Safety Ed Reed has admitted that he is no longer the player he used to be after he was cut by the Houston Texans yesterday.
Reed was the Texans' main signing during the off-season having joined from the Baltimore Ravens with a big reputation, but he struggled for form and was eventually deemed surplus to requirements having been replaced in the starting lineup.
The 35-year-old acknowledged that the opposition may have worked out how to play against him after spending so long in the league.
"Eventually they're going to figure out what you're doing if you're doing the same old things," Reed is quoted as saying by ESPN.
"I'm held to a high standard because of what I've done in the past, but that was the past. I'm a totally different player now. Even when I did go out there, the ball didn't come my way."
Reed is a nine-time Pro Bowler and was the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 2004.
