I’d take Troy, but only if he played opposite Reed. Reed would start over Polamalu.

but how old are both players?

Dawkins is a bigger hitter. Troy positions himself better. Toss up but Troy is a big reason the Steelers D is better than the Eagles.

no question it’s gotta be Troy. Him and Reed are in a class by themselves at either safety positions.

   I have loved watching Dawkins at the safety position for years and his leadership qualities are uncanny, reminds me of a Ray Lewis in terms of the fire they both bring too the game and their team mates. I will always be a Dawkins fan but when it comes too pure athleticism I have too take Troy. For obvious reasons I am not much of a Troy fan but I have always respected his presence in the backfield as well as his run stopping abilities. I have too admit though that Brian has been stepping up his play tremendously since the Dallas game and is only peaking at the right time in the season too do so. Brian’s experience is very valuable but how long does he really have? Troy gets the edge for me because of youth which gives him more upside over Brian in the long run.

Dawkins was the first to shatter a glass backboard on national tv so… : )

I would take Bob Sanders over both Troy and Brian. I know, Sanders has had some health issues, but when that man was in there for the Colts in their Superbowl year, he was insane.

Besides Ray Lewis, I feel that Bob Sanders is the most sure-fire tackler in this game. One on one, he will make it every time. I can only imagine him and Reed next to each other.

I have always wanted the Ravens to get a guy with Dreadlocks.

…while I know you were not including Reed in the equation, he is stilllheads above both and is the best safety in the history of the game, even mentioned as such by the Miami sports talk radio today. Currently, he is also the best individual player in the entire NFL on both sides of the ball, as he is so much better at what he does than anyone at his position.

reed would have a tougher time sticking guys at the line….Troy and Brian are bigger.

If you want a comparison for Reed, the only other safety in the history of the NFl that is up there with him is the one and only Ronnie Lott. That dude chose to have part of his pinky cut off so he could not miss a game rather than have surgery and miss a couple of weeks! WTF!!!

if reed was a real man he’s play both safety and receiver… like i would.

I can’t say that he is…..it is uncomparable.

Reed is a FS and plays back like 90% of the time. He is a great safety but he is making these plays against mediocre quarterbacks, Chad pennington, David Gerrard, Kolb (Philly). He is still the best FS but I think everyone is taking him to another level only because of his recent play against some pretty mediocre teams. He does his job well which is protect the deep ball but doesn’t play one on one coverage hardly at all. He also doesn’t come up for run support or play in the box.

Polamalu plays EVERYWHERE. he literally covers the entire field from the backfield to the frontfield? anyways he can play deep and in the box, match up against any reciever or running back, blitz, and recover, he does everything. He is also key in stopping the run. He is so much more versatile on a defensive squad and does more for the Steelers D than what Ed does for the ravens D.

Don’t get me wrong I think Ed Reed is the best FS in the game right now, but you can’t say either of them are the best safeties of all time until their careers are over. Ed’s reputation lately has rosen because of a good blocking defense. Look at the rest of the ravens when their is an INT. They are quick to diagnose the situation and get the blocks needed, allowing reed to rarely have to make moves to return a pick for a TD. He is not Deion Primetime returning INT’s, he is getting blocks and running through holes.

Once more Ed is good but you guys should back off the man’s nuts a little bit. He doesn’t have any rings and I don’t think he has played in an AFC championship game. Great player, best FS in the league right now but don’t crown him the best of all time yet, wait for his career to be over and put in respective what he does

I do see Troy around the line of scrimmage a lot more..Reed used to blizt off the end but not so much anymore (5’8" Leonhard handling most of that). Troy is a shortstop while Reed is definately a center fielder…something could be said for which of those positions is more valuable to a team….Amongst everything else, Ed gets twice the props because of his unique return ability/speed.

The life of a Free Safety is not as stressful as a DBs. While the DBs battle it out 1 on 1 the FS’s get the money shots. As long as they play deep enough and keep the play in front of them its far more difficult for a Safety to get burned and booed. They can afford to play it safe. If Rolle or Washington get a step behind, it’s their ass. It’s because of the DB’s that the FS gets the picks at all. So many factors are involved with FS success.

Brain Dawkins and Ray Lewis on the same team? Or D would be fired up the entire game and sum. Dawkins brings so much leadership and intensity to that Eagles D. He the 2nd best leader in the NFL next to Ray Lewis. Not only that, he also makes plenty of plays. Not as many as Troy but enough to make the pro bowl. I believe that if both Troy and Ed were on the same team, they would get in to each other way. Troy likes to fly around everywhere and may end up going into Reed zone. IDK, I would Rather have Brain.

In seven NFL regular seasons, Reed has 43 interceptions. The NFL record is 81, set by Paul Krause, who played 16 years. he has now returned eight turnovers for touchdowns in his career.
They are some good numbers and thats with missing 6 games in 2005.

missing games..imagine the the conditions Paul Krause played in. bad equipment. rock hard fields. But, he could throw receivers around at will and didn’t have to deal with 4.3 guys weekly.