Most Overrated Player in NFL History.... (1 Viewer)

[otello]

Question do you think Ken Stabler should be in the HOF?

In THE HOF or MY HOF? Because they are different.The problem for Stabler is that he had some very strong years and led some really great Raiders teams. But he also had some pretty mediocre ones that left his career stats looking pretty pedestrian. Like more INT to TD pedestrian.On the plus side, he was a 3 time All Pro, and ranked numerous times in the Top 10 in completions (8), passing yards (7), passing TD (7), and passer rating (5).The Raiders team he QBed went:9-4-18-4-210-3-19-4-112-211-313-111-39-79-7That's 10 years without a losing season and a SB title. I would have him in my HOF as one of the great team leaders from the 70s, but that era did not have great passing totals so that won't help his chances in getting into Canton. He didn't become a starter until he was 28, and that also hurt his career numbers. He also led Houston to an 11-5 record his first year with the Oilers before being on some poor Oilers and Saints teams.But IMO his career totals won't help him (194 TD passes to 222 INT) and he does not rank in the Top 25 in any major passing category.

Lead a Saints team to 1 game and a missed fg from making the playoffs for the first time ever.Question about Stabler was that He may have fixed a game or two in His career.But I do think He should be in the HOF. Plain and Simple Stabler was a winner.

fastest to 100 wins (since broken) - better stats than Joe Willie

 

[DropKick]

Vincent Jackson...aka Bo Jackson.

Why does this guy even get mentioned as a great RB?

B/c he has great size and speed?

B/c of a monday night game vs the Seahawks?

Quite frankly, I have never seen his stats before but they disappoint.

Never ran for 1000 yards in a season.

only 2,782 career yards? Thats only a couple hundred more than Tatum Bell over the same time frame (I had to use a guy you all love...lol)

The guy had long runs that awed the crowd and fans....but would do it once Marcus Allen wore down the D. Speaking of....if Bo Jackson was so great...why didnt he beat out Marcus Allen for the job?

I know Bo has a small sample size...but so does Terrell Davis.

Enlighten me as to why Bo should be talked about as one of the great RB's.

One of the biggest flaws in today's mindset is that you can glance at a set of numbers and ASSUME you know everything you need to know about a situation. Jackson's career numbers may not be eye popping because he played professional baseball, shared time with a great back in his own right (Marcus Allen), and suffered a freak career ending injury. However, on the field, be it baseball diamond or gridiron, Bo was eye popping. He did things no one else seemed capable of... And, "what could have been" is part of the legend.

 

[eakfootball]

I agree, he only has 100 more career rushing yards than Laurence Maroney.

 

[netnalp]

Overrated or not, I think we can all agree that Bo is the greatest video-game player of all time...

Proof

I'd argue that Lawrence Taylor was the best Techmo Bowl player. Line LT up over the center and every time, he grabs the snap before it gets to the QB. LT was near impossible to tackle when used to return kicks.

 

[cobalt_27]

I agree, he only has 100 more career rushing yards than Laurence Maroney.

Watch a few games and pay less attention to the stats on the back of a player's card. This sort of stuff just reveals how little you watched and/or the context in which statistics are derived.

 

[otello]

I agree, he only has 100 more career rushing yards than Laurence Maroney.

This is laughable.

 

[bcr8f]

Bo and Sterling Sharpe have a lot in common-both were great but we never saw how great they could have been.

 

[Saints-Man]

Deon Sanders is the most overrated player in NFL history. He was a great athlete, but b/c of his self-promotion and his baseball ability his is overrated as a football player.

He was very good, but not great as some people would have you believe.

 

[TwinTurbo]

Deon Sanders is the most overrated player in NFL history. He was a great athlete, but b/c of his self-promotion and his baseball ability his is overrated as a football player.He was very good, but not great as some people would have you believe.

Every great athlete gets over hyped to some degree. But there is a difference between overrated and overhyped. Neither Bo Jackson or Deion Sanders were overrated. These guys were elite athletes that have few peers in any sport in any part of the world.

 

[dcgangstas]

Deon Sanders is the most overrated player in NFL history. He was a great athlete, but b/c of his self-promotion and his baseball ability his is overrated as a football player.He was very good, but not great as some people would have you believe.

That is totally absurd. Deion completely dominated on two sides of the ball (defense and special teams). He is without question worthy of first ballot HOF election.

 

[Saints-Man]

Deon Sanders is the most overrated player in NFL history. He was a great athlete, but b/c of his self-promotion and his baseball ability his is overrated as a football player.He was very good, but not great as some people would have you believe.

That is totally absurd. Deion completely dominated on two sides of the ball (defense and special teams). He is without question worthy of first ballot HOF election.

It is complete myth that he dominated on defense. He was a good cornerback who was assigned to the opposing team's #2 WR. I agree that he was maybe(Gale Sayers being the possible other) the greatest return man in NFL history.

 

[Saints-Man]

Deon Sanders is the most overrated player in NFL history. He was a great athlete, but b/c of his self-promotion and his baseball ability his is overrated as a football player.

He was very good, but not great as some people would have you believe.

Every great athlete gets over hyped to some degree. But there is a difference between overrated and overhyped. Neither Bo Jackson or Deion Sanders were overrated. These guys were elite athletes that have few peers in any sport in any part of the world.

I didn't post that Deion Sanders wasn't a great athlete. He was overhyped as a cornerback(his accolades as a returner are well deserved), but not overhyped as a great athlete.

 

[The Jacket]

He has the highest career ypc of any RB with 500 or more carries (5.40).

1 Bo Jackson 5.40

2 Jim Brown 5.29

3 Mercury Morris 5.14

4 Gale Sayers 5.00

5 Barry Sanders 4.99

6 Napoleon Kaufman 4.90

7 Frank Gore 4.90

8 Paul Lowe 4.87

9 Tony Nathan 4.84

10 Robert Smith 4.83

11 Tatum Bell 4.81

12 Ernie Green 4.80

13 Marv Hubbard 4.78

14 Wendell Tyler 4.75

15 Greg Pruitt 4.74

16 James Brooks 4.73

17 Stump Mitchell 4.72

18 Tiki Barber 4.71

19 Brian Westbrook 4.71

20 Fred Taylor 4.69

21 O.J. Simpson 4.67

22 Charlie Garner 4.62

23 Terrell Davis 4.60

24 Priest Holmes 4.59

25 Gerry Ellis 4.58

Certainly there are many other criteria to factor into being a "great RB," but in this area Bo was the one of the best (even with a limited workload).

Interesting list.Jamaal Charles has 487 career carries. His career YPC? 6

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Deon Sanders is the most overrated player in NFL history. He was a great athlete, but b/c of his self-promotion and his baseball ability his is overrated as a football player.

He was very good, but not great as some people would have you believe.

Every great athlete gets over hyped to some degree. But there is a difference between overrated and overhyped. Neither Bo Jackson or Deion Sanders were overrated. These guys were elite athletes that have few peers in any sport in any part of the world.

I didn't post that Deion Sanders wasn't a great athlete. He was overhyped as a cornerback(his accolades as a returner are well deserved), but not overhyped as a great athlete.

Dude, please just stop. You wanna call the guy out for not being a willing tackler, fine. Only you and guys locked up in padded rooms would suggest he wasn't in the argument as the single best cover guy in the history of the NFL.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Overrated or not, I think we can all agree that Bo is the greatest video-game player of all time...

Proof

I'd argue that Lawrence Taylor was the best Techmo Bowl player. Line LT up over the center and every time, he grabs the snap before it gets to the QB. LT was near impossible to tackle when used to return kicks.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Vincent Jackson...aka Bo Jackson.

Why does this guy even get mentioned as a great RB?

B/c he has great size and speed?

B/c of a monday night game vs the Seahawks?

Quite frankly, I have never seen his stats before but they disappoint.

Never ran for 1000 yards in a season.

only 2,782 career yards? Thats only a couple hundred more than Tatum Bell over the same time frame (I had to use a guy you all love...lol)

The guy had long runs that awed the crowd and fans....but would do it once Marcus Allen wore down the D. Speaking of....if Bo Jackson was so great...why didnt he beat out Marcus Allen for the job?

I know Bo has a small sample size...but so does Terrell Davis.

Enlighten me as to why Bo should be talked about as one of the great RB's.

One of the biggest flaws in today's mindset is that you can glance at a set of numbers and ASSUME you know everything you need to know about a situation. Jackson's career numbers may not be eye popping because he played professional baseball, shared time with a great back in his own right (Marcus Allen), and suffered a freak career ending injury. However, on the field, be it baseball diamond or gridiron, Bo was eye popping. He did things no one else seemed capable of... And, "what could have been" is part of the legend.

You forgot to mention he also missed the first half of each season playing baseball.

 

[Saints-Man]

...Dude, please just stop. You wanna call the guy out for not being a willing tackler, fine. Only you and guys locked up in padded rooms would suggest he wasn't in the argument as the single best cover guy in the history of the NFL.

Dude, you please just stop. What a weak response. The two biggest games in his career was the 1994(SF vs Dal when he played for SF) and 1995(GB vs DAL when he played for Dallas). Whatever team won the NFC was going to be heavily favored in the Super Bowl, so in these years the NFCCG was the most important game of the year.In the 1994 game as Sanders played for the 49ers, the 49ers won 38-28. However, Michael Irvin caught 12 passes for 192 yards and 2 TDs. In the 1995 game as Sanders played for the Cowboys, Dallas beat the Green Bay Packers 38-27 with Dallas scoring 2 TDs in the 4th quarter to overcome a 3rd quarter deficit. In that game, Robert Brooks caught 6 passes for 105 yards and 2 TDs.Either Sanders was covering these obvious #1 WRs for the opponents and they caught a lot of balls on him or he was assigned to cover the #2 WR. I would think that if you are truly a shutdown corner on a championship team, you would be assigned to the #1 WR and make the secondary WRs on an opponent beat you.Do you have any explanation for the fact that the #1 WRs had very good(in Irvin's case, great) games in the two most important games of Sanders' career? As the saying goes, you are entitled to your opinion(but obviously intolerant of others), but not your own facts.

 

[cobalt_27]

...Dude, please just stop. You wanna call the guy out for not being a willing tackler, fine. Only you and guys locked up in padded rooms would suggest he wasn't in the argument as the single best cover guy in the history of the NFL.

Dude, you please just stop. What a weak response. The two biggest games in his career was the 1994(SF vs Dal when he played for SF) and 1995(GB vs DAL when he played for Dallas). Whatever team won the NFC was going to be heavily favored in the Super Bowl, so in these years the NFCCG was the most important game of the year.In the 1994 game as Sanders played for the 49ers, the 49ers won 38-28. However, Michael Irvin caught 12 passes for 192 yards and 2 TDs. In the 1995 game as Sanders played for the Cowboys, Dallas beat the Green Bay Packers 38-27 with Dallas scoring 2 TDs in the 4th quarter to overcome a 3rd quarter deficit. In that game, Robert Brooks caught 6 passes for 105 yards and 2 TDs.Either Sanders was covering these obvious #1 WRs for the opponents and they caught a lot of balls on him or he was assigned to cover the #2 WR. I would think that if you are truly a shutdown corner on a championship team, you would be assigned to the #1 WR and make the secondary WRs on an opponent beat you.Do you have any explanation for the fact that the #1 WRs had very good(in Irvin's case, great) games in the two most important games of Sanders' career? As the saying goes, you are entitled to your opinion(but obviously intolerant of others), but not your own facts.

Not sure how he was used in SF, but when he was in DAL, he always played one side of the field...and just covered the guy on that side. That was the scheme. So, I don't know or remember the GB/Brooks game, but it's entirely possible--and this was done with some success--that opposing teams just moved their #1 over to the other side. A game or two aside, and I'm not really sure if these anecdotes even apply, but Sanders typically made his side of the field completely irrelevant/ignored by the other team's offenses.

 

[Saints-Man]

...Dude, please just stop. You wanna call the guy out for not being a willing tackler, fine. Only you and guys locked up in padded rooms would suggest he wasn't in the argument as the single best cover guy in the history of the NFL.

Dude, you please just stop. What a weak response. The two biggest games in his career was the 1994(SF vs Dal when he played for SF) and 1995(GB vs DAL when he played for Dallas). Whatever team won the NFC was going to be heavily favored in the Super Bowl, so in these years the NFCCG was the most important game of the year.In the 1994 game as Sanders played for the 49ers, the 49ers won 38-28. However, Michael Irvin caught 12 passes for 192 yards and 2 TDs. In the 1995 game as Sanders played for the Cowboys, Dallas beat the Green Bay Packers 38-27 with Dallas scoring 2 TDs in the 4th quarter to overcome a 3rd quarter deficit. In that game, Robert Brooks caught 6 passes for 105 yards and 2 TDs.Either Sanders was covering these obvious #1 WRs for the opponents and they caught a lot of balls on him or he was assigned to cover the #2 WR. I would think that if you are truly a shutdown corner on a championship team, you would be assigned to the #1 WR and make the secondary WRs on an opponent beat you.Do you have any explanation for the fact that the #1 WRs had very good(in Irvin's case, great) games in the two most important games of Sanders' career? As the saying goes, you are entitled to your opinion(but obviously intolerant of others), but not your own facts.

Not sure how he was used in SF, but when he was in DAL, he always played one side of the field...and just covered the guy on that side. That was the scheme. So, I don't know or remember the GB/Brooks game, but it's entirely possible--and this was done with some success--that opposing teams just moved their #1 over to the other side. A game or two aside, and I'm not really sure if these anecdotes even apply, but Sanders typically made his side of the field completely irrelevant/ignored by the other team's offenses.

Yes, but he was assigned that side(the weak side) because of his run liability. So, the scheme that was used was dictated by his liability. The best WRs(in a base 1 TE/2 WR formation) is typically the flanker(who lines up on the same side as the TE, creating the strong side). Because of the presence of the TE, most offenses usually run to the strong side. Since he was such a poor and unwilling tackler, teams could not afford to have him just cover the opposing teams best WR since it would be such a liability in run defense. So, he was put on the weak side of the defense against most often against the #2 WR. It wasn't that opponents were moving their best WR away from Deion as is myth, but the opponents lining up in their normal formations.The true shut down corner's in league history such as **** "Night Train" Lane, Mel Blount, and Rod Woodson were basically (except for special packages in a game that every team has) assigned to the opposing teams best WR. Since they were complete defensive football players, they did not have to be hidden through schemes that you mentioned.

 

[cobalt_27]

Yes, but he was assigned that side(the weak side) because of his run liability. So, the scheme that was used was dictated by his liability. The best WRs(in a base 1 TE/2 WR formation) is typically the flanker(who lines up on the same side as the TE, creating the strong side). Because of the presence of the TE, most offenses usually run to the strong side. Since he was such a poor and unwilling tackler, teams could not afford to have him just cover the opposing teams best WR since it would be such a liability in run defense. So, he was put on the weak side of the defense against most often against the #2 WR. It wasn't that opponents were moving their best WR away from Deion as is myth, but the opponents lining up in their normal formations.The true shut down corner's in league history such as **** "Night Train" Lane, Mel Blount, and Rod Woodson were basically (except for special packages in a game that every team has) assigned to the opposing teams best WR. Since they were complete defensive football players, they did not have to be hidden through schemes that you mentioned.

I'm willing to meet you half way here. Deion was a crappy/unwilling tackler. A liability in that domain of his game. It is what it is. But, I have never seen a corner before him or since that blanketed a receiver as effectively as he did. #1, #2, etc. Didn't really matter.Revis, though...I'll say he's the closest one and technically more sound than Deion, who often made his living letting guys get a little bit behind him and then using phenomenal catch-up speed to break up a pass or intercept it. Gave me heart attacks at times, but he was amazing. Revis is more consistently on the guys, it seems, from the snap to the end of the play.

 

[Ernol]

...Dude, please just stop. You wanna call the guy out for not being a willing tackler, fine. Only you and guys locked up in padded rooms would suggest he wasn't in the argument as the single best cover guy in the history of the NFL.

Dude, you please just stop. What a weak response. The two biggest games in his career was the 1994(SF vs Dal when he played for SF) and 1995(GB vs DAL when he played for Dallas). Whatever team won the NFC was going to be heavily favored in the Super Bowl, so in these years the NFCCG was the most important game of the year.In the 1994 game as Sanders played for the 49ers, the 49ers won 38-28. However, Michael Irvin caught 12 passes for 192 yards and 2 TDs. In the 1995 game as Sanders played for the Cowboys, Dallas beat the Green Bay Packers 38-27 with Dallas scoring 2 TDs in the 4th quarter to overcome a 3rd quarter deficit. In that game, Robert Brooks caught 6 passes for 105 yards and 2 TDs.Either Sanders was covering these obvious #1 WRs for the opponents and they caught a lot of balls on him or he was assigned to cover the #2 WR. I would think that if you are truly a shutdown corner on a championship team, you would be assigned to the #1 WR and make the secondary WRs on an opponent beat you.Do you have any explanation for the fact that the #1 WRs had very good(in Irvin's case, great) games in the two most important games of Sanders' career? As the saying goes, you are entitled to your opinion(but obviously intolerant of others), but not your own facts.

IIRC, Deion covered Alvin Harper most of that championship game. Alvin Harper torched the niners in prior games and the Niners had no answer to him until Deion. Deion made a huge difference in finally getting the Niners over Dallas. It was no coincidence that Jerry Jones went after Deion the following year and no accident that Deion ended up winning two Superbowls in a row.

 

[Saints-Man]

Yes, but he was assigned that side(the weak side) because of his run liability. So, the scheme that was used was dictated by his liability. The best WRs(in a base 1 TE/2 WR formation) is typically the flanker(who lines up on the same side as the TE, creating the strong side). Because of the presence of the TE, most offenses usually run to the strong side. Since he was such a poor and unwilling tackler, teams could not afford to have him just cover the opposing teams best WR since it would be such a liability in run defense. So, he was put on the weak side of the defense against most often against the #2 WR. It wasn't that opponents were moving their best WR away from Deion as is myth, but the opponents lining up in their normal formations.The true shut down corner's in league history such as **** "Night Train" Lane, Mel Blount, and Rod Woodson were basically (except for special packages in a game that every team has) assigned to the opposing teams best WR. Since they were complete defensive football players, they did not have to be hidden through schemes that you mentioned.

I'm willing to meet you half way here. Deion was a crappy/unwilling tackler. A liability in that domain of his game. It is what it is. But, I have never seen a corner before him or since that blanketed a receiver as effectively as he did. #1, #2, etc. Didn't really matter.Revis, though...I'll say he's the closest one and technically more sound than Deion, who often made his living letting guys get a little bit behind him and then using phenomenal catch-up speed to break up a pass or intercept it. Gave me heart attacks at times, but he was amazing. Revis is more consistently on the guys, it seems, from the snap to the end of the play.

I was a Saints season ticket holder at the time, so I saw Deion perform once a year. There were certain routes, mainly slants, slant-and-go, and go routes that with his outstanding ability and speed he would just own. However, a team could successfully run hooks and ins on him. I saw it happen. I never posted he was an average cover guy, just that his myth is overrated. I posted that he was HOF worthy, but IMO not on the first ballot. A first ballot HOF is the elite of the elite, and after watching him I just don't think he was that. HOF worthy yes, but not a first ballot HOF. That is reserved for the Jim Brown's, Walter Paytons', Lawrence Taylor's, and the Joe Montana's. I don't think Sanders is in that class of player.

 

[cobalt_27]

Yes, but he was assigned that side(the weak side) because of his run liability. So, the scheme that was used was dictated by his liability. The best WRs(in a base 1 TE/2 WR formation) is typically the flanker(who lines up on the same side as the TE, creating the strong side). Because of the presence of the TE, most offenses usually run to the strong side. Since he was such a poor and unwilling tackler, teams could not afford to have him just cover the opposing teams best WR since it would be such a liability in run defense. So, he was put on the weak side of the defense against most often against the #2 WR. It wasn't that opponents were moving their best WR away from Deion as is myth, but the opponents lining up in their normal formations.The true shut down corner's in league history such as **** "Night Train" Lane, Mel Blount, and Rod Woodson were basically (except for special packages in a game that every team has) assigned to the opposing teams best WR. Since they were complete defensive football players, they did not have to be hidden through schemes that you mentioned.

I'm willing to meet you half way here. Deion was a crappy/unwilling tackler. A liability in that domain of his game. It is what it is. But, I have never seen a corner before him or since that blanketed a receiver as effectively as he did. #1, #2, etc. Didn't really matter.Revis, though...I'll say he's the closest one and technically more sound than Deion, who often made his living letting guys get a little bit behind him and then using phenomenal catch-up speed to break up a pass or intercept it. Gave me heart attacks at times, but he was amazing. Revis is more consistently on the guys, it seems, from the snap to the end of the play.

I was a Saints season ticket holder at the time, so I saw Deion perform once a year. There were certain routes, mainly slants, slant-and-go, and go routes that with his outstanding ability and speed he would just own. However, a team could successfully run hooks and ins on him. I saw it happen. I never posted he was an average cover guy, just that his myth is overrated. I posted that he was HOF worthy, but IMO not on the first ballot. A first ballot HOF is the elite of the elite, and after watching him I just don't think he was that. HOF worthy yes, but not a first ballot HOF. That is reserved for the Jim Brown's, Walter Paytons', Lawrence Taylor's, and the Joe Montana's. I don't think Sanders is in that class of player.

I'm a Cowboys fan, so admittedly a little biased in favor of him. But, even I think he was a marginal 1st ballot guy (the only one 100% deserving was Faulk, imo). The myth is a bit over-the-top and somewhat disproportionate to what he really was. But, I'll say in his defense...he's damn close to the myth, that's all.The main problem is the NFL HOF puts way too many guys in. It's a diluted crop of a lot of very good players mixed in with true HOFers. They added 7 more this year, and I wished they only put in 3 or 4 max. Deion could have been given a pass, and it wouldn't have phased me a bit.

 

[Ernol]

Found this:

http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports..._real_cove.html

Harper = 33 yards per catch in three previous outings!

I am by no means a Deion fan. But, like him or not (and I really don't), as a Niner fan, you have to recognize that Deion was the critical piece that moved the Niners ahead of Dallas for the one year.

DEION VS. HARPER A REAL COVER STORY

BY HANK GOLA

Monday, January 16th 1995, 3:83AM

SAN FRANCISCO If someone was going to beat the 49ers yesterday, it wasn't going to be Alvin Harper.

After averaging more than 33 yards per catch in his three previous outings against the Niners, the Cowboys' receiver was a marked man in the 49er game plan.

"Fool me twice, shame on us," said safety Tim McDonald. "He wasn't going to fool us three times. He had enough big games on us."

The Niners' answer was to put Deion Sanders on Harper in man coverage while rolling up on Michael Irvin in double coverage. The Irvin half of it didn't exactly work. Although his fumble led to a first-quarter score, Irvin also caught 12 passes for 192 yards, both Cowboy playoff records.

Harper, however, made only one catch all game, for 14 yards with 6:00 left.

"We just weren't going to let him beat us again," secondary coach Tom Holmoe said. "We decided to put Deion on him and when we went to the guys, they had talked about it themselves and it was the same thing they came up with."

Eric Davis, who usually covers Harper, came up with turnovers on the first two possessions that got the Niners off to their 21-0 start. He returned Aikman's third pass of the game 44 yards with an INT, then forced the Irvin fumble.

"They only called my number twice today," said a frustrated Harper. "The other times I was clearing out."

Harper wasn't surprised when Sanders opened the game against him.

"(Niners coach George) Seifert talked about excluding big plays and he put Deion, the best cover man in the NFL, on me," he said. "He didn't give me a chance to make plays on Deion.

"The coaches told me to relax, you'll make a big play. But my time never came."

 

[Saints-Man]

...I'm a Cowboys fan, so admittedly a little biased in favor of him. But, even I think he was a marginal 1st ballot guy (the only one 100% deserving was Faulk, imo). The myth is a bit over-the-top and somewhat disproportionate to what he really was. But, I'll say in his defense...he's damn close to the myth, that's all.The main problem is the NFL HOF puts way too many guys in. It's a diluted crop of a lot of very good players mixed in with true HOFers. They added 7 more this year, and I wished they only put in 3 or 4 max. Deion could have been given a pass, and it wouldn't have phased me a bit.

Cobalt, do you think he goes in as a Cowboy? He played for so many teams, and had an equal number of years with the Falcons.I will also say this about him...he was the greatest punt returner to ever play the game. The only other in that conversation is Gale Sayers, and I think Deion was better.I agree that the NFL puts too many players in the HOF each year.

 

[cobalt_27]

...

I'm a Cowboys fan, so admittedly a little biased in favor of him. But, even I think he was a marginal 1st ballot guy (the only one 100% deserving was Faulk, imo). The myth is a bit over-the-top and somewhat disproportionate to what he really was. But, I'll say in his defense...he's damn close to the myth, that's all.

The main problem is the NFL HOF puts way too many guys in. It's a diluted crop of a lot of very good players mixed in with true HOFers. They added 7 more this year, and I wished they only put in 3 or 4 max. Deion could have been given a pass, and it wouldn't have phased me a bit.

Cobalt, do you think he goes in as a Cowboy? He played for so many teams, and had an equal number of years with the Falcons.I will also say this about him...he was the greatest punt returner to ever play the game. The only other in that conversation is Gale Sayers, and I think Deion was better.

I agree that the NFL puts too many players in the HOF each year.

Yeah, I think his fame emerged when he was on the Cowboys teams. He was a beast with the Falcons for 5 years, but never did much for playoffs. His identity really formulated when we spent 5 years with the Cowboys. I think that family is whom he is closest to. So, I say with near-certainty that it'll be one of those 2 teams, with Dallas getting the edge for the SB distinction/ring.

 

[Instinctive]

...

I'm a Cowboys fan, so admittedly a little biased in favor of him. But, even I think he was a marginal 1st ballot guy (the only one 100% deserving was Faulk, imo). The myth is a bit over-the-top and somewhat disproportionate to what he really was. But, I'll say in his defense...he's damn close to the myth, that's all.

The main problem is the NFL HOF puts way too many guys in. It's a diluted crop of a lot of very good players mixed in with true HOFers. They added 7 more this year, and I wished they only put in 3 or 4 max. Deion could have been given a pass, and it wouldn't have phased me a bit.

Cobalt, do you think he goes in as a Cowboy? He played for so many teams, and had an equal number of years with the Falcons.I will also say this about him...he was the greatest punt returner to ever play the game. The only other in that conversation is Gale Sayers, and I think Deion was better.

I agree that the NFL puts too many players in the HOF each year.

Devin Hester. Has to be "in that conversation."

 

[Utter Chaos]

He has the highest career ypc of any RB with 500 or more carries (5.40). 1 Bo Jackson 5.40 2 Jim Brown 5.29 3 Mercury Morris 5.14 4 Gale Sayers 5.00 5 Barry Sanders 4.99 6 Napoleon Kaufman 4.90 7 Frank Gore 4.908 Paul Lowe 4.87 9 Tony Nathan 4.84 10 Robert Smith 4.83 11 Tatum Bell 4.81 12 Ernie Green 4.80 13 Marv Hubbard 4.78 14 Wendell Tyler 4.75 15 Greg Pruitt 4.74 16 James Brooks 4.73 17 Stump Mitchell 4.72 18 Tiki Barber 4.71 19 Brian Westbrook 4.71 20 Fred Taylor 4.69 21 O.J. Simpson 4.67 22 Charlie Garner 4.62 23 Terrell Davis 4.60 24 Priest Holmes 4.59 25 Gerry Ellis 4.58 Certainly there are many other criteria to factor into being a "great RB," but in this area Bo was the one of the best (even with a limited workload).

What about Marion Motley (5.70), Chet Mutryn (5.20), Dan Towler (5.20), Johnny Strzykalski (5.16), Charlie Trippi (5.10), Joe Perry (5.04), Tommy Wilson (5.03), Lenny Moore (4.84), Adrian Peterson (4.83), Tank Younger (4.73), and Hugh McElhenny (4.70)?And active players: DeAngelo Williams (5.01), Chris Johnson (4.97), Derrick Ward (4.89), Ahmad Bradshaw (4.84), Jonathan Stewart (4.70), Michael Turner (4.66). Brandon Jacobs (4.62), and Maurice Jones Drew (4.60).By the way your list must be a few years old because Frank Gore is now at 4.68, Fred Taylor is 4.62 and Brian Westbrook is 4.57.If you include all positions the leader is Michael Vick at 7.09. Randall Cunningham (6.36), Steve Young (5.87), Donovan McNabb (5.65), and Fran Tarkenton (5.44) would be other QB's higher than Bo.EDIT TO ADD: I also think Bo was not overrated. He's a case of "what could have been". What if he didn't play baseball and what if he didn't get hurt. He'd be one of the all time greats.

 

[Demian]

...Dude, please just stop. You wanna call the guy out for not being a willing tackler, fine. Only you and guys locked up in padded rooms would suggest he wasn't in the argument as the single best cover guy in the history of the NFL.

Dude, you please just stop. What a weak response. The two biggest games in his career was the 1994(SF vs Dal when he played for SF) and 1995(GB vs DAL when he played for Dallas). Whatever team won the NFC was going to be heavily favored in the Super Bowl, so in these years the NFCCG was the most important game of the year.In the 1994 game as Sanders played for the 49ers, the 49ers won 38-28. However, Michael Irvin caught 12 passes for 192 yards and 2 TDs. In the 1995 game as Sanders played for the Cowboys, Dallas beat the Green Bay Packers 38-27 with Dallas scoring 2 TDs in the 4th quarter to overcome a 3rd quarter deficit. In that game, Robert Brooks caught 6 passes for 105 yards and 2 TDs.Either Sanders was covering these obvious #1 WRs for the opponents and they caught a lot of balls on him or he was assigned to cover the #2 WR. I would think that if you are truly a shutdown corner on a championship team, you would be assigned to the #1 WR and make the secondary WRs on an opponent beat you.Do you have any explanation for the fact that the #1 WRs had very good(in Irvin's case, great) games in the two most important games of Sanders' career? As the saying goes, you are entitled to your opinion(but obviously intolerant of others), but not your own facts.

Not sure how he was used in SF, but when he was in DAL, he always played one side of the field...and just covered the guy on that side. That was the scheme. So, I don't know or remember the GB/Brooks game, but it's entirely possible--and this was done with some success--that opposing teams just moved their #1 over to the other side. A game or two aside, and I'm not really sure if these anecdotes even apply, but Sanders typically made his side of the field completely irrelevant/ignored by the other team's offenses.

Yes, but he was assigned that side(the weak side) because of his run liability. So, the scheme that was used was dictated by his liability. The best WRs(in a base 1 TE/2 WR formation) is typically the flanker(who lines up on the same side as the TE, creating the strong side). Because of the presence of the TE, most offenses usually run to the strong side. Since he was such a poor and unwilling tackler, teams could not afford to have him just cover the opposing teams best WR since it would be such a liability in run defense. So, he was put on the weak side of the defense against most often against the #2 WR. It wasn't that opponents were moving their best WR away from Deion as is myth, but the opponents lining up in their normal formations.The true shut down corner's in league history such as **** "Night Train" Lane, Mel Blount, and Rod Woodson were basically (except for special packages in a game that every team has) assigned to the opposing teams best WR. Since they were complete defensive football players, they did not have to be hidden through schemes that you mentioned.

A liability that won defensive player of the year in 1994.