Do you agree with Primetime on his position in the 100 Greatest Players list?

[SPTO]

34 seems about right for Sanders. He was never a great physical defender and even when he did attempt to wrap guys up and tackle them it more often then not looked VERY comical. That being said, he's probably one of, if not the greatest cover guy ever.

Sanders probably gets a leg up on some guys at his position because of his PR/KR exploits and his at times successful turns at WR. People sometimes forges that Sanders wasn't all hype. I've seen broadcast footage of his very first Kickoff (or it might've been Punt can't remember for certain) return for a TD. The man became an instant star the moment he stepped onto an NFL field. Few guys have ever had that "IT" stuff right from the jump.

[N51_rob]

I would place him higher. He was one of those rare guys that changed the way his position was drafted after. The SI article on him from way back was a great example of him at his prime taking away a receiver for most of the game. Guys like Revis are playing corner because of Sanders. He is a top 20 guy for me.

[wwharton]

Quote: Originally Posted by grunt

Sanders was the most dominant cover corner in his generation. He was also a great pr and kr. I don't know if he should be higher but few dbs should be higher than Sanders.

I think this is basically what's important. Unlike basketball, the positions don't really blend together so where he rates at his position is more important because otherwise there's a lot of apples and oranges in the same basket. Is the top LB higher than the top DB? Why or why not? No real arguments can be made.

[brayTxiv]

I agree Prime should be higher, but not top 5 like he said he should be. IMO Deion is the best corner to ever play the game. Not only was he the best corner, but arguably the best return specialist ever.

A couple other disagreements I have. Tony Gonzalez(#45) is a all time great, but I would not have him higher than Randy Moss(#65). Where is Ray Lewis going to land? Top 5 will probably be 1. Jim Brown, 2. Jerry Rice 3. Joe Montana, 4. Lawrence Taylor, 5. Johnny Unitas. Interested to see where Favre will land.

[CW McGraw]

Saying that Sanders couldn't tackle is like saying that Mozart couldn't sing. Given his unmatched talent at the most important aspect of his job, his weakness as a tackler is irrelevant. He's unquestionably the greatest cover corner of all time. He dominated despite rules meant to make his job impossible.

I think Deion made some good points. The list has an obvious bias towards QBs and offensive players. Joe Namath and Kurt Warner are both legitimate Hall of Famers, but they had such brief primes that you can't really justify putting them on the list. Guys like Red Grange and Jim Thorpe were tremendously important to the history of the NFL but their on field accomplishments really can't compare to the accomplishments of guys who came even two decades later. I guess it just depends on how you define greatness. If you say greatness is synonymous with historical significance then Namath, Thorpe, and Grange are deserving, but if you're defining greatness as skill on the football field over an extended period of time then there's no way I can put those guys on the list.

[ANDROMADA 1]

Sanders was awesome. I would easily move him ahead to the top ten. He takes away 3/4 of the football field. He is the definition of shutdown corner.

[Scottdau]

Quote: Originally Posted by bkrich83

I laughed when he said he never shied away from contact. I have the 1991 Chargers highlight film and there's a great clip of him basically running away from Marion Butts as Butts was dragging guys down the field.

Did he even tackle people?

[bkrich83]

Quote: Originally Posted by CW McGraw

Saying that Sanders couldn't tackle is like saying that Mozart couldn't sing. Given his unmatched talent at the most important aspect of his job, his weakness as a tackler is irrelevant. He's unquestionably the greatest cover corner of all time. He dominated despite rules meant to make his job impossible.

More so than Mel Blount? The rules were there specifically because of his dominance.

Blount was the better player imo, without a doubt.