I had the pleasure of writing this for The Shadow League.
Is Ray top 5 all time? Are Texans suspect? Are Packers soft? Is Shanahan a criminal? We got answers.
QUESTION 1
There’s been talk that Ray Lewis may be the greatest defensive player of all time. That is, obviously, highly debatable. So let’s debate it. Rank your top 5, with some explanation attached. (NOTE: YOU CAN GO AS HIGH AS 100 WORDS FOR THIS ONE)
JAMAR: I’m going to limit my top 5 to my generation, simply because I can’t give an honest assessment of players I never saw nor felt the impact of. 1. Lawrence Taylor: LT completely changed the game at linebacker and is the standard by which defensive players should be held. 2. Reggie White: The minister of defense was unstoppable both in Philly and Green Bay. 3. Ray Lewis: When you talk about intangibles, there’s a picture of Ray Lewis. Take his awareness and his leadership skills and you can’t leave him off any list. 4. Ronnie Lott: Without a doubt the best safety of a generation. Lott struck fear never seen before in offenses because of his hard-hitting style of play. 5. Deion Sanders: His tackling was suspect at times, but you can’t deny his play as a shutdown corner.
GAMBLE: Jamar’s list is tight. Saying Lewis is No. 1 is like saying Lil Wayne is the best rapper ever. Perspective gets lost in the glitz. LT didn’t do a pregame two-step. He couldn’t captivate people with his tongue game. He was just the greatest defensive gift God ever gave the NFL. It was written in 1986, when LT became one of just two defensive players to ever win an NFL MVP. I’ll take the Minister of Defense and his 198 sacks No. 2. Nobody shut em’ down like Neon Deion at No. 3. No. 4’s, Ronnie Lott/Rod Woodson were fearless, leaders who crushed cats. Bruce Smith was ether. He can share No. 5 with Ray Ray.
Checkout the rest of the questions and answers here.