FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Rex Ryan bolted out of his office the moment he heard Ed Reed was cut. He wanted to make sure general manager John Idzik knew one of his favourite players was available for the New York Jets to pursue. "Its only a rumour that I pulled a hamstring," Ryan said, grinning. "Thats not true." The Jets signed the nine-time Pro Bowl safety Thursday, bringing one of the NFLs greatest playmaking defensive players to a secondary on a defence that ranks 24th against the pass. The 35-year-old Reed was released Tuesday by Houston, cleared waivers Wednesday and joined less than 24 hours later. "John had a big smile on his face," Ryan said about the Jets GM. "I think he anticipated it, but he had already beaten me to the punch. He had already set it in motion with our scouts." Reed joined his new Jets teammates on the practice field wearing a green No. 22 jersey; his familiar No. 20 is currently worn by cornerback Kyle Wilson. Reed laughed when he was asked if he thinks hes got anything left. "I dont think Id be here if they didnt think that," he said after his first practice with the Jets. "I know what I know. I know how I feel and I know what Ive put in my off-season workouts. Im ready to go. Youll see. "You guys can be the judge of it." The Jets released outside linebacker Ricky Sapp to make room on the roster for Reed. Ryan and defensive co-ordinator Dennis Thurman coached Reed for eight years in Baltimore. Reed has always been a favourite of Ryan, who once labeled him the greatest safety to play the game. While his physical skills no longer make him one of the games elite players, Reed will be able to serve as a leader in the secondary and help bring along young safeties Antonio Allen, Jaiquawn Jarrett and Josh Bush. "This had nothing to do with sentiment," Ryan said. "We believe that Ed will be a great signing for us and hes going to help this football team, without question." Reed said New England also showed interest, as well as one other team, but everything seemed right about coming to the Jets. "It just fits," he said. "I know the system. Rex was like, Go ahead and lets see what youve got." The fact that the Jets (5-4) are in the playoff hunt was also a plus. "Thats a huge factor," Reed said. "It was a huge factor in playing this year, in general, being with a team that was going to contend and be in the playoffs." Theres a good chance Reed will be ready to play Sunday at Buffalo, at least in certain situations, and it is a low-risk, high-reward situation for the Jets. "Weve had some issues with the deep ball," Ryan said. "Let them throw it there now." Reed would like to start, of course, but added that hes fine with whatever the coaches want him to do, including playing in dime packages or special teams. "They had a good thing going before I came," Reed said. "I dont plan on rocking the boat." That was a bit of an issue in Houston, as Reed missed the Texans first two games after off-season hip surgery and was relegated to a backup role, making just 16 tackles with no interceptions. He was unhappy about not starting after signing a three-year, $15 million deal in the off-season following 11 years in Baltimore. Reed also criticized the team for being outplayed and outcoached after the Texans seventh straight loss last Sunday. "To put it simple for you," Reed said, "it wasnt a good fit." Texans defensive co-ordinator Wade Phillips said Thursday that Reeds criticism was not why he was released, but rather because the teams younger players were performing well and Reed wasnt getting a lot of playing time. Phillips laughed when he was asked if the Texans thought they were going to get more out of Reed when they signed him. "Yeah, I think thats probably an understatement," Phillips said. "We all thought he was going to be J.J. Watt in the secondary. And things didnt work out that way." Reed, who won a Super Bowl last season with the Ravens, was the NFLs top defensive player in 2004. In 11-plus seasons, the ball-hawking Reed has 61 interceptions, including seven returned for touchdowns. Hes a five-time first-team All-Pro who also holds the NFL record with 1,541 yards on interception returns. His nine career post-season interceptions, including one in the Ravens Super Bowl win, tie him for the league mark. Reed said recent criticism of him has come as a result of being held to higher standards than most safeties. "I created that monster, and Ive been blessed to create that monster," he said. "I love it." Reed had a whirlwind 24 hours, which began with him working out in Georgia when he cleared waivers around 4 p.m. Wednesday. Less than six hours later, he was on a plane to New Jersey. "We had him at hello," Thurman said. Reed met with Idzik before going to bed around 2:30 a.m., and then heading back to the facility after a few hours of sleep. "We put him in some defences just to see what he could remember with his partner (Dawan) Landry out there," Ryan said. "It was like, Whoa, here we go. "It was like he hadnt missed a beat." New England Patriots Jerseys Outlet . It has been eleven years, eight months, and 261 days since I played my last CFL game. Cheap New England Patriots Gear .Balotelli uploaded on Instagram a picture of the video-game character Super Mario, with whom the Italy international shares a nickname, with text around the image including jumps like a black man and grabs coins like a Jew. http://www.cheappatriots.com/.J. - Percy Harvin is ready to go, and theres no question in his mind hell be playing Sunday. New England Patriots Damien Harris Jersey . A 23-year-old rookie, Stroman is 4-2 with a 3.44 earned run average in 12 games this season, the past seven of those being starts. He logged the first scoreless outing of his career on Friday versus Oakland in a no-decision. New England Patriots Jerseys China .com) - DAngelo Harrison posted 21 points to guide No. HOUSTON -- Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks showed his team each of the 12 3-pointers Houston made in its 73-point first half Thursday night. The halftime video session worked. The Rockets didnt make another 3, and were held to a franchise-low in points in the second half of the Thunders 104-92 win. Kevin Durant scored 36 points and Reggie Jackson added 23 to lift Oklahoma City to the victory. James Harden and Terrence Jones scored 16 points apiece for Houston, which had just 19 second-half points after its season-best performance in the first half -- setting an NBA record for the largest scoring differential between two halves. Houstons 19-point second half is tied for the second-fewest points in a second half in NBA history. "Ive never seen anything like that," Brooks said. "Thats inspiring." Houston coach Kevin McHale was troubled by his teams inability to build on its great first half. "We had a terrible time shooting the ball, laying it in, making simple plays," McHale said. "We couldnt sustain anything offensively in the second half. Give them credit. They got out and got after us." The Thunder used a big third quarter to erase a 12-point deficit and tie the score entering the fourth. The teams stayed within a basket after that until Jackson scored five points in a 7-0 run which gave the Thunder a 97-89 lead with about 4 minutes left. Oklahoma City stretched its advantage to 103-92 on a fast-break dunk by Jackson with 1:18 to go. Durant shook his head when asked about the vast difference in Oklahoma Citys defence after halftime. Along with shutting down Houstons 3-point shooting, the Thunder also held Harden scoreless after the break. "We were able to come down and stifle them a little bit and get them out of their rhythm," Durant said. "Theyre a great offensive team. They score the ball so quickly. I think we did a great job of just putting pressure on them." Oklahoma City was up by eight when Houstons Dwight Howard and Kendrick Perkins got tangled up fighting for a rebound. The two had to be separated and Perkins received a personal foul and they both were slapped with technicals for the scuffle. Serge Ibaka added 21 pointss and 15 rebounds for the Thunder.dddddddddddd Howard had 11 points and eight rebounds for the Rockets. Jeremy Lambs 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter made it 86-85, giving Oklahoma City its first lead since early in the second quarter. The teams each scored a basket after that before both offences went silent, with neither team scoring for about a 3-minute span. Jackson ended Oklahoma Citys scoring drought with a reverse layup with about 7 minutes remaining before Chandler Parsons ended Houstons with a bucket about a minute later to cut the Thunders lead to 90-89. The Rockets had a 12-point lead with about 4 minutes left in the third quarter before Oklahoma City went on a 15-3 run to tie it at 83 entering the final period. Ibaka scored four quick points to get the spurt going and also had a 3-pointer in that span. Durant had the big finish for the run, taking Parsons off the dribble and pulling up to sink a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Durant fell backward to the court after the shot and flipped over before getting up wearing a huge grin as he was mobbed by teammates. After matching a season high with 41 points in the second quarter, the Rockets had a terrible third, scoring just 10 points, and their nine points in the fourth were a season low. The Thunder led by seven in the second quarter before Houston got going. The Rockets used a 9-0 run, powered by four points from Jones, to take a 43-41 lead with about 8 minutes left in the quarter. Harden had a nifty play near the end of that run when he hit an off-balance layup before crashing to the court. Houston capped the 41-point quarter with a 13-1 spurt to take a 73-59 lead into halftime. Parsons hit two 3s in that run and Donatas Motiejunas added a third. Durant was having a tough first quarter and had three turnovers before getting going in the last 1 1/2 minutes of the period. He scored all nine of the Thunders last points of the quarter to leave Oklahoma City up 36-32 entering the second. He had two dunks and was fouled on a 3-pointer and made all three free throws in that span. NOTES: Houstons 73 points in the first half were a season high for a half. ... McHale received a technical foul for arguing with the officials in the second quarter. 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