Flash Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 Do you think he'd be on that E Reed/Polamalu level of safety? He was just so talented..linebacker strength with cornerback athleticism. IMO he's the most talented safety I've ever seen play the game but of course that doesn't always mean "the best". What do you guys think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reno Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 who knows, he was a great athlete and extremely gifted, but not to take anything away from him ed reed is just a straight out beast and future hof safety, so is polamalu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish7718 Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 Do you think he'd be on that E Reed/Polamalu level of safety? He was just so talented..linebacker strength with cornerback athleticism. IMO he's the most talented safety I've ever seen play the game but of course that doesn't always mean "the best". What do you guys think?I would consider him more of a Brian Dawkins in terms of skill set but yes, he would be in that elite level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NomarFachix Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 I always thought he was a bit overrated, even moreso in death Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastCoastNiner Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 I think he'd be a clear level below Reed and Polomalu, but not a large gap between them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish7718 Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 I always thought he was a bit overrated, even moreso in deathWhich is why I compared him to Dawkins Dawkins, as good as he was, was overrated when he played as well. However when you are a safety your job is to make plays and Taylor and Dawkins made a hell of a lot of those. Unless you have perfect coverage skills at safety everyone will always seem over rated because safetys get beat all the time over top and by TE's and slot's. It's the great ones who make enough plays to make up for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRV Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 Who knows. Def. my favorite safety watch though, you can tell guys were afraid to catch a pass anywhere near him, dude would take your head off with any hit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AboveLegit Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 He showed flashes of greatness every year leading up to 2007, the '06 season in particular was very up and down for him. He made some great plays here and there, but there were a lot of plays where he just gets burned. That 2007 season was one of the greatest seasons I've seen from a defender. He was covering more field than any player I've ever seen. I'll always remember that Green Bay game, the plays he was making during that game put me in awe. I still think about what a Landry/Taylor safety tandem would be like today. His transformation as a human being and player is very similar to what Vick went through last year. He finally put all his talent together in '07, dedicating himself to film study, proper offseason training, and maturing into a professional after his daughter was born. He was matching his natural instincts and physical gifts with his off the field homework. His coaches, teammates, and himself even admitted that. He was a rare talent, had great size but still could cover #1 receivers. I remember London Fletcher saying Taylor came to him during a game in OT and was pumped that they got out to stay there and keep playing. His love for the game was off the charts. He made a ton of huge plays, like the Philly and TB fumble returns in '05, the stop on 4th down and the pick in Carolina to seal the game, the FG block return against Dallas in '06, etc. Just so many memories. He was definitely top 3 along with Ed and Troy, he played on teams with terrible offenses and questionable defenses, but still shined. It sucks that his career ended just as he tapped into his potential, this seemingly unlimited ceiling could have turned into a Hall of Fame career. He had finally taken the step from a very good player, to a truly elite player, and it was over before we could truly witness it. No doubt in my mind he'd be up there with Reed and Polomalu...no doubt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Regime Posted September 29, 2011 Report Share Posted September 29, 2011 He reminded me alot of Roy Williams as far as tackling, but has covered a lot better. It was a shame that his immaturity overshadowed his play early in his career, but as AL said he was really starting to come around. Lets not forget he was only 24 when he passed away, so he still had a lot of upside. I would probably say he could have been a HOF player, but not on the same level as a Ed Reed or Troy Polamalu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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