In an interview with Sirius XM NFL Radio Thursday, the Canton-bound safety told hosts Adam Schein and Rich Gannon that he’s not “100 percent committed” to playing football in 2012.

BREAKING: Reed is not 100% committed to playing this year.

— Adam Schein (@AdamSchein) May 17, 2012

Off the field, this is what Reed has become known for — flip-flopping on the prospect of retiring. Earlier this offseason, the Ravens confirmed he’ll be returning to Baltimore for his age-34 campaign.

Reading between the lines, it appears Reed’s vacillation likely comes down to money. Last month, he went on record saying he deserves a new contract, if nothing else but out of “respect” for all he’s given to the organization.

When asked by Schein if the Ravens know he’s not yet all in, Reed responded, “I’m sure they will after this interview.”

Oh, snap.

After undergoing a procedure to repair his partially torn Achilles tendon, Terrell Suggs vowed to return in 2012, saying his four-to-six month recovery period will eventually allow him to take the field.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh, following a meeting with Suggs and renowned foot and ankle specialist Dr. Robert Anderson, seems to share that sentiment, and continues to extend hope to both the team and fan base.

Not only did the 28-year-old defensive lineman find a new home, but he made so he’ll able to contribute quicker than originally anticipated.

Prior to signing a one-year deal with the Ravens, McBean had his league-mandated suspension reduced from six to three games, in exchange for dropping his lawsuit against the NFL, sources tell the Denver Post.

McBean, along with former Broncos teammate D.J. Williams, was suspended in March for violating the league’s PED policy after tests discovered “non-human” urine in their systems.

Shortly after the bans were announced, both players stated they intended to appeal the rulings and even take legal action. Apparently, they were true to their word.

While McBean cooperated, and now will be eligible to return in Week 4, Williams is “continuing with his legal fight.” To each their own, I guess.

After starting 21 games over three seasons in Denver, McBean will be cast into a heavy rotation for the Ravens in their attempt to replace Terrell Suggs, who’s likely lost for the season.

Appearing on 105.7 The Fan Wednesday, Ed Reed indicated that he’d like a new contract from Baltimore after negotiations “took the back seat” last year.

“My plan when I went to negotiate was always, it’s always to help the team. I was not trying to break the bank. Do I deserve a good substantial amount? I mean you look at Peyton [Manning, Broncos quarterback]. Peyton got five [years] for $96 [million]? I know I’m not a quarterback, but at the end of the day …

“They pay certain positions certain ways. I’m different, man.”

Reed, who’s set to make $7.2 million next season, confirmed he plans to continue playing, but ultimately chalked his decision up to “respect.”

“I got some unfinished business,” Reed said. “I got a lot on my mind I’ve been thinking about. The truth of the matter is, it’s about respect. It’s about getting respect and it’s a business.”

For the mental and physical anguish he’s willing to endure on the field, possibly for another four or five years, Reed, sounding like Latrell Spreewell, is adamant about having his long-term financial prospects “taken care of.”

“And I know if I’m giving my heart to football, it’s going to take a toll on my later life,” he said. “My family has got to be taken care of. I don’t want to hear that I’m getting old. I don’t want to hear that.”

Though it’s probably safe to pencil him into the 2012 starting lineup, the Ravens will be hesitant to break the bank on a player entering his age-34 season, and potentially beginning to break down following a decade of All-Pro performance. Look for the club to toss him a bone with a new, cap-friendly deal before Reed heavily considers hanging ‘em up next offseason.

Now, it’s ramped up a bit as one of the more outspoken Ravens (are there any other kind?) has taken aim at him.

Speaking on KILT-AM in Houston (via SportsRadioInterviews.com), safety Bernard Pollard took a shot at Goodell, saying the commissioner’s ultimate goal is to have players “running around with helmets and flags on.”

It’s getting out of hand. This is not powderpuff football, this is not flag football,” Pollard said. “This is a violent sport. And it’s a fun sport — we all love playing this game. And we’re blessed by God to even go out there and display our talent to the world, but at the same time you can’t sit there and say, ‘We want guts, we want glory, we want heart.’ You can’t give a player heart but at the end of the day you tell him, “Well, hold on but be careful when you go to make that hit.’ We wear helmets and shoulder pads. That means you’re supposed to go knock somebody around. We ain’t wearing flags.”

Then, touching on the topic of bounties, Pollard said he “doesn’t care if you do a bounty or not,” adding it’s “outrageous” to suspend someone — in this case, Saints coach Sean Payton — for an entire season as it’s a “violent” sport.

“This is a game, this is a violent game. You can’t take this away. You suspend a man for a whole year? You suspend a man for a whole year and now you’re looking for players to suspend? This is outrageous,” Pollard said. “You’ve gotta be kidding me. He said he was gonna take a dollar (during) the lockout, I guarantee you he didn’t take a dollar that year. I guarantee you he got every bit of that (inaudible) mill.”

Pollard, of course, is somewhat of a notorious player, having been the one that dove into Tom Brady’s knee in 2008, ending the quarterback’s season with a torn ACL and MCL. He’s generally a hard-hitter, but is known to tackle low — too low for the NFL’s liking.

He also plays on one of the most physically-imposing defenses in the league, and would’ve been a perfect pupil of disgraced defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. I’m only kidding … sort of.

Though Pollard has a point — that we don’t want to see the game devolve to a pee-wee level — his outlandish comments will do nothing to sway the mind of Goodell, whose faced tougher opposition in the past.

But, what we didn’t know is if the eight-time Pro Bowler had his druthers, he’d play well beyond 2012.

After being inducted into the University of Miami Hall of Fame, Reed reiterated to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that he ‘wants to play football’, but cautioned that his mind is not completely made up.

“There’s a lot of talk out there. I’m not going to say I’m 50-50 because I’m not. I want to play football,” Reed said. “But it’s something me and my team have been discussing the last couple of weeks. …I plan on doing it, but depending, it could change.”

Just how much longer can we expect to see the Canton-bound safety roam the Ravens’ secondary? He added that another four to five years in the NFL “is a reality to me.”

“If it was up to me, I’d be with a walking cane out there,” Reed emphasized.

Obviously, it goes without saying that Reed is one of the best to ever play the game, and is still capable of performing at a high-level. Set to turn 34-years-old and chronically injured, however, he might not have as much gas in the tank as he’d like to think.

More than likely, Reed will suit up for one more season before seriously considering hanging ‘em up. As strange as it sounds, the Ravens could be without two longtime stalwarts — Reed and Ray Lewis — this time next year.

Beat writer Ed Bouchette joined Pittsburgh’s 93.7 The Fan Thursday to discuss Ward’s future, and opined how he thinks the veteran receiver would “love” to play for a certain divisional rival.

“I think he’d love to play in Baltimore. I don’t think he’s thinking of legacies right now,” he said of Ward. “These guys want to play… once they quit, they’re done.”

While it’s a fairly blasphemous statement, Bouchette has covered the team for nearly the last three decades, so it’s safe to say he’s plugged into Ward’s thinking.

As for why he would break a cardinal rule of the NFL by switching allegiances, Bouchette noted that Ward may now have a chip on his shoulder after unceremoniously being kicked to the curb.

“First of all, last year when they demoted him, he didn’t kick and moan and scream about it, and you know, he told them he’d take a pay cut,” said Bouchette. “They never talked money though and the longer that went on, you obviously saw that their intent was not to accept him at even minimum wage.”

And if not from the Ravens, expect Ward to still draw interest elsewhere.

“He turns 36 next week, so teams are going to look at that, but I think there will be some interest for varied reasons,” he said. “Some being that not everybody has a good stock of receivers and they look at this guy as a possession receiver, not a speed guy, obviously. Someone who can get you maybe that 3rd-and-5 on a pass over the middle, and maybe be next to someone who is young and needs to be shown how to act professionally, how to run routes and that kind of thing. The way Hines has done for a lot of young receiver here. But I don’t think he’s a starter anymore, and I don’t know where he’s going to land.”

Then, if all else fails, there’s always retirement, a likely option for the four-time Pro Bowler if he fails to find work, even for the veteran’s minimum.

According to the Carroll County Times, the Ravens are expected to place the franchise tag on Rice Friday, three days before the March 5 deadline to use the designation.

Upon placing the tag on Rice, the team will have until July 15 to work out a long-term contract. If they fail to do so, he’ll play under the $7.7 million tender.

“The meeting went fine,” France told the Times. “We obviously know the tag is coming, but we will continue to have open dialogue and see if we can come to a long-term agreement, which is the preference for both sides.”

This appears to be a preventative measure by the Ravens, who are not about to let their All-Pro running back hit unrestricted free agency.

It wouldn’t come as a surprise this offseason, considering one of his fellow teammates (Ricky Williams) has already retired, and another (Matt Birk) is leaning toward doing the same.

The Hall of Fame-caliber safety, however, has no intentions of going that route.

Speaking at the Combine Friday, Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome confirmed that Reed will return in 2012, the Baltimore Sun reports.

“He met with (head coach) John (Harbaugh) and he told John that he’s going to get himself prepared to come back and play in 2012,” Newsome said.

This jibes with what owner Steve Bisciotti said earlier this month, that he’s “assuming” Reed will continue playing.

Although he was selected to his eighth Pro Bowl, Reed had an uncharacteristic 2011 campaign, recording just three interceptions and drawing criticism for failing to tackle on several occasions, which he says was due to a lingering shoulder ailment — one of many over the years for the 33-year-old.

Despite all else, his head coach still sees him as an integral part of the defense.

“He played a lot better than what some people sometimes want to think,” Harbaugh said today. “He played really well. He’s a big part of what we’re doing.”

You could point the finger (not that finger) at the veteran receiver who nonchalantly let a game-winning touchdown toss slip through his hands.

Or at the kicker that decided then was a good time to implode, shanking a tying chip-shot field goal — all thanks to that darn Gillette Stadium scoreboard.

Or, if you’re really grasping for straws, at the coaching staff that opted not to call its final timeout, letting said kicker rush out onto the field with the play-clock dwindling down.

Surprisingly enough, there’s one member of the Ravens that you ultimately cannot place the blame on, and it’s quarterback Joe Flacco, who turned in a record-setting performance. That, coupled with a strong backing by head coach John Harbaugh, is likely to lead him to paydirt in due time.

One day after the dust settled on their season, Harbaugh showered Flacco with praise, subtly suggesting that he played well enough to potentially receive a new contract.

“Obviously, he played well enough to win this game. I think his best football is in front of him,” Harbaugh said. “He’s only getting better. He’s our kind of guy. He’s a tough guy, a competitive guy. He’s a leader, and I just can’t wait to see where this thing goes with him. The plays that he made down the stretch, I think it says a lot about him and his future.”

Later, Flacco was asked whether he’d like a contract extension. His answer was … well, rather anticlimactic.

“Definitely. We’ll see how it goes. If it goes, it goes. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”

He did add that his play over the years, especially in the postseason, speaks for itself, and feels like he deserves to be recognized for it — financially, of course.

At least for this season, it’s hard to dispute his point.

During Baltimore’s run to the AFC title game, Flacco was the one consistent, playing an extremely effective game against the Texans in the Divisional Round, followed up by two new team playoff records versus the Pats: Passing yards (306) and QB rating (95.4).

Baltimore went from winning in spite of him to nearly reaching the Super Bowl because of him.

No stranger to the game, Ray Lewis, the soon-to-be 17th-year veteran, realizes that, and is firmly in his corner.

“Joe came in here and proved again that Joe is the quarterback to put you in position to go to a Super Bowl,” linebacker Ray Lewis said.

Owner Steve Bisciotti said last year that he planned on extending Flacco, who’s entering the final year of his rookie deal. That obviously makes a new pact even likelier this offseason.