Gil Brandt ranks Steelers Troy Polamalu No. 2 on his greatest safeties of all-time list

[polamalubeast]

http://www.nfl.com/photoessays/0ap30...9&sf95579479=1

[Born2Steel]

Since 1961, nobody has been a better NFL safety than TP43. I'm ok with that.

[steelreserve]

To me, Ronnie Lott and Polamalu are #1 and #2 and it doesn't really matter which order you put them in. Each one, there was no other player quite like him before or since and they belong in a separate category all to themselves. The rest on that list are just the best of the normies.

[ALLD]

Polamalu made several unique plays from fingertip interceptions to timing the snap count while generating a hurdling sack. I would say Ronnie Lott was more durable.

[Dwinsgames]

Troy was great no question about it , he changed the position as we know it in many regards but if I am honest he may not have been the best Steelers SS of all time let alone leagues best ..

don't get me wrong I loved Troy but Donnie Shell has far superior statistical achievements in many regards and a solid argument could be made that he was the Best SS to ever dawn the Black N Gold and is still a HoF snubbed undrafted free agent

even if one concludes Troy was superior the difference is negligible at best and if cost of acquiring the players comes into play 1st rounder vs undrafted free agent then it is a slam dunk Shell was the best player vs cost analysis


example for
Shell 51 career int , 19 fumble recoveries 162 game starts ...4 Lombardi's

Troy 32 int -7 fumble recoveries 142 game starts ... 2 Lombardi's

while turnovers are not everything they are game changing plays and a high factor into player impact

[st33lersguy]

I would put Lott no. 1 Polamalu no. 2.
I also liked all the Ratbirds fans crying over Polamalu being ranked over Reed

[Sportsguru1032]

I don't mind that list. Even though Troy didn't have a high turnovers number, he still made plays that caused a huge amount of them for other players to benefit from. He basically changed the Safety position for years to come.

[st33lersguy]

Let's not forget how much worse the defense was without him. He was the star player on one of the best defenses of it's era and probably the biggest reason that defense was one of the best of it's era

[polamalubeast]

example for
Shell 51 career int , 19 fumble recoveries 162 game starts ...4 Lombardi's

Troy 32 int -7 fumble recoveries 142 game starts ... 2 Lombardi's

while turnovers are not everything they are game changing plays and a high factor into player impact

The offenses had far more turnovers in the 1970s than in the time that Polamalu played.

[Sportsguru1032]

Let's not forget how much worse the defense was without him. He was the star player on one of the best defenses of it's era and probably the biggest reason that defense was one of the best of it's era

Very true. The line and linebackers had something to do with that too haha.

[steelreserve]

don't get me wrong I loved Troy but Donnie Shell has far superior statistical achievements in many regards and a solid argument could be made that he was the Best SS to ever dawn the Black N Gold and is still a HoF snubbed undrafted free agent

even if one concludes Troy was superior the difference is negligible at best and if cost of acquiring the players comes into play 1st rounder vs undrafted free agent then it is a slam dunk Shell was the best player vs cost analysis

I wasn't old enough to really have a reliable impression of Shell's impact as it happened, but the sense I get from watching old games and reading about it is - we had several dominant, game-changing players on that defense, especially Greene, Lambert, Ham, and Blount - and those were the kind of unique face-of-the-defense, face-of-the-position kind of players you rarely see. Among the more recent generation, Troy and James Harrison at his peak would be on that level. Then guys like Shell who are star players in their own right, but "just" a star player if it's possible to use that as a downgrade. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying a guy like Shell is just some dime-a-dozen guy you can find anywhere, just a different kind of player from those really generational game-defining types.

As far as cost of acquisition, I don't see how that really comes into play. Any of those guys would be well worth the #1 overall pick.

I don't mind that list. Even though Troy didn't have a high turnovers number, he still made plays that caused a huge amount of them for other players to benefit from. He basically changed the Safety position for years to come.

Let's not forget how much worse the defense was without him. He was the star player on one of the best defenses of it's era and probably the biggest reason that defense was one of the best of it's era

This is exactly the point I was getting at above. How many times did you see Troy come flying out of nowhere to make some amazing tackle that stopped a random swing pass for a 3-yard loss, when every other defender in the game would've been half a field away? Or closing 20 yards in the blink of an eye to mess up a play just by being in the way? Every game, he made several superhuman plays that I've never seen anyone else make, and it just went down as a regular tackle, or maybe not even a tackle at all, but changed the game significantly. And all on instinct.

It's also not too far-fetched to say that the defense wouldn't have been nearly what it was in the 2000s without Troy. You put him in there jumping around near the line, shifting, dropping back, creeping up near the line again ... and the offense had no idea what to expect. He made everyone on the defense better, just by being that wild-card threat that could do anything from anywhere on the field. That let us do so many other things and use so many different looks that opponents must have hated it. And he was the key to the whole thing. I don't think you could say the same thing about Shell, or for that matter any of the other players on that list including Lott.

[Dwinsgames]

I just do not think you can devalue a player because he had other great players on his team , its not that players fault the organization drafted well and if your going to do it to a couple of guys ( example Shell and LC Greenwood ) why doesn't it take away from Blount and Mean Joe just as well , I mean LC made it easier for Mean Joe ( and vice versa ) just like Shell aided Blount ..

as a side note Blount only had 6 more picks than his Safety counterpart Shell and we all know Corner is more conducive to garnering picks because you have less LOS plays and more island responsibilities as a corner ...

I may be in the minority here and that is fine but Donnie Shell ( IMO ) was as good as any Safety to ever play the game

[86WARD]

Gil Brandt trying to show how old and "great" his football knowledge is with that #1 pick. Lott and Polamalu are 1 and 2 in whatever order you want them in.

[polamalubeast]

I always thought that the steelers would have been a true super bowl contender in 2009 if Polamalu would have been healthy.

I mean, the season before and after the steelers have been to the Super Bowl!

[Mojouw]

As good as other safeties are or have been, I can't think of another safety that was the first, second,and third player the offense keyed on. Troy would cause audibles just by walking around behind the line.

As as others have mentioned he got to tackles or close to tackles that no other player ever gets within 3 yards of.

I never saw Shell play, it it almost impossible to overstate Polamalu,s influence.

[43Hitman]

Like others have said, when all time greats like Manning, Brady, Rodgers say that the first thing they did on any play was find out where Troy was, and even then it didn't matter sometimes because he

was baiting them. To me that says he's the greatest at his position of all time.

[teegre]

As good as other safeties are or have been, I can't think of another safety that was the first, second,and third player the offense keyed on. Troy would cause audibles just by walking around behind the line.

and

Like others have said, when all time greats like Manning, Brady, Rodgers say that the first thing they did on any play was find out where Troy was, and even then it didn't matter sometimes because he

was baiting them. To me that says he's the greatest at his position of all time.

These posts encapsulate my first thought, when I reminisce about Troy.

I remember hearing Flacco say that when he played the Steelers, he HAD to locate Troy before he passed the ball. Otherwise, there was a realistic chance that Troy would make you look stupid. That moment of hesitation (finding Troy) led to errant passes and/or more sacks.

Similarly, I remember hearing a Falcons coach tear into his O-line, telling each & every one of them: "Find 43 and STOP him!!!"

Likewise, when Peyton was in Denver, I remember a MNF game where Peyton audibled and Troy moved to a new spot. Peyton audibled a second time, and Troy moved again. Befuddled, Peyton called a time out... but, shot a glance and a smile at Troy.

Lastly, Dan Patrick once suggested that they have a "Polamalu cam"... a camera focused solely on Troy. Because, as Dan said: "Troy does so much on any given play, stuff that you don't see on regular television... I could watch him for 3 hours."

[BlackAndGold]

Lott, TP43, Ed Reed, should be the first three.

[86WARD]

I'd rather have Dawkins than Ed Reed.

[pczach]

As good as other safeties are or have been, I can't think of another safety that was the first, second,and third player the offense keyed on. Troy would cause audibles just by walking around behind the line.

As as others have mentioned he got to tackles or close to tackles that no other player ever gets within 3 yards of.

I never saw Shell play, it it almost impossible to overstate Polamalu,s influence.

Donnie Shell was a great football player. He is very underrated, but IMO, he is not on the same level as Troy P.

Shell hit like a freight train. He was a great fit with his physicality to punish people in the secondary as the front four and the amazing LB's created havoc. There were many panic throws as the quarterback was under duress, and Shell was there to pick off a good number of passes and punish anyone that came near him.

With all that said, he was nowhere near the athletic freak that TP was, nor did he have Troy's inarguable affect on NFL offenses. Reading where Troy Polamalu was on the field was the #1 responsibility of the quarterback, and getting into a play that limited Troy's ability to be in on a play was the priority of every play call. There are only a handful of players in the history of this game that have had that type of influence on every snap of every game on the defensive side of the ball.

I love Donnie Shell and believe he should be in the HOF, but a player with the physical and mental gifts that TP had comes along once in a generation.

[hawaiiansteeler]

[hawaiiansteeler]

[43Hitman]

The Wife and I just enjoyed that video, thanks for sharing.

[pczach]

Awesome!

Even making a routine play he just looked and moved differently than any other safety I've ever seen. He was a truly great, transcendent player. Nobody has ever played the position the way he did.

Thanks for that HS!

[tube517]

https://youtu.be/PSBKeqZLMBg?t=3031

This play is rarely mentioned but I still don't know how Troy maintained his balance and made the damn tackle!

[Dwinsgames]

film is old and grainy , but memories are old and fuzzy so a little reminder or perhaps ability to see for the first time



- - - Updated - - -

[tube517]

film is old and grainy , but memories are old and fuzzy so a little reminder or perhaps ability to see for the first time



- - - Updated - - -

Donnie Shell (along with L.C.) should be in the Hall of Fame. Dummies like Peter King established this thought that there are "Too many 70s Steelers" in the Hall of Fame. Complete and utter monkey crap.

The highlight I remember the most: Shell breaking Earl Campbell's ribs. He was a brutal hitter and a great safety.

And both L.C. and Donnie were recruited by Bill Nunn

[st33lersguy]

Donnie Shell (along with L.C.) should be in the Hall of Fame. Dummies like Peter King established this thought that there are "Too many 70s Steelers" in the Hall of Fame. Complete and utter monkey crap.

The highlight I remember the most: Shell breaking Earl Campbell's ribs. He was a brutal hitter and a great safety.

And both L.C. and Donnie were recruited by Bill Nunn

Not to mention the appeasing of the 70s Crygirls and their fans who bitch "wahhh, they shouldn't have much more hall of famers than us, they weren't better than us, wahhhh"

[Born2Steel]

Not to mention the appeasing of the 70s Crygirls and their fans who bitch "wahhh, they shouldn't have much more hall of famers than us, they weren't better than us, wahhhh"

2 SBs in the 70s would like to say otherwise.

[BlackAndGold]

Also Troy was such a unique players. Just pure instincts, he played under LeBeau's defense, but he was allowed to free lance all over the field if he felt the need to do so(he was basically his own defensive scheme), either playing in the box, or even back deep in coverage like a free safety. Such an amazing football player to watch. I still remember TP being pasted his prime made Peyton Manning almost shit himself which made him call a timeout right before he was going to snap the ball.

Troy also came up big clutch moments, something that offensive players always get credit for, Troy should be praised for that abilty to.