Pittsburgh Steelers: Why Troy Polamalu Is the Best Safety in the NFL

There's a lot of press right now surrounding Ben Roethlisberger's lower-than-expected ranking among his NFL peers. While there's certainly debate there, there really can't be much debate about one of Roethlisberger's teammates.

Troy Polamalu has been a star ever since his days at USC. He was so valuable a draft prospect that Pittsburgh traded up nearly 20 slots to grab him in the 2003 NFL draft's first round. Since a quiet rookie season, he's been unstoppable for most of a decade.

But is he the best safety in the NFL?

A better question might be, who can you possibly say is better?

Ed Reed of the Baltimore Ravens comes to mind as someone who'd earn some mentions. As much as I respect Reed and his immense talent, I can't rank him above Polamalu.

OK, before you shout that I'm a homer and that I'm biased, consider some evidence with me.

Do you ever hear about defenses game planning around Ed Reed? How about quarterbacks saying that they have trouble locating him and have to worry about his location constantly while a play is in progress?

Have you ever heard a quarterback say he's outright scared of Reed?

I have never heard those things about Reed. Let's be clear, he's a close second. But he doesn't have the game-destroying skills that Polamalu possesses. He's just not that kind of safety. He's more of a traditional player.

Polamalu is unlike anyone who's playing defense in the NFL right now. He does it all.

He can sack the quarterback off a blitz, leap blockers to stop runners and quarterbacks from making plays, pick off a pass and return it for a touchdown, evade pretty much any offensive player, stay with any receiver to break up passes and be the perfect decoy.

He's the player who makes everyone around him better.

Want further proof? Look at the Steelers' vaunted defense without him. When he's injured or off the field, the corners look slow and inept, Ryan Clark becomes ordinary instead of above average, quarterbacks can find ways to beat the Steelers more easily.

With Polamalu around, those things just don't happen very often.

He's earned six Pro Bowl nods for his efforts, missing only twice (his rookie year and the injury-plagued year of 2009). That kind of consistency is rare for the position.

He's the best player on this team. He'd be the best player on any team thanks to the fear he inspires in opponents and the fact that he just can't be predicted. He can make any play and thrive in any situation.

Find me another safety that does that. Until then, it's time to recognize what is obvious if you look at some of the highlights: Troy Polamalu is the best safety in the NFL and maybe the best safety ever.

He's definitely in that conversation.