Boston had a dominant frontcourt for years w/ Hall of Famers Larry Bird, Robert Parrish, and Kevin McHale. They did what they could to keep this group together, to a fault I'd say. Eventually, they had a bunch of old players who were worn down by age and injury. They never prepared for that time, so they're still in the process of trying to recover from not being ready to replace them.
Considering his value as a return man, slot receiver, and an emergency QB, I'd have to say Randle El is better than Josh Reed. Reed has struggled to be an effective member of the Bills, while Randle El has given the Steelers a dangerous player that can hurt you in a number of ways. I was personally on hand to watch him convert third down after third down when the Steelers beat the Bills about 14 months ago.