[USA TODAY] Top 25 NFL Players in the last 25 yrs.

Man, Earl didn't even get one vote!

 

I wouldn't make that argument and neither would this guy...

 

Earl didn't play during their "timeframe." He played during the preseason of 1986, and then decided to retire.

 

I guess Steve Young and Emmitt Smith were a better football player than Bruce Matthews.

 

Barry Sanders should always be higher on any list than Emmitt Smith.


Disregard List.

 

Agreed.

 

Deion also batted .533 in the '92 World Series and he hit and home run and scored a TD in the same week.
____

Deion's annoying persona makes people forget about these amazing stats. He has toned waaaay down as he has aged though so he isn't quite so grating these days.

 

If they'd said for the past 30 years, I'd agree, and I'm the biggest Earl fan there is. But Earl was a shell of himself in 82 and on. He made the pro-bowl in 83 out of respect for what he had done.

 

hahaha easily

 

yeah guy was amazing. he had quite a few INT. but like someone said above he went a few seasons where QBs didnt even throw his way.

 

Dieon was the X-factor in two super bowls and took away half of the field. I don't know of another defensive player that has ever done that.

Barry Sanders should be higher on the list considering he had no help and was the offense for his entire career. The fact that he can still walk normally is a feat in itself considering how many times he carried the ball.

 

Dickerson should be higher than emmitt smith. LT should be higher than emmitt. Barry Should be higher than emmitt.

 

Also, where is bruce matthews???? Anthony Munoz????

 

Am I the only one who is shocked Montana is above Rice?

 

bruce matthews was great, but not top 25...

 

Who gives a crap about baseball. We're talking football here.. and defensive players have to tackle, right Deion?

"You show me a corner that can tackle, and I'll show you one that can't cover"

--Deion Sanders

Well, Green could cover and he could tackle. He also spent his whole career with one team and didn't go whoring himself out. He stuck with the Redskins and was a big reason they won three Superbowls with three different QBs.

Total Tackles:

Green: 1197

Sanders: 510

Solo Tackles:

Green: 984

Sanders: 427

Deion's best year for tackles was 66, which would be Green's 8th best year. Sanders had two whole years where he had more than 50 total tackles while Green had 12 years where he had more than 50 solo tackles.

Green also had 7 seasons of double-digit passes deflected while Sanders had three.

 

Great post, the guy could shut half the field down on defense while putting up outstanding offensive numbers off returns. Plus, he is a winner.
Deion is an easy top 25....

 

That's attributed to offenses avoiding plays called to his side of the field. He was such a playmaker that his defense was in fact an offensive threat.
Green was more of a zone corner focused on tackles while Deion was a shut down cover corner.

Night Train was'nt bad either

 

Oh please. Saying he was a zone corner focused on tackles is ridiculous. Every game you watched during the height of his career... which was long... Green was man-on-man with the best receiver on the other team. And it wasn't like QBs were exactly anxious to throw to him either. Also, this half the field stuff is a phrase without real meaning... if Sanders shut down half the field, it was only on passing plays. Green played the whole field regardless of run or pass... I bet Green ran down more people across the field then Sanders did because he played hard all the time. Deion wasn't going to run flat out for 110 yards on the diagonal just to maybe catch a guy at the 5. (Heck, he might have to tackle him instead of giving just a push out of bounds.) Green would and did. Deion may be the flashier playmaker, but Green was the better all-around defensive player. He tackled.

And if you're going to imply anything about these two by stating what kind of defense they played (even when you're wrong), let me say: Sanders was just a "cover" corner.

By the way, where was Sanders at age 36? Oh, that's right, playing Safety and shagging hail mary's at the end of halves. Where was Green at 36? Why, in the Pro Bowl as a Cornerback.