Troy Landry & Dawan Polamalu

[bennyb357]

All over the web and in the workplace Steeler fans have been disputing whether or not Troy Polamalu is better than our own Ed Reed. I always felt it wasn't very much of a valid argument since they don't play the same position. Therefore I wanted to do some real number crunching between our unsung hero Dawan Landry and the "untouchable" Troy Polamalu. Check out the results!

Dawan Landry's averages for his 2 full seasons:
TOT: [b]75.5[/b] SOLO: [b]57.5[/b] AST: 18.0 SCK: [b]2.0[/b] SFTY: 0 PD: 6.00 INT: 2.5 TD: 0.5 YDS: [b]50.50[/b] AVG: 10.10 LNG: 18.50
Troy Polamalu's averages for his 4 full seasons:
TOT: 74.5 SOLO: 56.0 AST: [b]18.5[/b] SCK: 1.5 SFTY: 0 PD: [b]9.25[/b] INT: [b]3.5[/b] TD: 0.5 YDS: 39.75 AVG: [b]10.25[/b] LNG: [b]21.25[/b]

Pretty similar huh? Granted I did use Polamalu's rookie season but you have to keep in mind the following:

Dawan Landry: [b]5th[/b] round pick ([b]146th[/b] overall)
Troy Polamalu: [b]1st[/b] round pick ([b]16th[/b] overall)

Being selected in the 1st round Pittsburgh must have planned on throwing him in immediately and he should have performed as such, in training camp and throughout the season. Landry, on the other hand, stepped up and showed his value regardless of where he was selected in the draft. He also did so in an already defensively stacked team. I'm not saying Polamalu is a bad player, he's far from that, I'm just saying Landry is statistically on par with him. For those of you out there that believe the inclusion of Troy Polamalu's rookie season is unfair due to the fact that he did not start any of the games that season, here are his stats excluding 2003:

Troy Polamalu's averages for his 3 starting seasons:
TOT: 86 SOLO: 64.6 AST: 22 SCK: 1.3 SFTY: 0 PD: 8.8 INT: 4.6 TD: 0.3 YDS: 53 AVG: 13.6 LNG: 28.3

Those numbers are a bit more impressive, yet he's still only a step up from Landry. Give Landry a bit more time to develop and I'm sure he'll compete with those stats, especially given the fact that this is only Dawan's 4th season while Troy is entering his 7th. If Dawan somehow takes a step back this year, yeah, I'll admit I was wrong, but as it stands now Polamalu just looks overrated to me.

Here are the last set of averages I messed around with. These are by far the most irrelevant, but I thought I'd include them just for completeness. The following are the complete career averages of both SS's:

Dawan Landry's averages for his 3 seasons played:
G: 11.3 GS: 10.6 TOT: 54 SOLO: 41.0 AST: 13.0 SCK: 1.3 SFTY: 0 PD: 4.0 INT: 1.6 TD: 0.3 YDS: 33.6 AVG: 6.7 LNG: 12.3
Troy Polamalu's averages for his 6 seasons played:
G: 14.6 GS: 12.0 TOT: 72 SOLO: 54.3 AST: 17.6 SCK: 1.6 SFTY: 0 PD: 8.8 INT: 2.8 TD: 0.1 YDS: 35.0 AVG: 9.6 LNG: 8.16

Keep in mind Polamalu missed 8 games over 6 seasons, while Landry missed a whopping 14 games over his short 3 season career. That's a big difference! As such the stats seem to show that. Still though, Landry's stats still look impressive next to Polamalu's!

Of all the stats listed above I still think the 1st set is the most relevant. Landry and Polamalu are neck and neck, and according to those statistics it could even be argued that Landry is the better SS! But I won't go so far as to say that, it is worth pointing out though.

I know stats aren't really that important but I found this interesting nonetheless. Plus I was bored, the season can't start soon enough. ><

[smashmouth]

I dont think Troy is overrated. But I do very much think that lanudry is every bit just as good.

Trying to compare Reed to Polamalu is just pointless.If you dont think there's a pretty big diffrence from a SS to a FS then you need to learn some football 101. But on a side note Ed Reed did start his days as a SS.. but was moved over because of his "ball hawking" tendicies, and the fact that a FS is more of a roaming duty. And no one does that better then Reed.

[T-Sizzle]

Great Post! This is a prime example of how anyone in Black and Gold is put atop a pedestal and are media darlings. Troy couldn't even carry Ed's cleats, and everyone wants to compare the two? Ludicrous. Don't get me wrong ...he is a good football player. But Ed's the absolute, hands-down, best safety in the league ..maybe of all-time. Here's another example of how the Black and Gold are treated like royalty ...there couldn't be a more over-rated player in the league than Ben the Biker (not). He should buy Santonio Holmes and every one of his family members new houses for the way he carried them through the playoffs and saved Ben's tail in the Super Bowl. A couple of weeks ago I researched a little head-to-head comparison of my own between Flacco, Ben and Matt Ryan. Remember, Flacco and Ryan were Rookies and Ben's apparently the best thing since French Fries on a friggin' sandwich ...just like they eat up there in Shltsburgh.

Joe Flacco- Ben- Matt Ryan

Games: 16- 16- 16
Pass Attempts: 428- 469- 434
Pass Completions: 257- 281- 265
Completion Percentage: 60.0- 59.9- 61.1
Passing Yards: 2,971- 3,301- 3,440
Yards Per Attempt: 6.9- 7.0- 7.9
Touchdown Passes: 14- 17- 16
Interceptions: 12- 15- 11
Comp for 1st Downs: 143- 162- 157
Times Sacked: 32- 46- 17
Yards Lost on Sacks: 276- 284- 104
Passer Rating: 80.3- 80.1- 87.7
Carries: 52- 34- 55
Rushing Yards: 180- 101- 104
Rushing Average: 3.5- 3.0- 1.9
Longest Run: 38- 17- 17
Rushing Touchdowns: 2- 2- 1
Rushing 1st Downs: 16- 8- 11
%Rush for 1st Dn: 30.8- 23.5- 20.0
Runs of 20+ Yards: 2- 0- 0
Rushing Touchdowns: 2- 2- 1

And remember Joe also had a GREAT reception which was almost a TD had Troy Smith not overthrown him by a yard or 2.

Yeah ...Ben looks to be SUCH a great QB compared to these 2 Rookies. What a JOKE!!

[flynismo]

Wow....Dawan's as good as Polamalu and Big Jen's overrated? Can tell I'm on a Ravens' forum....

[SaVaGe]

You can compare Ed and Troy, why you ask? Because reed played SS for 3 seasons and you know what? He put up better stats then troy every year. Reed is a better all round safety then troy can ever hope to be.

[TSizzle00]

[quote name='T-Sizzle' date='01 September 2009 - 03:31 AM' timestamp='1251790283' post='227661']
Great Post! This is a prime example of how anyone in Black and Gold is put atop a pedestal and are media darlings. Troy couldn't even carry Ed's cleats, and everyone wants to compare the two? Ludicrous. Don't get me wrong ...he is a good football player. But Ed's the absolute, hands-down, best safety in the league ..maybe of all-time. Here's another example of how the Black and Gold are treated like royalty ...there couldn't be a more over-rated player in the league than Ben the Biker (not). He should buy Santonio Holmes and every one of his family members new houses for the way he carried them through the playoffs and saved Ben's tail in the Super Bowl. A couple of weeks ago I researched a little head-to-head comparison of my own between Flacco, Ben and Matt Ryan. Remember, Flacco and Ryan were Rookies and Ben's apparently the best thing since French Fries on a friggin' sandwich ...just like they eat up there in Shltsburgh.

Joe Flacco- Ben- Matt Ryan

Games: 16- 16- 16
Pass Attempts: 428- 469- 434
Pass Completions: 257- 281- 265
Completion Percentage: 60.0- 59.9- 61.1
Passing Yards: 2,971- 3,301- 3,440
Yards Per Attempt: 6.9- 7.0- 7.9
Touchdown Passes: 14- 17- 16
Interceptions: 12- 15- 11
Comp for 1st Downs: 143- 162- 157
Times Sacked: 32- 46- 17
Yards Lost on Sacks: 276- 284- 104
Passer Rating: 80.3- 80.1- 87.7
Carries: 52- 34- 55
Rushing Yards: 180- 101- 104
Rushing Average: 3.5- 3.0- 1.9
Longest Run: 38- 17- 17
Rushing Touchdowns: 2- 2- 1
Rushing 1st Downs: 16- 8- 11
%Rush for 1st Dn: 30.8- 23.5- 20.0
Runs of 20+ Yards: 2- 0- 0
Rushing Touchdowns: 2- 2- 1

And remember Joe also had a GREAT reception which was almost a TD had Troy Smith not overthrown him by a yard or 2.

Yeah ...Ben looks to be SUCH a great QB compared to these 2 Rookies. What a JOKE!!
[/quote]
you forgot playoff wins lol 2-1-0

[H8R]

I'd like to compare numbers after each players time in the NFL has ended, otherwise you can't really have a clear cut answer and even still (once each career is done) will be a bit fuzzy. It sucks, but the truth is with comparable numbers you can't always judge the value the player has on the team he resides. It looks like Ed's time may be shorter then that of Troy, so logevity and durability also should come into play.

If Joe ever gets Two rings like Big Ben I'd say we'd all be pretty happy and if Troy get's as many Td's or INT's as Reed the Steelers fans would also be very happy.

[PuRock]

What's the deal with the title? Did I miss something?

Troy Landry & Dawan Polamalu

[darklight1216]

[quote name='PuRock' date='01 September 2009 - 09:33 AM' timestamp='1251811987' post='227684']
What's the deal with the title? Did I miss something?

Troy Landry & Dawan Polamalu
[/quote]
I think it's a little tongue in cheek kind of thing. It may be saying that they are interchangeable... or nearly.

[POE]

Interesting stats, but Polamalu is more then just his stats. The guy is everywhere and somehow manages to get in the action on most every play. Landry is very good but not quite on Troy's level quite yet. If Dawan can stay healthy, due to his youth and upside, he has been given every opportunity to be just as effective as Troy so only time will tell whether or not he can play on Troy's level.

[Marcus]

LOL stats only tell one part of the story.

[bennyb357]

[quote name='PuRock' date='01 September 2009 - 09:33 AM' timestamp='1251811987' post='227684']
What's the deal with the title? Did I miss something?

Troy Landry & Dawan Polamalu
[/quote]


[quote name='darklight1216' date='01 September 2009 - 09:43 AM' timestamp='1251812606' post='227688']
I think it's a little tongue in cheek kind of thing. It may be saying that they are interchangeable... or nearly.
[/quote]

Yeah, what Darklight said. It was just a play on names because of their stats.

[bennyb357]

[quote name='T-Sizzle' date='01 September 2009 - 03:31 AM' timestamp='1251790283' post='227661']
Great Post! This is a prime example of how anyone in Black and Gold is put atop a pedestal and are media darlings. Troy couldn't even carry Ed's cleats, and everyone wants to compare the two? Ludicrous. Don't get me wrong ...he is a good football player. But Ed's the absolute, hands-down, best safety in the league ..maybe of all-time. Here's another example of how the Black and Gold are treated like royalty ...there couldn't be a more over-rated player in the league than Ben the Biker (not). He should buy Santonio Holmes and every one of his family members new houses for the way he carried them through the playoffs and saved Ben's tail in the Super Bowl. A couple of weeks ago I researched a little head-to-head comparison of my own between Flacco, Ben and Matt Ryan. [b]Remember, Flacco and Ryan were Rookies and Ben's apparently the best thing since French Fries on a friggin' sandwich ...just like they eat up there in Shltsburgh.[/b]

Joe Flacco- Ben- Matt Ryan

Games: 16- 16- 16
Pass Attempts: 428- 469- 434
Pass Completions: 257- 281- 265
Completion Percentage: 60.0- 59.9- 61.1
Passing Yards: 2,971- 3,301- 3,440
Yards Per Attempt: 6.9- 7.0- 7.9
Touchdown Passes: 14- 17- 16
Interceptions: 12- 15- 11
Comp for 1st Downs: 143- 162- 157
Times Sacked: 32- 46- 17
Yards Lost on Sacks: 276- 284- 104
Passer Rating: 80.3- 80.1- 87.7
Carries: 52- 34- 55
Rushing Yards: 180- 101- 104
Rushing Average: 3.5- 3.0- 1.9
Longest Run: 38- 17- 17
Rushing Touchdowns: 2- 2- 1
Rushing 1st Downs: 16- 8- 11
%Rush for 1st Dn: 30.8- 23.5- 20.0
Runs of 20+ Yards: 2- 0- 0
Rushing Touchdowns: 2- 2- 1

And remember Joe also had a GREAT reception which was almost a TD had Troy Smith not overthrown him by a yard or 2.

Yeah ...Ben looks to be SUCH a great QB compared to these 2 Rookies. What a JOKE!!
[/quote]

lmao! You forgot the coleslaw though...

[Beninato]

Anyone who think Landry is as good as Polamalu has problems.

[varaven]

think of it this way: would you rather have troy or landry as your safety? no disrespect to landry but i think all of us would definitely want polamalu. (that safety tandem would be unstoppable!)

[Ravens52]

lol Landry isn't as good as Troy. This is coming from a huge Landry fan. Stats don't show everything remember that..

[bennyb357]

[quote name='Ravens52' date='01 September 2009 - 09:41 PM' timestamp='1251855662' post='227863']
lol Landry isn't as good as Troy. This is coming from a huge Landry fan. Stats don't show everything remember that..
[/quote]

To everyone that thinks I'm saying Landry is better than Polamalu please reread my post..

[b]"I'm just saying Landry is statistically on par with him"[/b]
[b]"I know stats aren't really that important but I found this interesting nonetheless"[/b]

This whole post was ONLY talking about statistics. Not only that but I even mentioned that stats were not important and trivial. I'm not sure why everyone wants to turn my words around every time I post here but whatever. I just thought you all would find it interesting that their stats were so similar.

[flynismo]

[quote name='bennyb357' date='01 September 2009 - 11:54 PM' timestamp='1251863643' post='227882']
To everyone that thinks I'm saying Landry is better than Polamalu please reread my post..

[b]"I'm just saying Landry is statistically on par with him"[/b]
[b]"I know stats aren't really that important but I found this interesting nonetheless"[/b]

This whole post was ONLY talking about statistics. Not only that but I even mentioned that stats were not important and trivial. I'm not sure why everyone wants to turn my words around every time I post here but whatever. I just thought you all would find it interesting that their stats were so similar.
[/quote]


I think he was just mistaken; someone else said that and he probably thought it was you....

Anyway; it is kind of interesting simply because Landry was a fifth rounder....nice to get that production so late in the draft. You expect it out of a first rounder.

Maybe your unasked question is, "Who is the better value between Landry and Hairball?"

[T-Sizzle]

[quote name='flynismo' date='02 September 2009 - 12:37 AM' timestamp='1251869872' post='227894']
I think he was just mistaken; someone else said that and he probably thought it was you....

Anyway; it is kind of interesting simply because Landry was a fifth rounder....nice to get that production so late in the draft. You expect it out of a first rounder.

Maybe your unasked question is, "Who is the better value between Landry and Hairball?"
[/quote]


lol ...you mean teen wolf? since Johnny Damon had to cut his hair I guess Troy wanted the title for himself

[T-Sizzle]

[quote name='bennyb357' date='01 September 2009 - 12:47 PM' timestamp='1251827227' post='227756']
lmao! You forgot the coleslaw though...
[/quote]

yeah ...sorry 'bout that. their coleslaw's overrated too! lol

[Alexir]

I think Dawan should have went to the pro bowl his rookie year. He was pretty damn good. Ive never liked polamalu. plus he sounds like a little girl when he talks.

[BloodRaven]

Polamalu is better than Landry, the only thing I hate about him is he plays in YMCA country.

[Ranger275]

Troy is better right now, but 'ole Landry is still a bit of a baby at the game. He's got a high ceiling.

Ben is hugely, hugely overrated though. He's right behind Eli Manning in that category.

[flynismo]

I dont see how people can say Big Beth is overrated. Maybe people who dont get to see Pittsburgh play often, I can understand; people probably look at the stats and think "big whoop". But Ravens fans should know better than anyone how good he is. Without him, Pittsburgh has no offense...fun fact; he led them to [b]six[/b] come-from-behind victories last year.

[FerrariFan87]

Nice post... Landry should have a big impact this season, but he won't get near the recognition that Polamalu does.

[Ed_Reed20]

The Reed vs. Polamamlu will probably go on for a long time even though they play different positions and are completely different players. I don't know if offenses try to stay away from Polamalu but I do know that teams try to throw away from Reed.

[Ranger275]

[quote name='flynismo' date='02 September 2009 - 07:11 PM' timestamp='1251904265' post='227989']
I dont see how people can say Big Beth is overrated. Maybe people who dont get to see Pittsburgh play often, I can understand; people probably look at the stats and think "big whoop". But Ravens fans should know better than anyone how good he is. Without him, Pittsburgh has no offense...fun fact; he led them to [b]six[/b] come-from-behind victories last year.
[/quote]

He's a tough guy, but a pure drama queen when it comes to injuries. He's bad about it, man.

Half of the injuries he suffers are directly caused by him holding onto the ball for half an hour, looking for the big play instead of taking what's available. I'm not suggesting that a player should go out of his way to become Captain Checkdown, but he's stupid about it and his statistics suffer because of it.

The Steelers are a great team because of their defense, not because of their quarterback or passing attack.

[JoeFlax]

maybe the national media will give the same props to Dawan if he grew his hair out ha

nice catch bennyb357 btw

[neepo13]

I've said before that if Polamalu played for a non-marquee team, the media wouldnt give him half the attention that they do but I dont think Polamalu is THAT bad. Landry is an above average safety, he's not a bad player but at this point in his career he's more of a role player then an impact player. Polamalu is a good, not great, player but he is a play maker for their defense. So, I dont think Landry is quite deserving of drawing the comparison to him. Just like I dont think Polamalu deserves to draw the comparisons to Reed.

[Raven Bob]

[quote name='T-Sizzle' date='01 September 2009 - 03:31 AM' timestamp='1251790283' post='227661']
This is a prime example of how anyone in Black and Gold is put atop a pedestal and are media darlings.
[/quote]


All, please stop referring to the Steelers as "Black and Gold". How many times do I have to remind everyone, that they are Black and Yellow. If anyone, I mean anyone, begs to differ, then just answer the question as to what the colors of the Saints are then?

Now, I personally would rather have seen the Steelers (due to the mining and steel references of their area) in Black and Silver, but... it's *not* Black and Gold... it's Yellow.