Bart Scott says putting Troy Polamalu in the same category as Ed Reed is ‘disrespectful’

Just when you thought the Ravens and Steelers rivalry has started to calm and become just another mundane rivalry in the NFL, a former linebacker steps in and totally redeems himself!

If you haven’t seen it yet, this all stems from a player who was a part of the foundation of the Ravens and Steelers bloody rivalry.

None other than Bart Scott.

Scott joined the Bleacher Report Gridiron recently and gave his opinion of Troy Polamalu being compared to Ed Reed. He labeled it as ‘disrespectful’, but there is far more to this than meets the eye.

Check it out for yourself below:

I hate saying this, but in Scott’s defense his stance on the debate which has been raging for years is valid. Comparing players at different positions is difficult, and not really fair. He isn’t the only one who thought the exercise was silly, Vince Williams took to Twitter to give his thoughts on Scott’s comments.

He doesn’t hold back...

On the surface, Scott’s comments will cause Steelers fans’ blood to boil.

“How dare someone speak poorly of Polamalu!”

But at the end of the short clip with Scott is when the true difference of safeties is made clear. When Scott suggests you compare Polamalu to Brian Dawkins and Reed to Charles Woodson it makes sense.

What was very obvious during the segment is the disdain Scott still has for the Steelers, and rightfully so. There was something special about those games when Reed was worried about Hines Ward coming across the middle, and Rashard Mendenhall was having his shoulder broken by Ray Lewis. In comparison, the current Steelers vs. Ravens rivalry does seem a bit watered down.

Nonetheless, leave it to the former, mouthy linebacker Scott to stir up the Ravens vs. Steelers rivalry just as training camp is ramping up.