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Point blank who is better defensive back. Both started as corners in their careers and ended as free safeties. Here is the tale of the tape on both athletes.
Deion Sanders
via Wikipedia
During his 14-year NFL career, Sanders was a perennial All-Pro and one of the most feared pass defenders to ever play the game. He allegedly ran a 4.16 in the 40 yard dash making him the second fastest in the NFL to Darrell Green, who ran a 4.12. At the height of his career, his reputation was so great that opposing offensive coordinators almost always specifically accounted for him in their game-plan. He was widely known to shut down “his” half of the field, causing most quarterbacks to essentially ignore the receiver he was covering. Although critics argued that his tackling was poor and he was not much of a factor in run support, they could not deny his unparalleled closing speed. Sanders' speed and athleticism enabled him to blanket the best receivers while playing one of football's toughest positions.
Sanders also occasionally lined up with his team's offense. During the 1996 season, Sanders skipped the baseball season by concentrating strictly on football and attended the first NFL training camp of his career to better familiarize himself with the nuances of the wide receiver position. He became the first two-way starter in the NFL since Chuck Bednarik for the first half of the season due to Michael Irvin serving a five game suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.
During his career, Sanders intercepted 52 passes for 1,331 yards (a 25.1 yards per return average), recovered four fumbles for 15 yards, returned 155 kickoffs for 3,523 yards, gained 2,199 yards on 212 punt returns, and caught 60 passes for 784 yards. Sanders amassed 7,838 all-purpose yards and scored 22 touchdowns: nine interception returns, six punt returns, three kickoff returns, three receiving, and one fumble recovery. His 19 defensive and return touchdowns are an NFL record. He was selected to eight Pro Bowls in 1991--1994, 1996–1999. He was also awarded the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1994.
- College Football News named Sanders #8 in its list of 100 Greatest College Football Players of All-Time.
- The Sporting News named Sanders #37 in their Top 100 Football Players of the Century released in 1999.
- ESPN named Sanders #74 in its list of the 100 Great Athletes of the Century released in 1999.
Sanders also had a rushing TD in the playoffs (against the Philadelphia Eagles in January 1996). This makes him (including post season) one of only two players in NFL history (Bill Dudley) to score a touchdown six different ways (interception return, punt return, kickoff return, receiving, rushing, and a fumble recovery).
| Career stats | |
|---|---|
| Tackles | 513 |
| Interceptions | 53 |
| Sacks | 1 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Rod Woodson
via Wikipedia
In 1987, Woodson was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers as the 10th overall draft pick. He returned punts and played defensive cornerback for Pittsburgh through the 1996 season. He was a fan favorite and a banner that hung for years in Three Rivers Stadium stated: "Rod Is God". A highlight came in 1995 when Woodson became the first player to return from reconstructive knee surgery in the same season. That year he tore his ACL against the Detroit Lions in the first game and returned to play in the Super Bowl XXX between the Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys just 19 weeks later. In that game, he broke up a pass intended for Michael Irvin, hopped up and pointed at his reconstructed knee.
Woodson's career took a somewhat nomadic turn after free agency from Pittsburgh, after the Rooney family elected not to renew his contract over a pay dispute as well as the salary cap. (The team had a similar dispute with Franco Harris in 1984 and later with Alan Faneca in 2008.) Although he remained to raise his family in Pittsburgh and later made amends with the Rooneys, he hopped between three additional franchises, becoming one of the few modern cornerbacks to successfully make a transition to the safety position, following in the footsteps of Ronnie Lott. Woodson signed with the San Francisco 49ers for the 1997 season, the Baltimore Ravens for the years 1998 to 2001 (where he won Super Bowl XXXV), and the Oakland Raiders for 2002 and 2003 (where he appeared in his third Super Bowl). In the Raiders 2002 Super Bowl season, 37-year old Woodson led the NFL in interceptions (8) for the first time in his career. Unfortunately his father died in May 1992 after brain surgery, when the emotional decision to withdraw life support led to a physical confrontation between Rod and his brother Jamie (formal charges for battery and resisting arrest were filed as cited by AP May 22, 1992 [1] .)
NFL records and accomplishments
Woodson is among the NFL's all time leaders in games played as a defensive back and interceptions. In his 17 NFL seasons, Woodson recorded 71 interceptions, 1,483 interception return yards, 32 fumble recoveries (15 offensive and 17 defensive), 137 fumble return yards, 4,894 kickoff return yards, 2,362 punt return yards, and 17 touchdowns (12 interception returns, 1 fumble return, 2 kickoff returns, 2 punt returns). He holds the league record for interceptions returned for touchdowns with 12, and is tied with 11 other players for the record for most fumble recoveries in a single game (3). His 1,483 interception return yards are also an NFL record. His 71 interceptions rank 3rd all time.
Woodson was named to the Pro Bowl eleven times, a record for a defensive back. He was also the first player to earn trips to the Pro Bowl at cornerback, safety and kick returner.[2] He was named 1993's NFL Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press. He was also a 9 time All-Pro selection. Woodson finished second to Darrell Green in the 1988 NFL Fastest Man Contest.[3]
In 1994, he was named to the NFL's 75th Anniversary Team. What made it notable was that Woodson was one of only five active players to be named to the team. The others were Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, Reggie White and Ronnie Lott. In 1999, he was ranked number 87 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. The College Football News has also honored him as one of the 100 greatest players of the 20th century.
In 2007, he was ranked number 22 on USA Today list of the 25 best NFL players of the past 25 years.
It is unlikely that the Steelers will remove Woodson's number 26 from circulation, however, since the number is currently being worn by longtime cornerback Deshea Townsend, who as of the 2008 season has now played longer with the Steelers than Woodson did. (The team drafted Townsend in 1998 around the same time that Woodson signed with the archrival Ravens, and still had an acrimonious relationship with the Rooneys at the time.) Mel Blount's number 47 has also conspicuously remained in circulation since his retirement after the 1983 season.
On January 31, 2009, Woodson was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility becoming the 18th Steelers related person to be enshrined.
| Career stats | |
|---|---|
| Tackles | 1,163 |
| Interceptions | 71 |
| Sacks | 13.5 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
NFL Records
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Okay, so that is Wikipedia's take on the two athletes. Before I go offering up my two cents watch these two highlight reels of these two great players and comment and I'll follow up with my thoughts.
Can't wait to hear what the people have to say,
Ricky Writer
1 comment:
Deion. No question.
Rod Woodson wasn't feared, they definitely accounted for him, but they didn't straight come out and say, we're not throwing on his side.
Rod's versatility makes it close, but Deion's affect on the game was LT-esque. Ridiculous.
-Ed.
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