Little love for #43

[pensodyssey]

The proverbial inside sources say this about Troy:

"Ed Reed is special," another GM said. "The guy at Pittsburgh [Polamalu] is really good, not overrated, but there are some holes in his game."

[jonzr]

The proverbial inside sources say this about Troy:

"Ed Reed is special," another GM said. "The guy at Pittsburgh [Polamalu] is really good, not overrated, but there are some holes in his game."

 Could that executive live in Balty?
 

[Puma170]

All I need to know about Ed Reed is what I see after every interception.  Instead of returning and getting down to guarantee possesion, he looks for a team mate to lateral to and puts the ball back out there.  

I'll just leave it at this, I am certain I wouldn't trade Troy for Ed Reed straight up.  Period.

PUMA

[vinman3]

All I need to know about Ed Reed is what I see after every interception.  Instead of returning and getting down to guarantee possesion, he looks for a team mate to lateral to and puts the ball back out there.  

I'll just leave it at this, I am certain I wouldn't trade Troy for Ed Reed straight up.  Period.

PUMA

 :sheep2:  :yeehaw:  :sheep2:  

[Finnegans Wake]

Quarterbacks marvel at Reed's range and overall playmaking ability... Polamalu moves around constantly and blitzes from various angles...

"Polamalu is an issue in protection while Reed is a factor for the quarterback and where his throws are going," the defensive coordinator said. "He's supposed to be in the post, but he might be jumping a route on the other side of the field."

The implication, perhaps, that Reed is superior because he's getting more picks and disrupting passing routes more.  Which is odd, considering Reed's a FREE safety and Polamalu's a STRONG safety.   :rolleyes:   Taking THAT into consideration, it's notable that Troy has as much of an impact on the passing game as he does.  A better comparison would be Troy and Dawan Landry.  Or really, how about a comparison with a guy like Adrian Wilson?  Now that's an apples-to-apples comparison of two top players.

It's almost like saying LT is a running back you have to gameplan more than Dan Kreider.  

[give'emthaboot]

Ed Reed is one of the top 5 overrated players in the entire league.  he's one-dimensional - he just sits back and plays center field waiting for a pass to come his way.  Troy's strength is his versatility, he's all over the field and he needs to be accounted for.  Ed Reed could NOT do what Troy does, and Troy (or just about any safety in the league, for that matter if they were in Reed's position on that defense) could do what Ed Reed does, but it would take away from what makes Troy great.

[padgfrombf]

Ed Reed's a great player, former DPOY and perennial All Pro at free safety.  Let me capitalize this for that moron GM and scribes that make this comparison:  Free Safety.  

Troy Polamalu is a great player, with a SB ring and perennial All Pro at strong safety.  Again, let's say this slowly, Strong Safety.

(Note:  Sarcasm is not directed at MGS'ers, who know the difference)

(Edit on 10/17:  Note that Finny also immediately picked up on the SS vs. FS above, parallel post, proving that MGS'ers actually do think a little.)

I guess because there isn't another FS around that is a direct comparison to Reed, Maul gets hauled into this discussion.  If somebody wants to bring Brian Dawkins, John Lynch, or Roy Williams into this, fine, but Dawkins and Lynch are at the end of their careers, and Williams is a near-fraud for pass coverage in space.

Anyway, Ed Reed would be a very good strong safety, if he could hold up to the punishment.  Maul would be a very good free safety, though he's a little squat for the position (FWIW, Troy is not 5-10, his listed height, or else I'm now 6-3).  Point is that both are playing in their proper positions.

Reed's a couple years older and has started 80 games.  Troy has started 49.  I projected Polamalu's stats to 80 games for comparison.  Here's an idea of the difference between a Pro Bowl FS and SS:

Ed Reed
GS = 80
Tackles = 291
Assists = 52
Sacks = 4.0
Pass Defensed = 50
Int. = 31
Forced Fumbles = 5

Troy Polamalu
GS = 49 (data projected to 80 games)
Tackles = 331
Assists = 117
Sacks = 8.0
Pass Defensed = 57
Int. = 16
Forced Fumbles = 7

Reed dominates in the glory stat, picks, Troy leads in all other categories, including passes defended, which surprised me a little .  I know defensive stats are often a little fuzzy, but the point is that Reed and Polamalu are not necessarily interchangable parts.  So maybe I'm missing something, but why compare the two?

[Preacherman0]

I guess, maybe, in the context of the article, the comparison makes sense.  Maybe a QB has to work and game plan around Ed Reed more.

However, I find this a little hard to believe.  Clearly, teams have tried everything they can to account for and eliminate Troy as a factor.  Hate to say it, but Seattle was very effective with this in the SB.  If coaches and QBs are not changing their plans to avoid TP, well, good.  It's to their own detriment--and just ask Peyton Manning.

[Finnegans Wake]

Speaking of inflated heights, anyone notice that Sony commercial with Peyton ("And here is where..." blah blah blah)?  He walks into the living room and has to duck the arch before nestling in with the shocked family on the couch?

How freaking obvious is it that they had to doctor things to make him look giant?  Sure, he's tall, but unless his tibia and fibula are about three times as long as his femur, it's pretty damned evident he's walking on a raised platform.  I mean, you see his knees over the couch.  

Every time I see that commercial I want to bowl the sofa over and point to the camera: "See?!?  SEE?!?! He's not the Jolly Green fucking GIANT."

Maybe it's just me.

[DCSteelers]

This is the same ESPN that Steve Young said in the pregame last night:  Paraphrase:  The question is can Indy beat NE in the AFC Championship game.

So, I take what they say with a grain of salt.