stringer bell
New member
The position is still called safety, a throwback to bygone football times when those who played it primarily were safety nets, rear guards and last lines of defense. But in today's NFL, the demands of the job go way beyond that. Anyone who can't handle multitasking need not apply.
Offenses are inclined to attack with up to five wide receivers, confusing with constant shifts and multiple formations. Safeties have moved to the forefront as defenses fight back.
At times, they still roam remote regions of the field like baseball center fielders. But they also must be football transformers, frequently asked to match up with quick slot receivers and cover them like cornerbacks or attack the line and stuff the run like linebackers or rush the quarterback on blitzes.
Star safeties such as Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Ed Reed of the Baltimore Ravens have met the challenge, consistently making big plays all over the field and forcing offenses to identify their whereabouts at all times. So it's no surprise they are ranked No. 1 (Polamalu) and No. 2 (Reed) on USA TODAY's list of the best in the business. There are other standouts and other up-and-comers at the position. But with the skill set required to stand out on the back end, they aren't in abundance.
"It is a very, very important position that seems hard to fill," says Gil Brandt, who covers the league for NFL.com after nearly three decades as the vice president of player personnel for the Dallas Cowboys. "Speed is important, recognition is very, very important, and you need tackling ability.
"A lot of times you're in the game when people sneak in five real fast wide receivers. ... All of a sudden you're covering a guy like Greg Jennings (the Pro Bowler for the Green Bay Packers). It might only happen twice or three times in a game that (offenses) get the mismatch. But everybody looks for it now."
Likewise, Polamalu and Reed are players who must be accounted for on every snap by offenses.
Three of the last seven recipients of the NFL defensive player of the year award have been safeties, including Polamalu last season and Reed in 2004, highlighting the impact of a job that isn't often valued highly in the draft or the free agent market.
In the past, outstanding cornerbacks have made the move to safety after growing older ... and a tad slower. Hall of Famer Rod Woodson followed that path, making seven Pro Bowls as a corner and four at safety.
Because of the increased demands on safeties, some teams are making the conversion with younger players. Antrel Rolle, No. 6 in USA TODAY's safety rankings, was taken by the Arizona Cardinals with the eighth pick of the 2005 draft as a cornerback. After three pedestrian years there, he shifted to the back line in 2008 and has since made Pro Bowls with Arizona (2009) and the New York Giants (2010), who also granted him a rare windfall (five years, $37 million) for his duties.
Playmakers — strong and free
Teams still use the depth-chart designations of strong safety and free safety. Traditionally, the strong safety is responsible for defending the side of the offense where the tight end aligns and frequently has to cover him or a running back leaking out as a release valve for the quarterback. But he often is also charged with helping defend the run as the eighth man in the box. The free safety typically has had more freedom to roam and assist the cornerbacks on deep coverage.
But those lines have gotten blurred.
"This is a game of one-upmanship," Brandt says.
"People used to play with one tight end and two wide receivers. The strong safety would always go to the side of the tight end. Now, teams are using two and three tight ends in the game at one time. (The) New England (Patriots do) that a lot ... to disguise what is the strong side and what is the weak side."
So no matter whether a player is listed as a strong or free safety, there will be times when his ability to shift roles is tested.
"Most people will tell you they should be able to play both (positions)," Brandt says.
In Pittsburgh, Polamalu is designated as the strong safety. Reed is Baltimore's free safety. But when it comes to major contributions, they are similar.
"They're defensive players who are capable of taking over a football game, and I think that puts them in a unique category," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says.
"One guy is a free safety; another guy is a strong safety. So they're really different animals from that standpoint. The things that they're asked to do — their job requirements — are different, but they are both defensive players who are capable of taking over a football game, and there's not many of those guys around."
Pittsburgh traded up in the 2003 draft to pick Polamalu in the first round (16th pick overall). In his eight NFL seasons, he has made the Pro Bowl six times.
One of his most impactful plays last season came in Week 13 when he sacked Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, forcing a fumble that sent the Steelers on the winning touchdown drive in the waning minutes of a key divisional victory that ultimately gave the AFC North title to Pittsburgh.
Polamalu is a hard-tackling run defender. But on some plays, he also will start dropping deep into coverage even before the ball is snapped.
Ryan Clark, Pittsburgh's free safety, says he and Polamalu sometimes switch roles. "We come out of the huddle, and we figure out what we want to do," Clark says. "Does he want to be back? Am I going to be back? ... We kind of both play all over."
Polamalu tied for second in the NFL last season with seven interceptions. He has 27 in his career.
"He's probably the most instinctive player I've ever had," veteran defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau says. "He has the amazing capability of studying film and being able to instantly apply that in the game situation. A lot of guys can get down to tendencies, formation, motion, but when it comes to pulling the trigger, they do OK. Troy is exceptional. That's why he makes so many big plays."
The kinds of plays he makes give the impression that Polamalu has the latitude to roam and improvise. But he disagrees with that.
"I don't have any more freedom than anybody else has in the defense. I have a curl flat (pass coverage), I have gaps to blitz, I've got to read keys like any other player on this defense," Polamalu says.
But he does it with such flamboyance, including leaping over blockers, that it gives the impression he's freelancing.
That also translates into popular appeal.
He does shampoo commercials for Head & Shoulders. According to NFLShop.com, Polamalu had the top-selling jersey of all players from April 1, 2010, to March 31.
"I've got to buy my own jersey to get them out to my own family. I think that was probably the reason why," Polamalu kids.
He was limited to five games in 2009 because of knee injuries, and the Steelers suffered without him, missing the playoffs a year after winning the Super Bowl. Polamalu sat out the last two regular-season games in 2010 with an Achilles tendon injury but returned for the postseason. But his attacking style exerts a physical price. He didn't look like his typically disruptive self down the stretch, particularly vs. Jennings and the Packers, who exploited ailing Polamalu in Super Bowl XLV
But Polamalu is never one to make excuses.
"I think that's all part of the game ... dealing with injuries, the fear of getting injured," says Polamalu, who never shies away from meeting bigger ballcarriers in the hole or steamrolling tight ends in the seam.
"You're like, 'Man, I know this is going to hurt, but I've got to do this because this is what I have to do for the love of my family, to support my family, because I don't want to let my brothers down,' " he says. "There's all these factors that go into that sacrifice that you make as a football player."
Baltimore drafted Reed in the first round in 2002 (24th overall). In his nine NFL seasons, he has made the Pro Bowl seven times. He has 54 career interceptions, including a league-high eight last season despite sitting out the first six games while recovering from hip surgery. He holds the NFL record for longest interception return: 107 yards vs. the Philadelphia Eagles in 2008, breaking his own record of 106.
In his Ravens career, he has scored 12 touchdowns: six on interceptions, three on blocked punts, two on fumble returns and one on a punt return.
Brandt recalls an interception Reed made against the Miami Dolphins a few seasons ago.
"The guy apparently does so much tape work. He was completely out of position, but, as soon as they got into the formation, he recognized what it was going to be," Brandt says.
"He made an interception on a play that looked like it was going to be wide open."
In a 2008 game against the Washington Redskins, Reed had touchdowns on an interception return and a fumble return.
"The guy is Superman. Nothing gets past him," Ravens wide receiver Derrick Mason said after that game.
NFL receiving star Terrell Owens saluted Reed in a recent interview with the NFL Network.
"This guy, once he's done playing football, will go down in the Hall of Fame. This guy has that uncanny ability to be around the football," Owens said.
"If he's not involved somewhat in a play, it's somewhat surprising. He's a guy you really have to pay attention to."
Reed will be 33 in September, but Baltimore coach John Harbaugh said during a Ravens fan forum in March that he was optimistic Reed would continue to be a key contributor even though he has pondered retirement in recent years.
"Ed's still got plenty of good football left," Harbaugh said. "I've talked to Ed a number of times this offseason. He feels he can play four or five more years."
------------------
Last edited:
