Is Ed Reed the Best Player In the NFL?

They say that defenses win championships. Just ask the Baltimore Ravens, who may be on their way to a second Super Bowl title in the millennium. Safety Ed Reed intercepted two passes and returned one for a touchdown in a blowout victory on the road against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon.

“The Human Ball Magnet” just finished one of the greatest regular seasons by a defensive player in recent memory, and led his team into the Divisional round of the playoffs against the top team in the AFC, the Tennessee Titans.

Reed might be the most versatile defensive player I have ever seen in my entire life. I don't mean that this man can play more than one position, but that he can do absolutely anything on a football field.

It starts with the interceptions. He has 43 in his career. He picked off nine passes in 2004, when he won Defensive Player of the Year, and he intercepted nine more in 2008. Expectations are high that Reed will earn Defensive Player of the Year honors a second time.

He scored on a record 107-yard interception touchdown in 2008, breaking the previous record of 106 yards—set by Ed Reed. He holds the single-season record for interception return yardage (358 in 2004) and ranks sixth all-time, first among active players (1144 yards).

His success continues with his special teams play. He has blocked four punts in his career. Three of these have been returned for touchdowns, tying an NFL record.

He is a wizard with the football in his hands. He has scored 11 career touchdowns—five on interceptions, three on blocked punts, two on fumble returns, and one on a punt return.

He is the first person in the history of the NFL to score a touchdown on an interception, a blocked punt, a punt return, and a fumble return. He averages almost 30 yards per interception return and is one of the most dangerous runners in the game.

Reed is arguably the biggest playmaking safety in the history of the National Football League.

And he has the greatest start to his postseason career of any player in the history of the NFL. After three games, he has recorded an unprecedented five interceptions, including one returned 63 yards for a touchdown.

His mere presence on the football field is enough to make quarterbacks hesitate to throw the ball his way. Many coaches refuse to allow their quarterbacks to throw long with Reed roaming the field, and those that do pay for it.

Reed, notorious for studying the tendencies of the opposition inside and out during the week, was named the NFL's most feared defender by Sports Illustrated before the 2008 season.

Ed Reed: not just the best defensive player in the league, but the best player in the league.

The greatest player on maybe the most feared team in the NFL postseason. A team that lost to the 12-win Steelers twice, the 12-win Indianapolis Colts, the 13-win Tennessee Titans, and the 12-win New York Giants.

Soon the five-time Pro Bowler may have a new addition to his trophy case—a Super Bowl ring.