Ed Reed Returned Interceptions Further Than Anyone in NFL History

Ed Reed intercepted 64 passes and returned them 1,590 yards, an NFL record. He also owns the two longest interception returns ever played, 106 yards in 2004 and 107 yards in 2008, and was Defensive Player of the Year in 2004.

Reed made nine Pro Bowls, was first-team All-Pro five times, led the league in interceptions in three separate seasons, and won Super Bowl XLVII in his final year in Baltimore. The 1,590 return yards is the statistic that defines him: it is roughly 25 yards per interception, meaning the average Reed takeaway did not just end a drive, it handed his offense most of a possession.

Free safety is the one defensive job that is almost entirely anticipation. The player is fifteen yards from the ball at the snap and has to decide, before the quarterback has decided, where the throw is going. Reed studied route combinations and quarterback footwork so closely that he was routinely moving to a spot the passer had not yet chosen, which is why quarterbacks who tried to look him off found him waiting anyway.

The second half of his game is what the yardage record measures. Most safeties finish the play by catching it. Reed had the vision and the ball skills of a returner, so a third down stop turned into points going the other way, twice from inside his own end zone. Only he has ever scored on a 106-yard and a 107-yard interception return.

Ronnie Lott is the strongest counter and defended more of the field, hit harder than anyone at the position, and won four Super Bowls with San Francisco. Troy Polamalu created more chaos near the line and wrecked plays before they developed. Both were more complete defenders than Reed, who was a willing but ordinary tackler.

The split is genuine. If the job is to control a defense from the deep middle and take the football away, no one has done it as well or turned it into as many yards. If the job is everything a safety can be asked to do, Lott is the answer.

The verdict: Ed Reed for ball skills. Ronnie Lott for the complete game. Polamalu for chaos.