The-Hogs.net - Washington Football Discussion, Redskins to Commanders Era

Posted: **Mon Aug 23, 2004 9:31 am**

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/7598392

In all this talk about Deion Sanders possibly coming back, I've heard a lot of analysts say that Deion was perhaps the best DB of his age, or even of all time. I always thought he was pretty good, but there were holes in his game, for example his tackling ability. How do you think Deion measures up against the likes of cornerbacks Darrell Green, Dick "Night Train" Lane, Lem Barney and Mel Blount? Also, DB includes safety, so how about Rod Woodson, Ronnie Lott, Ken Houston and Paul Krause?!
--Aaron

Athletically, I'd put Sanders pretty high on any list of defensive backs or football players in general. He was a consummate playmaker in the secondary and a game-breaker as a return man. His tackling obviously left something to be desired, but I have always felt it was easily overshadowed by his immense coverage skills.

Having said that, Green still is my choice as the greatest cornerback I have ever seen, in person or on film. I know, for a fact, that some coaches gave explicit orders to their quarterbacks to avoid throwing to his side of the field because of his incredible ability to cover one-on-one. He overcame his lack of size to put together a long, distinguished career that saw him hold his own against receivers who steadily grew in size, speed and athleticism.

Finally, I writer that knows something about DB!

Posted: **Mon Aug 23, 2004 9:45 am**

Way to go Vic! No one ever said Deion was not a great athlete, but Aaron gets right to the heart of the matter when he talks about Deion's lack of tackling ability. To me, that is a defensive player's #1 job. Yes, he was fast and could cover, but when a receiver did make a catch on him, he would often gain 10-15 more yards on him, until the safety could come over to make the tackle.

Posted: **Mon Aug 23, 2004 9:53 am**

I wish Marty had treated Darrell with more respect at the time.

In the end, Darrell showed Marty to be wrong about him.

I wish Darrell could become part of our team in some form under Joe. He is far too much of a class act to hold anything against anybody in the organisation.

I know he is busy promoting his many charities but I hope Joe can try again to bring him home. Thanks Darrell.

Posted: **Mon Aug 23, 2004 10:22 am**

GO DARRELL!!

Its about time somebody gave him his due respect.

Posted: **Mon Aug 23, 2004 2:19 pm**

Chris Luva Luva wrote:GO DARRELL!!

Its about time somebody gave him his due respect.

Yep! Green will be a legend for years to come. It'll be a while before someone else takes his spotlight. A lot of people think it could be Champ some day, but to play at that level for all those years? Wow! I'm honored to say that I was able to watch him play his whole career, and let my kids know how much of an icon he is to the sport and the Redskins Family.

Posted: **Mon Aug 23, 2004 3:13 pm**

Moving this to around the league, since Deion is technically a Charger.

Posted: **Mon Aug 23, 2004 3:39 pm**

JansenFan wrote:Moving this to around the league, since Deion is technically a Charger.

Yeah, why Danny let him out of his contract without repayment is beyond me. I think the guy is an overrated a-hole, but he totally screwed us cap-wise, and then wouldn't play for Marty because he was too big a "feline". <--- insert alternate word here

The-Hogs.net - Washington Football Discussion, Redskins to Commanders Era

Ask Vic: Where does Deion rank?

Ask Vic: Where does Deion rank?

Green