NFL Week 9 thread

Lying about hanging out with Deion Sanders. Not paying for jewelry and getting sued. Hitting his mother. Need I go on?

 

That mother story smelled like bullshit the first time I heard it. She seems like a true upstanding citizen. Sounded more to me like a "give me some money or I'm saying you did this" piece. Then going back on it 24 hours later.

 

Don't confuse "controversy" with "click bait."

 

Dez Bryant is a really good receiver, incredibly gifted physically, but the whole comparison to Calvin Johnson thing is laughable.

Here's a telling stat in the big-play category. You know how many receptions of 20 or more yards Dez Bryant has this season? Six. That's six as in less than seven (which is how many Cecil freaking Shorts and DeAndre Hopkins have), as in tied for 31st in the league.

Meanwhile, Megatron has 12 -- twice as many. Last season, Johnson had a ridiculous 40 catches of 20 or more yards to Bryant's 19 (which, by the way, was a very good number -- sixth in the NFL, ahead of A.J. Green, Brandon Marshall, Julio Jones and, yes, Cecil freaking Shorts). Demaryius Thomas was second with 29.

 

This. Is he worth it? Not sure.

 

Some of that is on the receiver, some of that is on the QB, some of that is on the offensive line.

I don't think any sane person is equating Dez Bryant with Calvin Johnson.

 

I've seen Deion take Jerry Rice out of a game, so if he can do that, I don't doubt he could do it with Megatron.

What was clear is who couldn't cover Megatron... Anyone on the current Dallas Cowboys team.

 

This is opening up that tired generational debate, but I don't think Jerry Rice is even close to what Megatron is. The guy is 6'5 and 240 pounds and a freak athletically. The league has never seen a guy like this. He is physically better than Randy Moss and has the attitude to go with it. I think he would pretty much have his way one-on-one with anyone who has ever played corner.

 

Physically? Of course, it's not even close...

But Rice played in an era when cornerbacks were actually allowed to defend and when quarterbacks (maybe Marino did...) didn't throw the ball 40+ times a game regularly.

Rice also could finish. Megatron somehow gets caught inside the 5-yard line quite a bit.

Best since Rice? No question...

 

Rice was the very definition of "football speed." He ran maybe a 4.6 40, but always seemed to get separation when he needed it.

 

There was a game in the mid 80s where they timed how fast he covered 40 yards during a game and he ran a 4.4 in pads. Not Deion fast, but like you said, he always got separation when he needed it. Who knows why he was so slow at the combine?

 

Not sure Deion could run 4.4 in pads.

One of the greatest plays I ever saw was in Carolina's 1995 upset of the defending Super Bowl champion 49ers in Candlestick. Rice beat Tyrone Poole on a crossing route, got to the sideline and turned toward the end zone. Poole caught him from behind and punched the ball out his hands and through the end zone for a touchback.

Another came in that same game when Sam Mills ripped the ball out of Brent Jones' hands for a turnover. I mean, Mills didn't pop it loose and fall on it, he just grabbed the ball while it was in Jones' hands and took it from him.