Top 10 CB,s of all time

[5pts]

There was a discussion a few days ago about whether or not Deion was the greatest or even belonged in the top-10 all time CBs.

I claimed that he is not a top-10 CB and thought I would share my list of who IS on that list:

1. Herb Adderley
2. Mike Haynes
3. #### "Night Train" Lane
4. Lem Barney
5. Mel Renfro
6. Rod Woodson
7. Darrell Green
8. Willie Brown
9. Mel Blount
10. Jimmie Johnson

All of these guys were excellent all-around players that could cover both short and deep passes, were solid tacklers, most also returned kicks, etc. Almost all of them also played Safety at some point in their careers which shows their versatility and how good they were vs the run. They were also known as team players.


IMO, Deion does not make this list because he was one-dimentional. Yes he was outstanding in deep coverage but the media hype that he "shut down half the field" is a ridiculous claim and rarely actually happened. Good QBs like Aikman, Young, Brunell, etc. routinely burned him and he could be beat by physical WRs like Irvin, Rice, Herman Moore, Chris Carter, and others.

In the 1994 NFC Championship Game Irvin killed Deion with 12 receptions for almost 200 yards and 2 TDs. Doesn't sound like he shut off that half of the field now does it, and yes he was on Irvin all day and got away with a lot of grabbing and holding but Michael was still able to totally outplay him.

I would put Deion in the top-20 maybe but not top-10.

[Kornbix]

Dude Deion number one. That's why nobody has posted in this thread yet because your whole Deion doesn't make the list is way over everyone's head and is messed up.

[doublee]

I can buy the argument that he is not the best 'all-around' corner to ever play, because let us face it he loses points in the all-around category for his lack of physical play. Deion's idea of a tackle is to dive at the guys legs and hope he trips the guy up enough to make him lose his balance. I am not old enough to really know anything about the other guys on that list to be able to make a fair comparison to Deion. But, from most everyone else says Deion is the best cover corner to ever play the game.

Oh, and Deion only ever locked down a third of the field because everyone knows that Leon, err, Deion does not go across the middle to cover someone. :)

[TheOmen]

Oh man, I wouldn't really comment on the top 10 CB's of all time, but if ANYONE is Leon, it has to be Keyshawn Johnson, but Willis McGahee is quickly earning his Leon-ness.

By the way, that'll be 5 dollars to read this post.

Damian

[doublee]

Naw, Keyshawn may run his mouth like Leon, but he at least sacs up when it is time to play and is willing to go across the middle and into traffic to catch the ball. Deion is the original Leon; wants to get paid and look good on the field, but steers clear from contact whenever possible because he needs to look pretty for the endorsements. :)

[Ego_Maniac]

Originally posted by doublee
I can buy the argument that he is not the best 'all-around' corner to ever play, because let us face it he loses points in the all-around category for his lack of physical play. Deion's idea of a tackle is to dive at the guys legs and hope he trips the guy up enough to make him lose his balance. I am not old enough to really know anything about the other guys on that list to be able to make a fair comparison to Deion. But, from most everyone else says Deion is the best cover corner to ever play the game.

Oh, and Deion only ever locked down a third of the field because everyone knows that Leon, err, Deion does not go across the middle to cover someone. :)

Good points on Deion!

... and I'm not old enough to know some of the people on that list, either!

[5280]

I agree those are some good points. I still think he's in the top 10. Don't forget Dion's special team ability.

[dirtywhiteboy]

Dion belongs in the Top 10, yes. BUT, he is nowhere near the top. The guy just flat-out COULD NOT TACKLE. And that's a fact that he readily admits, himsellf.
Also, if I'm not mistaken, wasn't Darrell Green a safety?
AND, LMAO on MEshawn Johnson's ability to back up his mouth. Isn't that the guy that had ONE TD 2001? And an amazing 45 catches last year? Hardly backing up a damn thing. After his stint with the Cowboys, all he needs is a few years with the Raiders, and his career will be comeplete.

[ESP0704]

dirty, Green was a cornerback.
still, I agree 100 percent with you that Deion is a top 10 CB, but he belongs in the lower half of the top 10.
I also like 5pts' list, for its inclusion of Night Train, Blount, Green and Mike Haynes (Green, with his speed) was what Deion would have been if Neon had the heart to step up and make a tackle or take on a pulling guard once in a while.
But what about Lester Hayes? He's been unfairly rapped as a stickum-abusing one-year wonder, but even though his interception numbers dropped after the NFL outlawed his favorite performance-enhancing substance, he was still an excellent cover CB who knocked down a lot of the balls he didn't catch.
The Raiders' Hayes-Haynes combo might have been the best CB tandem in NFL history.
Last year, when Sports-Central held its all-time mock draft, I picked Blount, based on his ability to cover receivers, make interceptions and his aggressive play (the one-chuck rule could have been named after Blount because of how well he executed the bump-and-run).
No. 1 comes down, IMO, to Blount vs. Night Train.

[ESP0704]

oooh, forgot something.
For the purposes of this thread, we are discussing Deion's ability as a cornerback. What he did on special teams -- or on offense, for that matter -- is not relevant.

[Brad O.]

1] Night Train Lane
2] Mel Blount
3] Herb Adderley
4] Willie Brown
5] Jimmy Johnson
6] Rod Woodson
7] Lem Barney
8] Darrell Green
9] Mike Haynes
10] Deion Sanders

I want to pick Aeneas Williams or Renfro or Hayes or maybe Roger Wehrli ahead of Sanders, but I can't do it in good faith. The mouth should calm down at least a little bit this year, though, because Deion is going to get seriously embarrassed on the field this season.

Incidentally, even though these guys are all great, I feel like there are notable divisions: Lane and Blount are an easy 1-2 in my mind, with 3-5 and 8-10 pretty closely bunched together.

Green and Sanders make for a particularly stark contrast, I think. Green played 20 seasons with the same team; Deion played 12 seasons with four teams (Baltimore will be his fifth). Green's signature plays were chasing down Tony Friggin' Dorsett, hurdling a defender to return a punt for a game-winning TD in the playoffs, and making a goal-line stop in the NFC Championship Game; Deion's signature moments were doing a dance after he made a nice play, and spending a few downs at wide receiver. Green let his play speak for him; Deion speaks about himself in the third person. Substantively, I think Green has to be considered the superior CB based on his longevity. He was a Pro Bowl candidate for 18 seasons, and he elevated his game when the stakes were highest. Playing against someone like Jerry Rice or Michael Irvin really got him fired up. Deion didn't tank in that kind of situation, but I don't think he really brought anything extra, either.

[doublee]

Wasn't it Eric Dickerson that Green ran down from behind?

[Slinky]

Deion's inability to tackle might have kept him from top 5, but IMO, he is a top 10 CB. I love when Deion talks though...

[Brad O.]

Originally posted by doublee
Wasn't it Eric Dickerson that Green ran down from behind?
Green was the NFL's fastest man for years, and Washington had some big games against Dickerson's Rams, most notably the 51-7 pasting in 1983 (rookie season for both Green and Dickerson) in which ED was held to 16 yards. So it's certainly possible that Green chased down Eric Dickerson. The play in which he ran down Dorsett is much more famous, though.

Do a Google search for "Darrell Green Tony Dorsett". You'll find things like: Green, in his NFL debut, caught national attention by running down Tony Dorsett from behind in a Monday night game. OR During his first regular-season game with the Redskins, he made his first hallmark play when he chased down the legendary Tony Dorsett of the Dallas Cowboys to prevent a touchdown.

Dorsett, the previous season, had led the NFC in rushing yards and set a league record with a gorgeous 99-yard TD run. Never known as a power runner, Dorsett made the Hall of Fame on pure speed. And here's this rookie, chasing him down. It's one of the most famous plays in the storied Dallas/Washington rivalry, and it's probably Green's signature play. Dickerson was fast, but people didn't think Dorsett could be caught from behind.

[Anthony]

The main problem with this thread is that cornerbacks who played before the adoption of the chuck rule in 1978 are not directly comparable to those who have played since, at least if you're using stats of some sort to make the comparison (this of course applies to wide receivers as well, and for that matter, also quarterbacks).

And besides, there's a reason why "Greatest Of All Time" bears the acronym "GOAT.":)