Tyrod giving me that look, and it was a good feeling. Then, I just wanted to catch it so bad and get up the field and make a move that I moved too fast and dropped the ball."

Reed set up two touchdowns with catches of 41 and 18 yards, and drew a 25-yard pass-interference penalty.

"The first drop, obviously I wasn't too happy with," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "And then he came back and made the very next catch and then Tyrod came to him again with a big play. To see the guy come up with that play was really huge. For only practicing a few days, that was great to see."

Reed led the NFL in kickoff return average as a rookie last season at 29.3 yards after being drafted in the fifth round out of Utah. He also set a franchise record for longest kickoff return with a 103-yarder for a touchdown against the Houston Texans.

"It feels great to get back to where I was, and it's a blessing that I'm able to catch the way that I used to be catching before I got the surgery," Reed said of the operation to repair a torn ligament. "I'd never had an injury like that before, and I couldn't catch the way I normally caught when I did get hurt."

Reed averaged 22.7 yards per catch against the Chiefs.

"I was so anxious," he said. "After that drop, I knew I had to make plays. It's what I do. I'm a receiver. I'm a football player, and it's what I do. I'm glad I'm able to catch like I used to and get back into my groove as a receiver."

Reed didn't catch as pass as a rookie, but is expected to compete for a third or fourth receiver role with rookies Torrey Smith and Tandon Doss. Evans and Anquan Boldin are the starters.

"We've got a lot of great receivers," Reed said. "I still got to compete for a job just like the rest of those guys, compete week in and week out in practice and games."

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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