SE: Reed Leaves Positives Accolades Behind, Focuses on Fixing Faults for 2017
Apr 05, 2017 | Football, Sports Extra
While it may be natural for some players to relive their best moments when thinking back to a previous season, D.J. Reed is the exact opposite. To build off his stellar first campaign at K-State, Reed returns to his worst moments, such as giving up a touchdown, missing a tackle or blowing a coverage assignment.
It's a rare mindset, designed to produce more consistent results.
"Losing teaches you more than winning," Reed said on Tuesday in K-State's first spring press conference. "When you get beat, you go to film, you look at it, see what you did different and then you have to change it."
Reed, who transferred to K-State from Cerritos Community College, won far more battles than he lost last season. He garnered plenty of recognition to show for it as well. As a sophomore, Reed was named the Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year and a First Team All-Big 12 pick by the conference's coaches.
"Obviously, when you work hard, you want to be rewarded for it," Reed said. "I like the recognition, but now it's 2017, so I'm focused on this season now."
His focus may be on the upcoming season but this doesn't mean Reed has left 2016 completely behind. Again, when he looks back, it's about fixing what went wrong, not basking in what went right.
"You can always improve. You can never be your best. You can always make improvements," Reed said. "That's the wonderful thing about football and that can translate to real life, too."
K-State head coach Bill Snyder shared high praise for Reed and the way the 5-foot-9 corner has carried himself after last season.
"I'm really proud of D.J. I think he's a tremendous person. He has a great deal of humility. He fits this program extremely well. He is a hard worker. Whatever happened last year is last year for him. Right now, he's just trying to make himself better and he works diligently every single day," Snyder said. "He's a guy that has, in his short period of time here, proven to be extremely dependable. He's a guy that's going to do the right things and is always attempting to do the right things, both on and off the field. He has, in his quiet way, provided some leadership within our program as well. I'm awfully proud of him."
Little details, such as knowing a receiver's strengths, became an important part of Reed's preparation process as last season progressed. Now, he plans to take it to the next level.
"I'm focused on knowing receivers and really studying the receivers that I face because every receiver really brings something new to the table," Reed said. "I have to watch film on every receiver I play against."
Part of Reed's investment in the film room stems from a former teammate in Jordan Willis, who was known to spend more time studying opponents than anybody else on the team. Willis, a defensive end, reaped tremendous benefits from his extreme preparation and is projected as a high-round pick in the NFL Draft on April 27-29.
"Jordan and I started getting closer at the end of the year, but he's just very consistent with everything he does, just doing more so he can have that edge when game day comes. I really started watching him, started mimicking him and doing what he did," Reed said. "He was really consistent — really consistent — and just seeing what he does, that definitely motivated me."
Reed started 12 of 13 games as a sophomore, ranking second on the team with 75 tackles while also tying for a team-best three interceptions. Against Texas Tech, Reed took one of his interceptions 35 yards to the house to earn him Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors.
By the end of the season, Reed's list of accolades was much longer, including a spot on ESPN.com's All-Big 12 Underclassmen team. He doesn't view the past as adding any pressure for the future, however, at least not any more than he already places on himself.
"I just put a lot of pressure on myself," Reed said. He added that K-State defensive coordinator Tom Hayes has given him more one-on-one coverage responsibility, with no safety help, this spring. It's a challenge to get better and an opportunity to help his team.
"If I get beat, I get beat, but I like that pressure, honestly," Reed said, as K-State works toward the Purple/White Spring Game on April 22 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. "That's the good thing about playing corner. Good corners want that. It is a lot of pressure. When I do get beat, I have to forget about it, but I don't want to get beat."
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