reed is probably one of the biggest head scratchers in the IDP world, coming off his worst pro season... of course he was hurt last season, so maybe things will be back to normal... but maybe not so fast...
in previous seasons (year before he beat out james farrior for defensive POY) he overcame a lack of huge tackle numbers playing behind ray lewis with lots of big plays... INTs, & the occasional sack, FF & INT... sometimes on the same play (i think he did this to brunell)...
INTs are notoriously capricious & hard to replicate from season to season, except for all but a few players (active safeties - darren sharper & tony parrish)... i distinctly remember citing as a positive before last season that CBs can be avoided, whereas safeties can't so easily...
connected with that thought, in PFW team report issue that just hit newssatnds, there was a cool article on new breed of safeties (also roy williams, sean taylor, troy polamalu, bob sanders, michael boulware, etc)... it used to be a forsaken position... you went there if you weren't quick or fast or athletic enough to play CB... but in recent seasons, some of the best overall defenders in the league are playing the position...
polamalu was a huge part of the PIT defense last season, a big difference maker that may have been difference between making/winning super bowl or not (& probably supplanted farrior as team's most dangerous & explosive defensive player that offenses had to account for most)... he can run & cover like CB, hit like MLB & has instincts & range of safety...
back to the thought of... can an offense avoid a safety like throwing away from CB... PFW quoted NFL personnel guy or scout saying in reference to taylor... why cover half the field when you can cover the whole field? interesting thought, & i hadn't heard it put in quite that way before...
i did hear last season reporting that it DID seem as QBs were very cognizant of where reed was on every play... so while they couldn't just simply throw to one side like if he was CB... presumably if he cheated up they could throw over him, if he was back the could in turn throw short... it does stand to reason that after his monster 2004 season he would have an even higher profile... with lewis out or hurt a lot, reed would have been their most dangerous defensive player...
sorry for the circuitous preamble to the question here for the board, & hopefully grist for the IDP conversational mill...
can a safety be avoided almost as effectively as CB if offense is determined to (it could involve opting to not go downfield as much, contingent on where reed lines up)... is anybody else concerned that reed could be looking at fewer INTs going forward (or was 2005 just a transient situation & we shouldn't read to much into it in the way of trends?)...
in previous seasons (year before he beat out james farrior for defensive POY) he overcame a lack of huge tackle numbers playing behind ray lewis with lots of big plays... INTs, & the occasional sack, FF & INT... sometimes on the same play (i think he did this to brunell)...
INTs are notoriously capricious & hard to replicate from season to season, except for all but a few players (active safeties - darren sharper & tony parrish)... i distinctly remember citing as a positive before last season that CBs can be avoided, whereas safeties can't so easily...
connected with that thought, in PFW team report issue that just hit newssatnds, there was a cool article on new breed of safeties (also roy williams, sean taylor, troy polamalu, bob sanders, michael boulware, etc)... it used to be a forsaken position... you went there if you weren't quick or fast or athletic enough to play CB... but in recent seasons, some of the best overall defenders in the league are playing the position...
polamalu was a huge part of the PIT defense last season, a big difference maker that may have been difference between making/winning super bowl or not (& probably supplanted farrior as team's most dangerous & explosive defensive player that offenses had to account for most)... he can run & cover like CB, hit like MLB & has instincts & range of safety...
back to the thought of... can an offense avoid a safety like throwing away from CB... PFW quoted NFL personnel guy or scout saying in reference to taylor... why cover half the field when you can cover the whole field? interesting thought, & i hadn't heard it put in quite that way before...
i did hear last season reporting that it DID seem as QBs were very cognizant of where reed was on every play... so while they couldn't just simply throw to one side like if he was CB... presumably if he cheated up they could throw over him, if he was back the could in turn throw short... it does stand to reason that after his monster 2004 season he would have an even higher profile... with lewis out or hurt a lot, reed would have been their most dangerous defensive player...
sorry for the circuitous preamble to the question here for the board, & hopefully grist for the IDP conversational mill...
can a safety be avoided almost as effectively as CB if offense is determined to (it could involve opting to not go downfield as much, contingent on where reed lines up)... is anybody else concerned that reed could be looking at fewer INTs going forward (or was 2005 just a transient situation & we shouldn't read to much into it in the way of trends?)...
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which is why homer, regional insider perspective is so invaluable in cases like this... & what makes shark pool & IDP boards such great resources, being storehouses of all those multiple perspectives from all over the country...
